Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II will abdicate on January 14 next year after 52 years on the throne, she announced during her traditional New Year’s Eve speech.
The monarch, famed for her chain-smoking as well as her flamboyant sense of style, will be succeeded by her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik.
The 83-year-old queen, who took over the throne in 1972, is the longest-serving monarch in Europe following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.
In February, she underwent