- On Saturday, King Frederick X began his reign as Denmark’s monarch and head of state.
- He takes over after his mother, Queen Margrethe II, abruptly announced her abdication on New Year’s Eve.
- Here are photos of key moments from the historic day.
On Saturday, Denmark declared Crown Prince Frederik its new king.
His mother, Queen Margrethe II, announced in a surprise New Year’s message that she is abdicating the throne after 52 years as monarch.
Margrethe said, “I am stepping down as Queen of Denmark. I will hand over the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.”
Denmark is one of the oldest monarchies in Europe, but it stopped the practice of coronations more than a century ago.
This means that compared to the lavish coronation ceremony of King Charles in the UK in May last year, the Danish king took the throne in a simple ceremony.
At 2pm, the Queen signed the abdication declaration at a cabinet meeting at Christiansborg Palace in central Copenhagen. With her signature, her crown officially passed to Frederick.
An hour later, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stepped onto the balcony of the palace and publicly proclaimed himself king to the thousands of people who witnessed the historic moment.
The 55-year-old crown prince will become His Majesty King Frederick X and head of state of Denmark.