Queen Margrethe II, Denmark’s longest-reigning monarch, will 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 witness the historic succession.
Margrethe stunned a 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.
Crowds from all over Denmark are expected to flock to Copenhagen as a sign of the huge popularity enjoyed by the monarchy.
“The royal family means everything that comes from Denmark. It’s a fairy tale and a tradition,” said Anna Karina Laursen, 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 scheduled to leave the royal palace at 12:35pm in a 1958 Rolls-Royce.
Margrethe, 83, will follow the carriage minutes later for her final ride as monarch through the streets of the capital.
Queen Margrethe arrives to hold a New Year’s treat for officers from the Armed Forces at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen on January 4, 2024. Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images Crown Prince Frederik, who will become Denmark’s next king, visits the High Line in NYC on September 20, 2022 AP
There will be no coronation as in Britain, but the succession itself will take place around 1:00 pm, once Margrethe signs her resignation declaration.
This will take place during the meeting of the Council of State in the parliament in which the government, Frederik and his eldest son Christian, 18 years old 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 brief speech, before the new king and his wife ride back to the palace.
Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary stand next to Queen Margrethe as they receive the diplomatic corps. on January 3, 2024. AP The crown prince, 55, and Australian-born wife Mary, 51, will succeed the Queen at 1pm after she signs a declaration of abdication. AP
The Amalienborg complex, built in the 1750s, is located in central Copenhagen and consists of four palaces built around an octagonal courtyard.
It is home to both the outgoing queen and the new reigning couple.
Hotel operator Scandic’s property near the royal palace sold out just two hours after Margrethe announced her abdication and has seen 50% more bookings this weekend than it usually does in mid-January, commercial director Klaus Johansen told Reuters.
A picture of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II is displayed in the window of a shopping mall in Copenhagen, Denmark on January 13, 2024. AP Danish soldiers ride horses outside the Royal Enclosure as they train for the abdication of Queen Margrethe on January 14, 2024. MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/ EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
ROYAL POWER COUPLE
Margrethe, who has in the past 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.
“Maybe he thinks Prince Frederik is ready to take over now,” said Lars Hovbakke Sorensen, a historian and associate professor at University College Absalon in Denmark.
“He’s 55, and maybe the queen wants to avoid a situation where you’re going to have a very old monarch, like you see with Prince Charles.”
Britain’s King was 73 years old when he ascended the throne after his mother Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022 at the age of 96.
Queen Margrethe waves from a golden carriage on her way to Christiansborg Palace for New Year’s celebrations on January 3, 2024. EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Denmark’s new royal couple will ascend the throne at a time of huge public support and enthusiasm for the monarchy. AP
Denmark’s new royal couple will ascend the throne at a time of huge public support and enthusiasm for the monarchy.
A recent poll conducted after the queen announced she would abdicate showed that 82% of Danes expected Frederik to do well or very well in his new role, while 86% said the same about Mary.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
