- Written by Jacqueline Howard & Oliver Slough
- bbc news
Video: Queen of Denmark announces live abdication on TV
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark suddenly announced her abdication in a televised New Year’s speech.
She will formally abdicate on January 14, which will mark 52 years since she became queen.
“I hand over the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederick,” she announced.
At 83, she is the world’s only current queen and is Europe’s longest-serving reigning monarch, having ascended the throne after the death of her father Frederick IX in 1972.
Contrary to British royal tradition, there will not be a formal coronation ceremony for 55-year-old Prince Frederic, whose accession to the throne will instead be announced on the same day.
He will replace her as King of Denmark, a constitutional monarchy, and head of state of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
His Australian-born wife, Princess Mary, becomes Queen of Denmark.
Queen Margrethe revealed that she came to this decision after much consideration following her back surgery in early 2023.
“After the surgery, I naturally started thinking about the future,” she says. “Is it time to hand over responsibility to the next generation?”
“We decided that now is the right time,” she added, thanking the Danish people for their support over the years.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen thanked the Queen for her “lifelong dedication and tireless work for the Kingdom.”
“The duties and position of regent have been inherited for more than 1,000 years, but it remains difficult to understand that the time has come for a change of throne,” he said in a statement.
“Many of us don’t know any other regents. Queen Margrethe is the epitome of Denmark and has given us words and feelings for us as a people and a nation for many years. ”
image source, Getty Images
Queen Margrethe II and Queen Elizabeth II in 2000
Queen Margrethe was a popular figure in Denmark, and many Danes expected her to remain on the throne until her death.
“She is to us what Queen Elizabeth is to you,” Danish journalist Tin Götje told the BBC.
Queen Margrethe attended Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022 and celebrated their respective jubilees in the same year.
She was not expected to become queen when she was born. However, when she was 13 years old, Danish law changed and women were allowed to ascend to the throne.
More than a decade ago, Queen Margrethe recalled that she was inspired by the late Queen of England, saying, “Like her, I had to somehow understand that I had to dedicate my life to my country, and in that sense… The Queen was very important to me.”
They were the only remaining female sovereigns in the world until Queen Elizabeth’s death. Elizabeth ruled for 70 years.
Known for her smoking habit and refusal of cell phones
Some consider her the world’s longest-reigning monarch. The Sultan of Brunei has been on the throne for a long time, but his country only gained independence in his 1984 year.
She is also Denmark’s longest-reigning monarch, surpassing King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway earlier this year.
Queen Margrethe, affectionately known as Daisy, is known for her smoking habit and refusal to use mobile phones or the internet, declaring she is “very happy” without one.
Gotsche said the Danish royal family’s transition was a moment of both celebration and sadness.
image source, Getty Images
Prince Frederick and Princess Mary attended the coronation of Charles III in May.
“She has always been there and has grown old with all of us,” she said, but added: “The Crown Prince is in a very good position to take over and there is a succession planned. It’s logical and definitely true,” he added. It makes sense. ”
Prince Frederick, like Britain’s King Charles III, is known for his passion for the environment. He vowed to “lead the ship into the future” of Denmark.
His wife, Princess Mary, grew up on the Australian island of Tasmania and was working as a lawyer when they met in 2000.
Some believe they represent modern values, and they try to give their four children as normal an education as possible, sending them primarily to state schools.
Queen Margrethe remained an active artist throughout her reign and was well known for her love of art.
She is also passionate about archeology and has participated in several excavations.
She studied abroad in the UK, spending time at Girton College, Cambridge and the London School of Economics.
In 1967 she married French diplomat Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, who served as her royal consort until his death in 2018.
Every year on New Year’s Eve, she gives a speech on TV.
This year, in addition to his presentation, he also spoke about the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and the importance of tackling climate change.
Facing the same challenges of modern society as other royal families in Europe, the Danish royal family has decided to reduce the number of members of the royal family.
This caused a huge public rift last year after the children of Crown Prince Frederik’s younger brother Prince Joachim were stripped of their royal titles.