Copenhagen | Portal
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announced this Sunday (31) in a live address that she would abdicate the throne on January 14 after 52 years of rule. Her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, will be her successor.
The 83yearold queen, who ascended to the throne in 1972, made the surprise announcement in a live broadcast during her traditional New Year's address, which was watched by much of the country's 5.9 million population.
The Queen of Denmark said back surgery in February made her think about her reign. “It obviously got me thinking about the future, whether it’s time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation,” she said.
“I have decided that the time has come. On January 14, 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down from the Danish throne,” she said. “I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik,” he added.
In Denmark, formal power is exercised by the parliament. The monarchy does not engage in party politics and represents the nation in moments ranging from state visits to celebrations.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen thanked the Queen for her commitment to the role.
“It is still difficult to understand that the time has come for a change of throne,” Frederiksen said in a statement. “Queen Margrethe is the personification of Denmark and over the years she has been able to express in words and feelings who we are as a people and as a nation,” he said.
Margrethe was born in 1940 to King Frederik 9 and Queen Ingrid and enjoyed broad Danish support throughout her life. She is also known for her love of archeology and has participated in several excavations.
She became her father's heir in 1953 at the age of 31 after a constitutional change allowed women to ascend the throne.
In 1967, she married French diplomat Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, who was her royal consort until his death in 2018. The couple had two sons: Crown Prince Frederik, who will become King Frederik the Tenth, and Prince Joachim. Frederik married the Australian Mary Elizabeth Donaldson in 2004.