1970 letter from Margrethe, then Princess of Denmark, to J.R.R. Tolkien about "The Lord of the Rings" to say that since she came across the book a year ago she has been reading it every since, and she has included these illustrations which she made as chapter headings, based on how she imagined settings in the chapters.
They continued to correspond over the next few years. In 1972 Margrethe became Queen of Denmark and in 1977 she illustrated the Folio Society edition of The Lord of the Rings.
Also in 1971 Margrethe sent Tolkien a Christmas card using an illustration she created of Bilbo writing his memoirs in his study
Tolkien replied: "You have caught both the childishness of Bilbo and his wisdom, and at the same time suggested the struggle of age with a task beyond its power to complete:
a situation with which I now sympathize more poignantly than when I wrote the last chapters of The Lord of the Rings."
I haven't been able to find an image of that card but would like to!
Margrethe II is well known in Denmark as a visual artist. She had studied archaeology, political science, philosophy, and other fields, but arts are what she is most known for.
She has designed and embroidered textiles, created collage and découpage, worked on films as a screenwriter and set designer, has done costume and set design for theater and ballet, illustrated many books, and has exhibited her artwork.
Speaking of Danish artists, did you know that H.C. Anderson was also a paper cut-out artist?
Famous for his fairytales like The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid, The Red Shoes, The Princess and the Pea, The Snow Queen, and The Ugly Duckling, his paper cut out art was often just as dark as his stories!
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