2023-12-31 20:04:10
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, 83 years old and the longest living monarch on the throne, announced this Sunday that she will abdicate on January 14 in favor of Crown Prince Frederick, after 52 years as head of state.
In her traditional televised New Year’s Eve speech, Margarita II, the only woman at the head of a monarchy, explained that the back operation she underwent last February made her think about the future and “if the time to leave the responsibility to the next generation.
“I have decided that now is the right time. On January 14, 2024, 52 years after succeeding my dear father, I will cease to be Queen of Denmark.”said Margaret II, who alluded to the “wear” of time since “You can no longer handle what you could before.”
In Denmark as in the other Nordic monarchies there is no tradition of abdicating, and it is usual for monarchs to exhaust their mandate until death.
Margarita had always reiterated in public that she had no plans to abandon the throne and that the status of queen was “a duty for life.”
The first-born, 55 years old, will assume the throne on the same day of the abdication, after a Council of State, with the name of Frederick X.
“Tonight I want most of all to say thank you, thank you for the overwhelming support and warmth I have received over the years,” The monarch stated in her speech, asking for “the same trust and affection” for the future king and his wife, Princess Mary.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen thanked the queen in a statement for her “lifelong dedication and tireless work for Denmark.”
A POPULAR QUEEN WITH ARTISTIC INCLINATIONS
Margarita Alexandrina Thorhildur Ingrid, the full name of the queen, enjoys wide popularity, she has managed to stay out of major scandals and the ones she has had she has resolved naturally, including the serious setback that her husband, Prince Henry, died in 2018, refused to be buried in the royal pantheon in Roskilde Cathedral.
Enrique, who had never hidden his dissatisfaction with his role and was the protagonist of several public rudenesses, caused a stir in August 2017 by accusing his wife in an interview of taking him for “tonto”while affirming his love for her, and announcing as a sign of protest his willingness to be cremated.
Less than a month later the Royal Family announced that the prince had dementia and was retiring from public life, and in February of the following year, Enrique died weeks after being admitted for a lung infection.
“It was his decision. He was a free person. And I respect that,” Margarita said months later.
To her status as a discreet and close queen, Margarita adds another point in her favor: her artistic interests, which include everything from the sets and costumes of ballet, plays and even films; to the design of the monograms of the members of the Royal House or his love of painting.
And this prolific and long-lasting activity is appreciated in Denmark, especially for her status as a woman, despite the fact that renowned art critics have questioned the artistic quality of her paintings, which has not prevented prestigious museums from dedicating exhibitions to her.
The Danish monarch has also dared to illustrate “The Lord of the Rings” by JRR Tolkien and translate into Danish “All men are mortal”, by Simone de Beauvoir, and the trilogy on the Fall of the Roman Empire by Stig Strömholm, in addition to design the scenery and costumes for a film on the Netflix platform.
Margarita II has two sons, Federico and Joaquín, 54 years old, and eight grandchildren.
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