COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – Thousands of people will gather in downtown Copenhagen on Sunday to witness a historic moment in one of the world’s oldest monarchies.
Queen Margrethe II is expected to sign the document at around 2pm (13:00 GMT). abdication About an hour later, her eldest son will be proclaimed King Frederick X on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in the center of the Danish capital.
Margrethe, 83, becomes the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to voluntarily abdicate the throne.
She is expected to formally sign her abdication at the Council of State, a meeting with Denmark’s cabinet, which will automatically make Crown Prince Frederik, 55, Denmark’s new monarch.
Margrethe cited health issues. Announced on New Year’s Eve As is tradition in the Danish monarchy, she will abdicate, surprising the public who had expected her to spend her days on the throne.
Margrethe underwent serious surgery back surgery I started work last February and didn’t return to work until April.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was also unaware of the Queen’s intentions until shortly before the announcement. Margrethe informed Frederik and his brother Joachim just three days ago, Berlinske newspaper reported, citing the palace.
“The Queen has been here and has been on the throne for over 50 years. And she’s a very respected and popular person, so people weren’t expecting this and were shocked,” Denmark said. said royal expert Thomas Larsen.
The last time a Danish monarch voluntarily resigned was in 1146, when King Eric III of Rum resigned to enter a monastery. Margrethe will abdicate for the first time in 52 years, one day after taking the throne following the death of her father, Frederick IX.
Denmark’s monarchy dates back to the 10th century Viking King Gorm the Elder, making it the oldest monarchy in Europe and one of the oldest in the world. Today, royal duties are largely ceremonial.
Unlike England, there is no coronation ceremony in Denmark. The prime minister will formally proclaim King Frederik’s accession to the throne from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace, which houses government offices, parliament, the Supreme Court, as well as the royal stables and royal reception room. Thousands of Danes are expected to witness the declaration from the square below.
The abdication will leave Denmark with two queens. Margrethe will retain her queen title, while Australian-born Frederick’s wife will become Queen Mary. Frederick and Mary’s eldest son Christian (age 18) will become Crown Prince and heir to the throne.
The new king and queen leave Christiansborg Castle in a horse-drawn carriage and return to the royal palace, Amalienborg Castle, where Margrethe also lives in a separate building. Royal standards are lowered in Margrethe’s house and raised in the building where Frederick and Mary live.
Four guns in Copenhagen’s harbor will fire 27 shots three times to commemorate the succession. Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens amusement park will celebrate the new king and queen in the late afternoon with the biggest fireworks show in the park’s 180-year history.