Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, she has been considered the longest-serving monarch in the world – now Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II wants to hand over the throne to her son Frederik. She announced her abdication on January 14th.
During her New Year’s speech, Danish Queen Margrethe II surprisingly announced her abdication. She wants to step down as regent on January 14th, the day of her 52nd anniversary on the throne. “I will leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik,” she said in her televised New Year’s speech.
The 83-year-old also spoke about her state of health and thanked the health staff, to whom she owed the successful outcome of a back operation. She also expressed gratitude for the warmth and support that has been shown to her over the years.
Margrethe II began her speech with comments on the Gaza and Ukraine wars, then she discussed the climate crisis and artificial intelligence before greeting the people of the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which belong to the Danish Kingdom, and finally announcing her abdication .
Decision of historic proportions
Danish media described the announcement as “absolutely historic.” Margrethe had previously always emphasized that she wanted to remain regent until the end of her life.
“The news hit like a bomb, the people in Denmark are shocked and we royal experts didn’t expect it either,” said royal family expert Roger Lundgren. No king in Denmark has resigned since 1523. The throne was always passed on to the next generation only after the death of a monarch.
After the announcement, spontaneous applause broke out among the onlookers who had gathered on the palace square in front of Amalienborg Palace.
Popular with the people
The monarch inherited the throne from her father Frederik IX on January 14, 1972. inherited. At that time she was already married to the French Count Henri de Laborde de Monpezat and had two sons with him – the then four-year-old Frederik and the three-year-old Joachim. In 2018, her husband, who suffered from dementia and had lung disease, died at the age of 83 after a good 50 years of marriage.
Margrethe II is popular with the people. She is creative and interested in art, is considered pragmatic and sometimes a bit unconventional. The monarch, who is always dressed in colorful outfits, is known for her optimism and social commitment. Their addresses to their people are more direct and less formal than the speeches of other European monarchs. Since the death of the British Queen Elizabeth II, whose third cousin she was, Margrethe was considered the longest-serving regent on earth.
Crown Prince Frederik is also very popular
Like his mother, Crown Prince Frederik, who is due to take the throne in January, is popular with his compatriots. His enthusiasm for sports is also well known: Frederik ran marathons, completed an Ironman and founded the Royal Run running event for his 50th birthday. In the military, he underwent the rigorous training to become a Navy combat swimmer. His wife, Crown Princess Mary, and he are considered a well-rehearsed team. The couple has four children: Christian (18), Isabella (16) and twins Vincent and Josephine (12).
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary are considered a well-rehearsed team.
With information from Christian Blenker, ARD Studio Stockholm