In a surprising announcement on New Year’s Eve, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark revealed her decision to step down from the throne on January 14, 2024.
As Reuters reports, after 52 years of dedicated service, the 83-year-old monarch has used a successful back surgery earlier this year as an opportunity to reflect on the future and pass on responsibilities to the next generation. Told.
In a televised speech, Queen Margrethe expressed her confidence in her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, who will succeed her as the new king. Her abdication marks the end of the era of Europe’s longest-reigning queen, who took her throne in 1972.
In 2022, Queen Margrethe left an enduring legacy in Danish history, surpassing the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Although her formal power rests with an elected parliament, the queen played a symbolic role representing her country in a variety of her traditional capacities.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen acknowledged the Queen’s lifelong dedication to public service and expressed the challenge of facing a change in the throne as many Danes only knew Queen Margrethe as a monarch.
Born in 1940 to King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid, Queen Margrethe was beloved by the Danish people for her quick wit and creative personality. Her interest in archeology and her participation in excavations added a unique dimension to her reign. Notably, she became the heir to the throne in 1953 following a constitutional amendment that allowed women to inherit the throne.
The Queen’s marriage to French diplomat Henri de Laborde de Monpezat in 1967, with whom she had two sons, Crown Prince Frederick and Prince Joachim, contributed to the royal family’s prestige. Crown Prince Frederick, to become King Frederick X, married Australian Mary Elizabeth Donaldson in 2004.
As Denmark prepares for this historic transition, the abdication of Queen Margrethe II marks the end of an era, and her legacy is deeply woven into the fabric of the country.
[With information sourced from Reuters]