Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II has announced she will abdicate the throne in an unexpected live TV announcement.
She will be succeeded by her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik, married to Australian-born Crown Princess Mary.
In February, she underwent a successful back surgery, which she said in her annual New Year’s Eve address contributed to her decision to step down.
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“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.
She will leave the throne on January 14, which will mark 52 years to the day since she became Queen.
“I have decided that now is the right time. On 14 January 2024 – 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father – I will step down as queen of Denmark,” she said.
“I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.”
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen thanked the queen for her longlife dedication to duty.
“It is still difficult to understand that the time has now come for a change of throne,” Frederiksen said in a statement, adding that many Danes had never known another monarch.
“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,” she said.
Born in 1940, Margrethe has throughout her life enjoyed broad support from Danes, who are fond of her tactful and yet creative personality.
The 83-year-old is the longest-serving monarch in Danish history.
– with Reuters
