Denmark awaits new king, as Queen Margrethe to bow out
Denmark's Queen Margrethe II waves from the balcony during celebrations for her 83rd birthday, at Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen, April 16, 2023. Queen Margrethe II, Denmark’s monarch for more than half a century, stunned her country when she announced on New Year’s Eve that she will hand over the throne to her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, on Jan. 14. It’s the first time a Danish monarch has stepped down voluntarily in nearly 900 years. AP-Yonhap
Queen Margrethe II, Denmark's longest reigning monarch, was set to pass the throne to her first-born son Frederik on Sunday and huge crowds began gathering in front of parliament to witness the events.
Margrethe stunned the nation of nearly 6 million on New Year's Eve when she announced her decision to abdicate after 52 years as queen, becoming the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to voluntarily relinquish the throne.
There will be no coronation, but the succession will take place in parliament at around 12 p.m. (1300 GMT), the moment Margrethe, 83, signs the declaration of her abdication.
People from all over Denmark converged on the capital in a sign of the huge popularity the monarchy is enjoying.
"I was in shock and started crying when the queen said on New Year's Eve she would abdicate," said Karen Holk Jeppesen, 31, a communications consultant, standing in front of parliament where the new king will be proclaimed later on Sunday.
Jeppesen, who arrived in Copenhagen with her sister on Saturday, said she booked a hotel in the capital the day after the queen's announcement.
"It's very rare to witness a real historical moment that you know will be written about in the history books," she said.
Karina Achton, Rene Jensen, and Maria Falck pose on the day Danish Queen Margrethe II, Europe's longest-serving monarch, abdicates after 52 years on the throne, and her elder son, Crown Prince Frederik, ascends the throne as King Frederik X, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Jan. 14. Reuters-Yonhap
Queen Margrethe, affectionately known as Daisy after the marguerite flower, was congratulated by her cousin Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, who himself celebrated 50 years on the throne in September last year.
"Your Majesty, dear Cousin Daisy! When you step down today from your high office as Queen of Denmark, I want to say a warm thank you for the good cooperation over the years," the Swedish king said on Instagram.
The crown prince, 55, and his Australian-born wife Mary, 51, who will become queen, were scheduled to leave the royal palace at 11:35 a.m. (1235 GMT) in a 1958 Rolls-Royce. Margrethe will follow by horse carriage a few minutes later to take her final ride as monarch through the streets of the capital.
The signing of the abdication will take place during a meeting of the Council of State at parliament where the government, Frederik and his oldest son Christian, 18 years old and the new heir to the throne, will participate.
Soon after, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen will proclaim the new king on the balcony of the parliament and Frederik will give a short speech, before the new king and his wife ride by carriage back to the palace.
The Amalienborg complex, built in the 1750s, is located in central Copenhagen and consists of four palaces built around an octagonal courtyard. It is home to both the outgoing queen and the new reigning couple.
Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and his new wife Crown Princess Mary wave to the crowd following their wedding ceremony at the Our Lady's Church in Copenhagen, May 2004. As a teenager, Crown Prince Frederik felt uncomfortable being in the spotlight, and pondered whether there was any way he could avoid becoming king. All doubts have been swept aside as the 55-year-old takes over the crown on Sunday, from his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who is breaking with centuries of Danish royal tradition and retiring after a 52-year reign. AP-Yonhap
Royal Power Couple
Margrethe, who in the past had said she would remain on the throne for life, did not give an exact reason for her decision to step down but said that a major back surgery she underwent in February last year had made her consider her future.
"It could be that she thinks Prince Frederik is prepared to take over now," said Lars Hovbakke Sorensen, a historian and associate professor at University College Absalon in Denmark.
"He's 55, and maybe the queen wanted to avoid a situation where you would have a very, very old king, as you saw with Prince Charles." The British king was 73 when he ascended the throne after his mother Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022 aged 96.
The new king and queen will take the throne at a time of huge public support and enthusiasm for the monarchy. The most recent survey done after Margrethe announced she would abdicate indicated that 82 percent of Danes expect Frederik to do well or very well in his new role, while 86 percent said the same about Mary. (Reuters)