Celebrating Her Majesty, The Queen: Margrethe II of Denmark’s 81st Birthday Bash

April 22, 2021

Celebrating Her Majesty, The Queen: Margrethe II of Denmark’s 81st Birthday Bash

Attendees at Stan Mullins Studio.

The Danish Royal Consulate hosted a celebration at Stan Mullins Studio in Athens, Ga., this past Saturday to celebrate the Queen of Denmark’s 81st birthday.

Christopher N. Smith, the Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Denmark stated the Danish Consulate in Georgia was established in 1802 in Savannah and that Denmark has considerable business interests in Georgia. In addition to are about 60 Danish companies doing business in Georgia. shipping giant Maersk is the No. 1 customer of the Georgia Ports Authority in Savannah.

“We go back a long way because of commerce, and commerce is still strong in Georgia, is growing and has potential to grow. 3,300 Georgians owe their paycheck to the Danish relationship. In 2020 the state exported more than $70 million in goods to Denmark.” said Smith.

It was quite the international celebration, as guests from around the world attended. The soiree included Danish treats like wedding cookies, Carlsberg beer and Viking Blod wine, but nothing beat the cake. Three flag cakes, because the Kingdom of Denmark includes Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Since the Danes were the original Vikings, cupcakes embellished with ancient ships were included in the mix.

Rodney Mims Cook, Jr., founder and president of the National Monuments Foundation and a personal friend of Prince Charles, paid homage to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was born into Greek and Danish royal families.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a birthday party without singing. Everyone joined in the singing of “God Save The Queen” and “God Bless America,” accompanied by pianist Jameson Minter.

The toast to Her Majesty, the Queen, was led by Jan Rene Knudsen, a former member of the Queen's guard.

The Danish flag cake, the Dannebrog (which is the oldest continually used national flag), was cut by Louise Blais, the Ambassador of Canada and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations. The unique saber was provided by Stan Mullins. She also presented Smith with a gift for Her Majesty, the Queen.

Additional highlights below:

Lyubena Smith, Honorary Consul of Denmark Sir Christopher N. Smith, Jessie Bowers (model), Ambassador Louise Blais, world-renowned artist Stan Mullins, Carson Byars (daughter of designer Ellie Byars)