Margrethe II is the Queen of Denmark and also the supreme authority of the Church of Denmark and the Commander-in-Chief of the Danish Defence. She has been the queen since her father King Frederick IX passed away in 1972. She was born into the House of Glucksburg as the eldest child of Frederick IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden. She studied at the Girton College, Cambridge, Aarhus University, and the London School of Economics. Despite being a woman, she succeeded her father upon his death as a constitutional amendment in 1953 allowed female succession to the throne. She became the first female monarch of the country since Margrethe I, who ruled over the Scandinavian kingdoms in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. As of 2018, she has spent 46 years on the Danish throne and is the second-longest reigning Danish monarch, after her ancestor Christian IV, who ruled in the 16th and 17th centuries. During her reign, she has received numerous honors. She is the 118th knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spain and also the 7th Lady of the Order of the Garter. She is the Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess of Wales Regiment in the UK as well.