Ballet Costumes From a Queen

Denmark's queen says she was inspired by caricatures of royals when she designed costumes for a ballet being staged in Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens.

Queen Margrethe unveiled the colorful costumes Wednesday for "The Swineherd," a ballet based on a story by Danish fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen.

She used stark colors _ acid green, pink and purple _ or large polka dots to give the costumes of the royal characters a cartoonesque touch.

The 69-year-old monarch said she drew inspiration "rather more from outsiders' comments about my world than from my own world."

The fairytale is about a prince who disguises himself as a swineherd to win a princess' heart.

It's the fourth time Margrethe has designed costumes and sets for a stage adaptation of Andersen's work.

The show opens on Thursday.