Denmark awaits new king as Queen Margrethe bows out

COPENHAGEN:

Queen Margrethe II, Denmark’s longest-reigning monarch, is set to pass the throne to her eldest son Frederik on Sunday, and tens of thousands of Danes are expected to line the streets of Copenhagen to watch the historic succession.

Margrethe stunned 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 abdicate.

People from all over Denmark are expected to flock to Copenhagen in a sign of the monarchy’s huge popularity.

“The royal family means everything Danish. It’s fairy tales and traditions,” said Anna Karina Lorsen, 59, 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 due to leave the royal palace at 12:35 GMT in a 1958 Rolls-Royce. Margrethe, 83, will followed by carriage a few minutes later to take her last ride as monarch through the streets of the capital.

There will be no coronation as in Britain, but the succession itself will take place at around 13:00 GMT, when Margrethe signs her resignation statement.

This will be done during a meeting of the Council of State in parliament, where the government, Frederick and his eldest son Christian, 18 and the new heir to the throne, will participate.

About an hour later, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen will announce the new king on the parliament balcony and Frederik will give a short speech, before the new king and his wife ride in a carriage back to the palace.

Built in the 1750s, the Amalienborg complex is located in central 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.

Reading Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II announces surprise abdication on live TV

The Scandic hotel property just around the corner from the royal palace sold out of rooms just two hours after Margrethe announced her resignation and has seen 50 percent more bookings this weekend than usual in mid-January, the commercial manager Klaus Johansen.

Royal couple

Margrethe, who has previously said she would remain on the throne for life, did not give an exact reason for her decision to abdicate, but said a major back operation in February last year made her think about the future her.

“He could think that Prince Frederik is ready to take over now,” said Lars Hovbakke Sorensen, a historian and associate professor at University College Absalon in Denmark.

“He is 55 and perhaps the Queen wanted to avoid a situation where you would have a very, very old king, as you saw with Prince Charles.” The British king was 73 when he ascended the throne following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth in September 2022 aged 96.

Denmark’s new royal couple will take the throne at a time of huge public support and enthusiasm for the monarchy. The most recent survey taken after the Queen announced she would step down showed 82% of Danes expected Frederik to do well or very well in his new role, while 86% said the same for Mary.