Queen Margrethe of Denmark has announced that she will abdicate after 52 years on the throne, paving the way for her son to lead the country’s monarchy.
The Queen made the announcement tonight in her annual New Year’s Eve speech, assuring the Danish public that it was the right decision.
“I decided now was the right time,” she said, according to an English transcript of the speech. “On January 14, 2024, 52 years after succeeding her beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. Her throne will pass to her son, Crown Prince Frederik.”
The date for Frederick’s coronation has not been announced.
Queen Margrethe took the throne in 1972 and became Europe’s longest-reigning monarch after Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II died last year. According to the Danish royal family’s website, the country passed changes to its succession law in 1953 to allow women. It dominates, but it is only secondary.
She had to undergo back surgery earlier this year, which she said forced her to reconsider her place in the monarchy.
“Everything went well because I had competent medical personnel taking care of me,” she said. “Inevitably, this operation caused us to think about the future – whether now is the right time to hand over responsibility to the next generation.”
Frederic, who is married with four children, graduated from Aarhus University in Denmark and received a graduate degree in political science from Harvard University. He also served in the Danish Armed Forces and was appointed Commander of the Navy and Captain of the Army and Air Force in 2010.