Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announced on Sunday that she will abdicate on January 14, after recent surgery has led her to consider “whether it is time to hand over responsibility to the next generation.”
The popular 83-year-old monarch said in his annual New Year’s speech that his eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, would take the throne.
“We decided now was the right time,” she said.
Her decision follows reports of Frederic’s alleged affair with socialite Genoveva Casanova, as well as the Queen’s decision to separate the prince and princess from their four children. It has been a tumultuous year for the Danish royal family, including their move to the United Kingdom. title.
Margrethe has been on the throne for 52 years, making her the longest-reigning monarch in Europe. Although the Danish royal family only has ceremonial powers, the monarchy is cherished.
“Danes love the royal family,” Sara Lilja Steensig, a Danish-born journalist living in Finland, told The Daily Beast in 2021. “More than 70% support the royal family. It’s not rational, but we do it. Frederick is charming and funny and people empathize with him. He seems like a really nice guy. .”
Frederick is married to Mary Donaldson, an Australian former advertising executive who met the future king in a Sydney pub. They have four children: Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
Crown Prince Mary and Crown Prince Frederick
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This fall, the marriage gained attention when a Spanish publication published photos of Frederic and Casanova out on the town, but Casanova flatly denied any romantic relationship between the two.
Just a few months ago, the royal family was plagued by infighting, with Margrethe announcing that Joachim’s children would no longer be called princes and princesses and that Frederik’s children would retain their royal titles.
Joachim spoke frankly about his shock. “Why should they be punished like that?” he told reporters. However, his mother did not relent, and Joachim, Princess Marie, and his children moved to Washington, D.C., where Joachim took up a role as defense industry attaché at the Danish embassy.
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark
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Margrethe’s abdication on live television came as a surprise to many Danes who had expected her to remain queen until her death. She had surgery on her hip earlier this year, but otherwise appears to be in good health.
“My surgery naturally made me start thinking about my future,” she said in her speech.