Queen Margaret II, Denmark’s longest-reigning monarch, will pass the throne to her first-born son Frederick on Sunday and tens of thousands of Danes are expected to gather on the streets of Copenhagen to witness the historic succession.
Margaret shocked the nation of nearly six million on New Year’s Eve when she announced her decision to abdicate after 52 years as queen, becoming the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to renounce the throne.
People from all over Denmark are expected to pack Copenhagen in a sign of the enormous popularity the monarchy enjoys.
“The royal family means everything that is Danish. They are fairy tales and traditions,” said Anna Karina Laursen, 59, in a nod to the country’s famous fairy tale writer, Hans Christian Andersen.
The crown prince, 55, and his Australian-born wife Mary, 51, who will become queen, are scheduled to leave the royal palace at 12:35 p.m. in a 1958 Rolls-Royce.
Margrethe, 83, will follow her a few minutes later in a horse-drawn carriage to take her last ride as monarch through the streets of the capital.
Queen Margaret arrives to celebrate a New Year’s cure for Armed Forces officers at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen on January 4, 2024. Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images Crown Prince Frederik, who will become the next monarch from Denmark, visited the Alto Línea in New York on September 20, 2022. AP
There will be no coronation as in Britain, but the succession itself will take place around 1:00 p.m., at the time when Margrethe signs the declaration of her abdication.
This will take place during a meeting of the Council of State in parliament where the government, Frederik and his eldest son Christian, 18 years old and new heir to the throne, will participate.
About an hour later, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen will proclaim the new king on the parliament balcony and Frederik will give a short speech before the new king and his wife return by carriage to the palace.
Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Crown Princess Mary stand alongside Queen Margaret as they receive the diplomatic corps. on January 3, 2024. AP The crown prince, 55, and his Australian-born wife Mary, 51, will succeed the queen at 1 p.m. after she signs the declaration of abdication she. AP
The Amalienborg complex, built in the 1750s, is located in the center of Copenhagen and consists of four palaces built around an octagonal courtyard.
It is the home of both the outgoing queen and the new reigning couple.
The property of hotel operator Scandic, located around the corner from the royal palace, sold out its rooms just two hours after Margrethe announced her abdication and has recorded 50% more bookings this weekend than usual in the middle of January, commercial director Klaus Johansen told Reuters.
A photograph of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is displayed in a shopping mall window in Copenhagen, Denmark, Jan. 13, 2024. AP Danish soldiers ride horses in front of the Royal Stables as they rehearse for Queen Margrethe’s abdication on January 14, 2024. 2024. MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
REAL POWER COUPLE
Margrethe, who in the past had said she would remain on the throne for life, did not give an exact reason for her decision to step down, but said that major back surgery she underwent in February last year had made her consider Her future.
“It could be that she thinks Prince Frederik is ready to take power now,” said Lars Hovbakke Sorensen, a historian and associate professor at University College Absalon in Denmark.
“He is 55 years old and perhaps the queen wanted to avoid a situation where we would have a very, very old king, as you saw with Prince Charles.”
The British king was 73 years old when he ascended the throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth, died in September 2022 at age 96.
Queen Margaret waves from inside a golden carriage on her way to Christiansborg Palace for the New Year’s reception, on January 3, 2024. EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The new Danish royal couple will ascend the throne in a moment of great support public and enthusiasm for the monarchy. AP
The new Danish royal couple will take the throne at a time of enormous public support and enthusiasm for the monarchy.
The most recent poll taken after the queen announced she would abdicate indicated that 82% of Danes expect Frederik to do well or very well in his new role, while 86% said the same about Mary.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn