Queen Margrethe wins the Danish equivalent of the “Oscar” for best costume

Queen Margrethe of Denmark, then aged 83, who abdicated in January in favor of her son Frederik, won on Saturday January 3 the Danish equivalent of the Oscar for best costume designer.

The ex-monarch received a Robert Award for her work on the Netflix film Ehrengard, or the Art of Seduction. This feature film is an adaptation of a book by Danish writer Karen Blixen, best known for her memoir Out of Africa, and directed by Bille August, one of the best-known Danish filmmakers. The Queen, who cited health concerns when she announced her surprise abdication during her annual New Year's speech, was not present at the awards ceremony on Saturday in Copenhagen. The film's producer, Marcella Dichmann, accepted the award on his behalf.

Alongside her royal duties, the Queen has made a name for herself as an artist over the years. She is a painter and illustrator and has worked numerous times as a costume designer and set designer for the Royal Danish Ballet and the Royal Danish Theatre. The Queen also designed the sets for Ehrengard and was also nominated for a Robert Award in this category. Very popular in Denmark, Margrethe studied at Cambridge in England and at the Sorbonne in Paris and is fluent in English, French, German and Swedish.

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She also translated plays, including All Men Are Mortal by Simone de Beauvoir with her French-born husband, Prince Consort Henrik, under a pseudonym. She has illustrated several books, including a 2002 Danish edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and her paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries in Denmark and abroad.

Margrethe underwent back surgery last year and passed the throne to her son on January 14 after a 52-year reign, making him King Frederik X. She retained her title as queen following her abdication.