Queen Margrethe II, Denmark’s longest-reigning monarch, is set to hand over the throne to her eldest son Frederick, with tens of thousands of Danes expected to flock to the streets of Copenhagen to witness the historic succession. There is.
Margrethe announced her decision to abdicate after 52 years as queen on New Year’s Eve, surprising Denmark’s roughly 6 million people, becoming the first monarch in nearly 900 years to abdicate the throne.
In a sign of the huge popularity the monarchy enjoys, people are expected to flock to Copenhagen from all over Denmark.
The Crown Prince, 55, and his Australian-born wife Mary, 51, who will become queen, are scheduled to leave the palace in a 1958 Rolls Royce at 12:35pm Irish time.
Margrethe, 83, will follow the horse-drawn carriage in a few minutes for the final ride as monarch through the streets of the capital.
There is no coronation ceremony like in the UK, but the succession itself will take place when Margrethe signs the abdication declaration.
This will take place during a meeting of the State Council in Parliament, with the participation of the government, Frederick and the new heir to the throne, his 18-year-old eldest son Christian.
Approximately an hour later, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen will declare the new king on the balcony of parliament, and after Frederik gives a short speech, the new king and queen will return to Amalienborg Palace by horse-drawn carriage.
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Margrethe has previously said she plans to remain on the throne for the rest of her life, but although she did not reveal the exact reason for her decision to step down, she did say that major back surgery she underwent in February last year caused her to think about her future. said.
“She may think that Prince Frederik is ready to take over right now,” said Lars Hofbakke Sorensen, a historian and associate professor at Denmark’s Absalon University.
“He’s 55 years old and the Queen probably wanted to avoid a situation where she had a very old king, as she did with Prince Charles.”
Prince Charles ascended the throne at the age of 73, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in September 2022 at the age of 96.
Denmark’s new royal couple will take the throne amid overwhelming public support and enthusiasm for the monarchy.
The latest poll, conducted after the Queen announced her abdication, found that 82% of Danes expect Frederick to do well in his new role, while 86% said the same about Mary.