King Charles III of the United Kingdom has issued a message to his now fellow king, Frederik X of Denmark, who ascended to the Danish throne on Sunday after the abdication of his mother Queen Margrethe.
The new king was crowned at age 55 after his mother, 83, announced she would abdicate during her New Year’s Eve address.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: King Frederik and Queen Mary crowned.
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While the former Danish Queen chose to abdicate, the late former British queen and Charles’ mother Queen Elizabeth II famously remained on the throne until her death aged 96 in 2022.
Charles was 73 years old.
Hours after Frederik and the Australian-born Mary were proclaimed king and queen, Charles reacted to the news.
“Your majesties, my wife joins me in writing to convey our very best wishes on the day of your accession to the throne of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Charles wrote in a statement published on Instagram.
“I look forward to working with you on ensuring that the enduring bond between our countries, and our families, remains strong, and to working together with you on issues which matter so much for our countries and the wider world.”
He went on to pay tribute to Queen Margrethe’s years of service and her frequent visits to the UK.
“I was delighted that your majesties were able to attend our coronation last year and I much look forward to future opportunities to celebrate the close connection which unites our countries and our families,” he said before signing off, “Charles R”.
It comes after discussion reignited over whether Queen Elizabeth was ever going to abdicate during her reign, following the controversial final episode of TV drama The Crown, which was based on the British royal family.
In scenes that aired in December 2023, the Queen, played by Imelda Staunton, contemplated an abdication to be announced at the wedding of Charles and then Camilla Parker Bowles.
In reality, Elizabeth reportedly told George Carey, the then Archbishop of Canterbury in 2003 that abdicating is “something I can’t do. I’m going to carry on to the end,” according to royal biographer Matthew Dennison in his book The Queen.
Elizabeth “did not contemplate abdication, she told her cousin Margaret Rhodes, “unless I get Alzheimer’s or have a stroke,” he added.
King Frederik’s ascension
Meanwhile in Denmark, Queen Margrethe chose to abdicate after undergoing a successful back surgery in 2022 that made her consider the future of the crown.
“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 in her announcement on New Year’s Eve.
“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.
Tens of thousands of people braved Copenhagen’s 3C temperature to catch a glimpse of the new monarchs as church bells rang out across the capital on Sunday.
The crowd broke out into the Danish national anthem and some royal enthusiasts popped bottles of champagne to toast the couple with paper cups.
Mary, 51, was dressed in a white gown while Frederik wore full gala uniform and a blue sash.
The Danish royal transition was a low-key affair.
Frederik became Denmark’s head of state, Mary the Queen and their eldest son, 18-year-old Christian the Crown Prince, the moment Margrethe signed abdication papers at a state council meeting inside Christiansborg Palace, home to the Danish parliament.
– With AAP
