brisbane, australia
CNN
—
Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth became the country’s queen on Sunday, completing an Australian sales executive’s fairy-tale rise to the upper echelons of European royalty.
Mary’s final journey from Tasmania to the Danish throne was cut short on New Year’s Eve when Queen Margrethe II suddenly abdicated and announced her intention to abdicate.
According to the royal family, this is a highly unusual move in Denmark, where a monarch has not abdicated since 1146, when King Eric III abdicated the throne to enter a monastery.
Margrethe’s eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, has ascended the throne as the new king, and his wife, Crown Princess Mary, has become the world’s first Australian-born queen, a development that has delighted supporters back home.
For many Australian Mary fans, this is a fitting finale to a romance that famously began in a rowdy Sydney pub around the time of the 2000 Olympics.
As the story progresses, their eyes were closed at the slip-in. It was a place unlikely to find the Danish royal family, much less the origin of the couple who would later become Denmark’s future king and queen.
Their wedding in 2004 was watched by millions of people. Twenty years later, their coronation has captivated audiences around the world, from Copenhagen to Hobart, Tasmania’s capital, where Mary was born.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliffe said: The state released a statement saying: “We could not be more proud of Crown Princess Mary.”
“I am confident that Mary, Princess of Wales, who has shown humility, grace and kindness, will be welcomed as queen alongside her husband King Frederick, who will be proclaimed queen later this month,” Rockliffe said.
“I look forward to watching the next generation, and the Tasmanian-born queen, guide Denmark’s future.”
Hear the Queen of Denmark’s statement on relinquishing her role
Much of Queen Margrethe’s New Year’s Eve speech was familiar territory for the monarch, summarizing the highs and lows of the year that just passed.
She touched on the tragedy of war, the innocent lives lost in Gaza, the spread of anti-Semitism, and the importance of Denmark’s support for Ukraine. She talked about her climate change, the challenges of artificial intelligence, and her pride in her grandson Prince Christian, who just turned 18.
The king then turned to his own life and how his recent successful hip surgery had caused him to think about his future. Specifically, he said he considered “whether now is the right time to hand over responsibilities to the next generation” and concluded that “now is the right time.”
“On January 14, 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark.” Margrethe said, “I will pass the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.” .
The announcement caused a temporary suspension of New Year’s celebrations in Denmark, and royal correspondents scrambled to fill in the blanks.
“Nobody knew,” Christian Ring-Hansen Holt told Australia’s ABC Breakfast TV.
Australian Women’s Weekly editor-in-chief Juliet Reeden said most Danes expected Margrethe to remain in power for the rest of her life, like Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned until her death in September 2022. He said that
But in hindsight, some of the decisions suggested Queen Margrethe was preparing to step down, Leyden told CNN. For example, her move to downsize her royal family and strip the children of her youngest son, Prince Joachim, and his wife, Princess Marie, of her royal titles.Not happy with this move, she recently announced that she immigrated to the United States.
“I think she made sure that her son, Crown Prince Frederik, didn’t have to go through that.” “It’s so that she can get everything out of the way in the early stages of the monarchy and then he can start fresh,” Mr Reeden said.
Leaden said it was led by two of the most popular members of the royal family and reflected the logic of a pragmatic monarch who wanted to appear to be offering value for money.
“In Denmark, the royal family’s popularity remains at 82%. They are the kind of person politicians dream of,” Lieden said.
Denmark’s royal family has a limited role under the country’s constitution, with power vested in parliament. The monarch not only approves new laws, but also plays an important ambassadorial role.
Mary was born in 1972 to a Scottish mathematics professor and a British executive assistant. According to her official biography, she began her education in Houston, Texas, after which she returned to Hobart to attend school and college.
Mary’s introduction to society included working as an advertising executive and traveling throughout Europe before taking up a position with a Sydney-based real estate company. There she met Frederick, a young prince of Denmark, and they later married in Copenhagen Cathedral, in a lavish ceremony that was broadcast around the world.
They were followed by four children, including Prince Christian, who is next in line to the throne.
Mary is admired not only for her poise and fashion sense, but also for her dedication to social causes through the Mary Foundation, which she founded in 2007.
“She is a passionate advocate for the sexual rights of women and girls. She is a passionate advocate for refugees. She has therefore proven her worth as a serious role model and leader in Denmark and in Australia I think she can be very proud that she’s become kind of royalty,” Reeden said.
Homecomings usually make local headlines, but not all are welcome.
Late last year, media outlets around the world reported on Prince Frederick’s alleged romance with Mexican-born actress Genoveva Casanova.
Ms Casanova issued a statement vehemently denying the claims and threatening legal action against the Spanish magazine Lecturas, which published photos of her on a night out. The royal family has not commented.
“I think it was probably a nuisance. It’s one of those ‘never complain, never explain’ scenarios of the Danish royal family,” Lieden said. “As far as they were concerned, nothing happened.”
When a new generation of Danish royals ascended the throne, there was little of the pomp and pageantry that accompanied the coronation of Britain’s King Charles III last May.
Queen Margrethe abdicated at a meeting of the monarchy’s advisory body, the Council of State, after which the new king and queen appeared on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace with Denmark’s prime minister.
This is likely to increase interest in Mary within Australia, Mr Reeden said, adding that having the princess on the cover of Australian Women’s Weekly magazine usually leads to increased sales.
“She’s a very popular cover star. So I think her popularity will only increase now that she’s the queen,” she said.
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