Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Europe’s longest-reigning monarch, surprised the nation on Sunday by announcing her abdication and saying she would pass the baton to her son.
In a traditional New Year’s Eve speech, the popular queen told viewers she would step down from office on January 14th. The 83-year-old queen cited her own age and her health problems as reasons for her unexpected decision.
“In two weeks I will have been Queen of Denmark for 52 years,” Margrethe said, adding that such a long reign can take its toll on anyone.
“I can’t take on as much as I’ve done in the past,” she added.
Her son, Crown Prince Frederick, is expected to replace her as king. The date of January 14 has special meaning because on this day in 1972, Margrethe’s father Frederick IX died, leaving her with the throne.
Crown Prince Frederik is scheduled to become king in JanuaryImage: Dominika Zarzycka/Photo Alliance
Back surgery prompted a change of heart
The king had previously said he had no intention of abdicating, but after undergoing successful back surgery in February, he wondered whether “now is the time to hand over that responsibility to the next generation.” .
Following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Queen Margrethe remains Europe’s only reigning queen.
In July, she became Denmark’s longest-reigning monarch.
She enjoys wide support among Danes and has been praised for subtly modernizing the royal family during her half-century reign, despite staying out of politics.
In Denmark, the King represents the country in many traditional duties, from state visits to National Day celebrations.
Condolences from Prime Minister Frederiksen
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen thanked the Queen for her lifelong dedication to public service.
“It remains difficult to understand that the time has come for a change of throne,” Frederiksen said in a statement. She added that many Danes did not know any other monarchs.
“Queen Margrethe is the epitome of Denmark, and for many years she has given us both her words and her emotions as a people and a nation,” the Prime Minister said.
Queen Margrethe of Denmark: Reigned for over 50 years
She has led Denmark since 1972. The first queen in more than 500 years to rule her country, Margrethe II remained close to her people and had a surprisingly unconventional attitude.
This is how Danes know and love their queen. She is always in a good mood, smiles brightly, and wears colorful clothes. Margaret II never cared much for the customs of her court. She is a friendly and people-oriented monarch.
Image: Carsten Rehder/Photo Alliance/DPA
Cheering (pre-pandemic) crowd
On the 40th anniversary of her reign in 2012, cheering crowds gathered to wave flags and welcome the popular monarch. Although the pandemic forced the cancellation of her 50th anniversary celebrations in 2022, the queen’s popularity has not diminished.
Image: Peng Zhongmin/Xinhua News Agency/Photo Union
40th anniversary festival
On January 14, 2012, Queen Margrethe appeared before well-wishers in Copenhagen without a care in the world. With her usual bright smile, the queen appeared with her beloved husband Prince Henrik before his death in 2018. The jubilant ceremony symbolized how the shy artist and heavy smoker became Europe’s most popular monarch.
Image: Keld Navntoft/AFP/Getty Images
To commemorate the 40th anniversary, the Danish Parliament presented the Queen with a rug emblazoned with the royal coat of arms. The monarch only carries out the duties of her representative, but new laws always require her signature. Margaret’s royal motto is “God’s help, the love of the people, the strength of Denmark.”
Image: Liselotte Sabloe/dpa/picture Alliance
sculpture for the queen
For Margrethe’s 25th anniversary on the throne in 1997, she received a special gift from the Danish government. Sculptor Hans Pauli Olsen (right) created the bust of the Queen, which Margrethe II and Prince Henrik admire. Her monarch himself was keen on designing her costumes and sets, and even published children’s books about her with his own drawings of her.
Image: Politikens Presse Foto/DPA/Photo Alliance
When Margrethe Alexandrine Thorhildur Ingrid entered the world on April 16, 1940, little could she have predicted that she would one day become the reigning queen and, by extension, head of state of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland. At that time, it was still intended for men to be monarchs.
Image: Scanpix Denmark/Photo Alliance
Becomes official heir to the throne at age 13
Margrethe (r)’s childhood was happy and carefree. Along with her younger sisters Anne-Marie (left) and Benedicte, she grew up at Amalienborg Palace. Her father, Frederick IX, had no sons and had the law governing her succession to the throne changed by popular vote. After that, women were also allowed to wear the crown. In 1953, at the age of 13, Margrethe became the official heir to the throne.
Image: Polfoto Petersen Erik/dpa/picture-alliance
On her 18th birthday in 1960, Margrethe posed next to her parents and siblings on the palace balcony, already looking like a queen. She greeted the crowd outside with her usual smile.
As befits a crown princess, Margrethe studied at one of the most prestigious universities. In London, she fell in love with the French diplomat Henri de Laborde de Montpezat. The two married in 1967, and Count Henri of France became Prince Henrik of Denmark.
Image: Per Pejstrup/Scanpix Denmark/Image Alliance
The Crown Princess was proclaimed queen at the age of 31 on January 14, 1972, the day her father, King Frederik IX, died. Although there was no ceremonial accession to the throne in Europe’s oldest monarchy, it was nevertheless a very memorable day. Featured on Denmark: For the first time in more than 500 years, the country is ruled by a woman.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Mydtskov Rigmor
Her role as queen placed a great strain on Margrethe and Henrik’s marriage. It was a great love, but the French aristocracy was reluctant to play second fiddle in public. However, the two always managed to reconcile and had been married for 51 years when Prince Henrik passed away in February 2018. The couple had two sons, Crown Prince Frederick and Prince Joachim.
Image: Bernard Patrick/abaca/picture Alliance
Family is very important to Margrethe. In 2014, she is happily united with her husband, her children and her grandchildren at Henrik’s Vineyard in the Château de Caix, France, fulfilling her typical duties that come with being a queen. It is far from.
Image: Patrick van Katwijk/DPP/DPA/Photography Alliance
Margaret II ruled for 50 years without scandal. Her biggest vice is smoking, reportedly smoking up to 30 cigarettes a day. For this reason, the Danes called her “Queen of the Volcanoes”. Now that she’s 81 years old, the Queen is still going strong, and despite the loss of her great love, she still seems strong and bright.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Lancelot
In memory of King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid
Early retirement was once unthinkable for Margrethe II. “As long as there are challenges, there is no time to fall into a hole,” she says. She still respects her parents. Here she is seen laying a wreath at her parents’ graves in Roskilde Cathedral with her sisters in 2012.
Amid the pandemic, the Queen reflected on her 50 years on the throne, saying: “A lot has changed in that time, but the love of our neighbors and the love of our country has not.”
Image: Ritzau Scanpix/Image Alliance
Margrethe was born in 1940 to former King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid, but ascended the throne in 1972 after a constitutional amendment allowed women to inherit the throne.
In 1967 she married French diplomat Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, who served as her royal consort until his death in 2018.
The couple’s two sons were Crown Prince Frederick, who later became King Frederick X, and Prince Joachim.
Frederick married Australian Mary Elizabeth Donaldson in 2004.
