Denmark will have a new head of state this Sunday. Two weeks after her surprising announcement of resignation, long-time Queen Margrethe II (83) officially abdicated, making way for her son Crown Prince Frederik (55). In the future he will be King Frederik X at the head of the Kingdom of Denmark. His wife Mary, who comes from Australia, becomes queen from crown princess, and the couple’s eldest son, Prince Christian, becomes the new crown prince.
In her closely followed New Year’s speech on New Year’s Eve, Queen Margrethe unexpectedly announced that she would hand over the throne to Frederik on January 14th after exactly 52 years in office. Such a step is extremely unusual in Denmark: there is actually no abdication before death. The last time a Danish regent voluntarily renounced the throne during his lifetime was in 1146.
Margrethe had also repeatedly stated that she wanted to fulfill her duties until the end of her life. However, a back operation in February 2023 made her think about whether it wasn’t time to pass on responsibility to the next generation. “I have decided that now is the right time,” she said in her New Year’s address. “On January 14, 2024 – 52 years after I inherited my beloved father – I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I will hand over the throne to my son Crown Prince Frederik.”
Margrethe was the world’s longest-serving monarch
A historic day is coming up in Copenhagen, even if there is no pompous coronation like the inauguration of the British King Charles III. will give. The would-be king and the abdicating queen will instead travel one after the other by car and carriage from Amalienborg Palace to Christiansborg Palace early on Sunday afternoon, where Margrethe will sign a declaration of her abdication at a meeting with the government beginning at 2 p.m. – at this very moment The change of throne was formally completed and Frederik became the new king.
At 3 p.m., the new monarch will step onto the balcony of Christiansborg Palace, where Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen will officially proclaim the change of throne. Frederik then gives a speech to the people and ends it with his motto. At 3:30 p.m. the new royal couple Frederik and Mary will drive back to Amalienborg Palace in a carriage – probably accompanied by thousands upon thousands of cheering Danes on the side of the road.
The change of throne marks the end of a long era in Denmark. Margrethe sat on the throne for exactly 52 years to the day; since the death of British Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, she has been considered the longest-serving monarch on earth. Prime Minister Frederiksen acknowledged that many Danes would not know anyone other than her. “Queen Margrethe is the epitome of Denmark and over the years has found words and feelings for who we are as a people and as a nation,” she said after Margrethe’s surprise announcement on New Year’s Eve.
