The queen Margrethe of Denmark unexpectedly said that she would abdicate in a few weeks, giving her oldest son, Frederik, the right to succeed her as king.
52 years after taking the throne, on January 14, 1972, Queen Margrethe II made her formal resignation known in her customary New Year’s Eve speech
After more than two decades of marriage to Australian Princess Mary, Crown Prince Frederik will take over as King Frederik X, following his mother. Mary is going to be the heir apparent.
In contrast to other members of the British nobility, Frederik, 55, will not receive a traditional coronation. Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen would, however, make his ascent public that day.
The 83-year-old queen was unable to attend King Charles’ coronation in May owing to illness after undergoing “extensive” back surgery at the beginning of the year. She assumed the title of Denmark’s longest-reigning monarch in July.
“It was only natural that the surgery made me consider the future and if it was time to pass the torch to the next generation,” she said in her yearly speech that was streamed live to millions of Danish television viewers, a country of 5.9 million people.
“I’ve determined that now is the appropriate moment. I will step down as queen of Denmark on January 14, 2024, fifty-two years after I succeeded my dear father,” she declared. “I hand the throne over to Crown Prince Frederik, my son.”
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On January 14, 1972, Margrethe, the eldest daughter of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid, succeeded her father. After her death in September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II of Britain became the sole queen regnant and longest-serving female monarch.
By depriving four of her grandchildren of their royal titles, Margrethe shattered the family.
In Denmark, the elected parliament and its cabinet hold official power. It is anticipated that the queen will respect traditions, like participating in state visits and national celebrations, and she will continue to be impartial towards political parties.
She received the kingdom on the day her father passed away, January 14, 1972. She was his firstborn child, but it wasn’t until 1953—when Denmark’s Constitution was changed to permit female successors—that her position as the presumed heir was officially acknowledged.
This occurred following a referendum in which more than 85% of respondents favoured female succession.
Because Margrethe was a sensitive yet imaginative person, Danes gave her a lot of support throughout her life. In 1940, barely a week after Nazi Germany had seized power in Denmark, she was welcomed home.
Up until 2015, she was a well-known artist and designer who preferred going shopping by herself and smoking in public, violating social norms.
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She shares a close relationship with Queen Elizabeth II, her third cousin, who is also a descendant of Queen Victoria. Over several state visits to each other’s nations, they became close.
She also attended the London School of Economics and Girton College in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, praised the queen for her lifetime of service.
According to a statement from Frederiksen, “it is still difficult to understand that the time has now come for a change of throne,” and many Danes have never known another king.
Mary, 51, and Frederik, 55, left the house with their children, Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 16, Prince Vincent, and Princess Josephine, 12, before entering Marselisborg Palace with Margrethe on Christmas Day.
After examining the prince’s affair with 47-year-old Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in October, Mary returned from vacation. Mary has visited Australia before, attracting media attention.
Socialite calls rumours “malicious,” but Mary hasn’t answered. Attending public events with her spouse is now “business as usual.”
Margrethe’s dynasty abdicated last in Europe. In 2013, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated for her son Willem-Alexander, and in 2014, King Juan Carlos of Spain resigned controversially.
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