Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announces abdication
Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II has announced her surprising abdication in a new year TV address. The 83-year-old monarch will step down on 14 January, which marks 52 years since she became queen. “I will leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik,” she announced.
The decision to abdicate was made after a period of reflection following her back surgery in early 2023. “The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future – whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,” she said.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen thanked the queen for her service, and noted that “Many of us have never known another regent. Queen Margrethe is the epitome of Denmark and throughout the years has put words and feelings into who we are as a people and as a nation.”
Unlike British royal tradition, there will be no formal crowning ceremony for Crown Prince Frederik, who is 55. Instead, his accession will be announced from Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen on the day. He will take her place as King of Denmark and head of state in the country, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands.
Queen Margrethe is known for her smoking habits and rejection of mobile phones and the internet. She is also the world’s only remaining female sovereign and the longest-serving monarch in Europe. Many Danes had expected her to remain on the throne until her death, and her abdication has come as a surprise.
Crown Prince Frederik shares his mother’s love of the arts and archaeology, and has a passion for the environment. He and his wife, Princess Mary, are known for their modern values and have tried to give their four children as normal an upbringing as possible, sending them mainly to state schools.
This public announcement has brought both celebration and sadness to the Danish public. “She has always been there, she has been ageing with all of us,” said Danish journalist Tine Gotzsche, “but the Crown Prince is in a very good position to take over, the succession is laid out – it’s very logical, and it absolutely makes sense.”