On January 15, 2024, Denmark’s new royal couple, King Frederick This is the first time a member of the royal family has visited the Danish parliament. New official role.Ritzau Scanpics/Emil Nikolai Helms, via Reuters
Denmark’s prime minister, whose party has struggled with how to interact with the monarchy, gave his full support to the newly proclaimed King Frederick X when he appeared before parliament on Monday.
King Frederic, 55, performed his first public official duties by presiding over his succession celebrations in Parliament. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen crowned him king on Sunday in front of an estimated 174,000 jubilant citizens who descended on the capital in near-freezing temperatures.
He was the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to voluntarily abdicate, succeeding his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who held the throne for 52 years.
Denmark has a constitutional monarchy, where the monarch as head of state must sign new laws before they come into force, but formal authority rests with the government and an elected parliament.
A new king and queen will take the throne amid overwhelming public support for the monarchy in this country of nearly 6 million people.
“Our wonderful royal family is doing so well that we may take the monarchy for granted. And it is based on a mutual contract between monarchies and democracies,” Frederiksen said in a speech to parliament on Monday.
In another speech on January 1, the prime minister said that although he had never supported the monarchy, he had declared himself a royalist because of Queen Margrethe’s work to unite Denmark.
Queen Margrethe’s popularity has grown even though she ruled during a period when Denmark’s welfare state, built on equality, grew to the standard of Scandinavian states.
Frederiksen’s Social Democratic Party has refused to accept decorations from the royal family for a century, but changed its tune after announcing his abdication on New Year’s Eve, and now it is up to party members to accept medals.
“The role of the King in a modern democratic society is itself a difficult balancing act. Added to this are the challenges we face in Denmark and the world around us.” Frederiksen said. “We desperately need a king to unite Denmark.”
King Frederik addressed the crowd in a speech on Sunday, but did not address parliament on Monday.
(Information provided by Reuters)
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Published date: January 15, 2024 17:03:35 IST