Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II has announced her surprise abdication in a new year TV address.
She will formally step down on 14 January, which will be 52 years to the day since she became queen.
“I will leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik,” she announced.
The 83-year-old is the world’s only reigning queen and the longest serving current monarch in Europe, taking the throne after the death of her father King Frederik IX in 1972.
Unlike British royal tradition, there will be no formal crowning ceremony for Crown Prince Frederik, who is 55. His accession will be announced that day from Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen.
He will succeed him as King of Denmark and head of state of the country – which is a constitutional monarchy – as well as Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
His Australian-born wife, Princess Mary, would become Queen Consort of Denmark.
Queen Margrethe revealed she made this decision after a period of reflection following back surgery in early 2023.
“This activity naturally evokes reflection on the future, whether it is time to hand over responsibility to the next generation,” she said. “I decided this was the right time,” she added, thanking the Danish public for their support over the years.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen thanked the Queen for her service, “lifelong dedication and tireless efforts to the Kingdom”.
“Even though the office and position of regent has been passed down for more than 1,000 years, it is still difficult to understand that the time has come for a change to the throne,” she said in a statement. “Many of us have never known another regent.
Queen Margrethe is the embodiment of Denmark and over the years she has expressed her words and feelings about who we are as is one people and one nation. ”
Queen Margrethe is a popular figure in Denmark and many Danes expect her to stay on the throne until her death.
“She is to us what Queen Elizabeth is to you,” Danish journalist Tine Gotzsche told the BBC.
Queen Margrethe attended Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022 and they celebrated their respective anniversaries the same year.
She was not expected to become queen when she was born.
But when she was 13, Danish law changed to allow women to ascend the throne.
More than a decade ago, Queen Margrethe said she was inspired by the late British queen “and somehow I had to understand that I had to dedicate my life to my country as she did, and follow That way, that’s very important to me. ”
” The couple were the only queens in the world before the death of Queen Elizabeth. Elizabeth reigned for 70 years. Some people also consider her the world’s longest-reigning monarch.
The Sultan of Brunei has sat on the throne longer but his country only gained independence in 1984. She is also the longest-reigning monarch in Danish history, surpassing King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway earlier this year.
Affectionately known as Daisy, Queen Margrethe is famous for her smoking habits and her refusal to use a mobile phone and the internet – declaring herself “very happy” without them.
Gotzsche said the transition of power for the Danish royal family was a time of mixed joy and sadness. “She has always been there, she has grown old with all of us,” she declared, adding: “The Crown Prince is in a very good position to take over, the succession is watched, that very logical and that completely makes sense.
” Crown Prince Frederik, like King Charles III of the United Kingdom, is known for his passion for the environment.
He pledged to “steer the ship” of Denmark into the future. His wife, Princess Mary, grew up on the Australian island of Tasmania and was working as a lawyer when the couple met in 2000.
Some see them as representing modern values and have tried to give their four children as normal an education as possible, sending them mainly to public schools.
During her time on the throne, Queen Margrethe continued to work in the arts and was famous for her love of art.
She is also passionate about archeology and has participated in several excavations. She studied in the UK, spending time at Girton College, Cambridge and the London School of Economics.
In 1967, she married French diplomat Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, who served as her royal consort until his death in 2018.
Every year, on New Year’s Eve, she gives a speech on television.
This year, in addition to this announcement, she also talked about the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as the importance of fighting climate change.
Faced with the same challenges of modern society as other royal families in Europe, the Danish royal family has decided to reduce the number of members.
This led to a public rift last year after the children of Crown Prince Frederik’s younger brother, Prince Joachim, were stripped of their royal titles.