1 of 1 King Frederik X of Denmark ascends the throne Photo: Ritzau Scanpix/Mads Claus Rasmussen/Portal King Frederik
King Frederik X of Denmark ascended the throne this Sunday (14), succeeding his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who abdicated after 52 years as monarch.
Margrethe, 83, stunned the nation on New Year's Eve when she announced she wanted to become the first Danish monarch in almost 900 years to voluntarily abdicate the throne.
The succession was formalized when Margrethe signed the declaration of her abdication during a meeting of the Council of State in Parliament, the royal palace said. Denmark, one of the world's oldest monarchies, does not have a coronation.
The meeting was attended by government officials, Margrethe, Frederik, 55, his Australian wife Mary, 51, who is now queen, and their eldest son Christian, 18, who is the new heir to the throne.
About an hour after the signing, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was scheduled to proclaim the new king on the balcony of Parliament and Frederik gave a short speech.
The new king and queen must travel by carriage back to their residence Amalienborg, a 1750s royal complex in central Copenhagen.
The couple will continue to live in Amalienborg with Margrethe, who retains her title as queen, but in their respective palaces in the octagonal complex.
Margrethe, who has said in the past that she would remain on the throne for life, did not give a specific reason for her decision to step down, but said that she had undergone serious back surgery in February last year that forced her to do so have to think about their future.
“It could be that she thinks that Prince Frederik is now ready to take power,” said Lars Hovbakke Sorensen, a historian and associate professor at University College Absalon in Denmark.
“He is 55, and perhaps the Queen wanted to avoid a situation where you have a very, very old king, as she saw with Prince Charles.” The British king was 73 when he died after his mother died , Queen Elizabeth, ascended the throne in September 2022 at the age of 96.
In nearfreezing temperatures, tens of thousands of people from across Denmark gathered in the capital to watch the events a sign of the enormous popularity that the monarchy enjoys in the country of almost six million people.
The latest poll, conducted after Margrethe's announcement of her resignation, found that 82% of Danes expect Frederik to do well or very well in his new role, while 86% said the same about Mary.
“We came here today because history is being made here before our eyes. We just had to be here,” said Soren Kristian Bisgaard, 30, a pilot.
He sat with three friends on camping chairs in front of Parliament and drank champagne.
“I really like the royal family. I was in the Royal Life Guards myself and guarded the royal palace. I am very proud to have achieved that and to be here today,” he said.