2024-01-01 23:42:00
The historic abdication announcement made Sunday night by Queen Margarita II of Denmark in her New Year’s speech has shaken this Nordic country, which is torn between surprise and recognition of an extremely popular monarch.
The photo of Margarita II, who will leave the throne after 52 years next January 14 in favor of her firstborn Federico, occupied the front pages of the Danish media yesterday, with sober headlines alluding to her retirement from the management of State and laudatory editorials towards the longest living monarch.
“Today all Danes are in shock,” wrote the conservative Jyllands-Posten, while the tabloid Ekstra Bladet spoke of “sensation”: since Denmark became a hereditary monarchy in 1660, no king or queen had abdicated, and Margaret II he had always assured that his work was “for life”.
In the speech, which left the announcement for the end, the Queen herself alluded to her age – 83 years – and a recent complicated back operation to justify a withdrawal that no one expected, but that occurs few months after his grandson Christian, Federico’s eldest son, turned 18.
According to the public channel DR and the semi-private channel TV2, the Prime Minister herself, Mette Frederiksen, had to rewrite her New Year’s speech, a sign that she was not informed too much in advance. “She abdicates at a time when no other European royal house enjoys more support,” reflected Politiken, the main Danish newspaper.
“Valentine”
The liberal Berlingske spoke of a “courageous” decision by someone who has been able to “create a modern and intelligent monarchy, relevant and loved by the majority of Danes”, as opposed to those in other European countries.
70% of their countrymen support the monarchy, and 84% have a positive image of the Queen and Prince Frederik, according to a recent DR poll. “Thank you for invaluable work in the service of Denmark,” wrote former prime minister and current head of foreign affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen on the social network X (formerly Twitter), where Danish political leaders mostly thanked him for his role in queen
Echo in Sweden and Norway
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The abdication of Margarita II has echoed in neighboring Sweden and Norway, where it is speculated that the unexpected announcement could have repercussions in their monarchies, led respectively by Carls XVI Gustavo (77) and Harald V (86). .
Frederick X’s ascension to the throne two weeks from now will also make Princess Mary queen, a fact that has also been widely highlighted by the press in Australia, her country of origin. Just 24 hours after the announcement, Margarita II reappeared to celebrate the traditional New Year reception.
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