Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, Europe’s longest-serving monarch, will abdicate on Jan. 14 after 52 years on the throne and will probably be succeeded by her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, she introduced on Sunday.
The 83-year-old queen, who ascended the throne in 1972, turned the longest-serving monarch in Europe following the demise of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in September 2022.
The queen made the shock announcement on dwell TV throughout her conventional New Yr’s Eve speech, which is seen by many within the nation of 5.9 million folks.
In February, she underwent profitable again surgical procedure.
“The surgical procedure naturally gave rise to serious about the longer term — whether or not the time had come to depart the accountability to the following technology,” she stated.
“I’ve determined that now’s the precise time. On 14 January 2024 — 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father — I’ll step down as queen of Denmark,” she stated. “I go away the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.”
In Denmark, formal energy resides with the elected parliament and its authorities. The monarch is predicted to remain above partisan politics, representing the nation with conventional duties starting from state visits to nationwide day celebrations.
‘Epitome of Denmark’
Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, thanked the queen for her dedication to responsibility.
“It’s nonetheless obscure that the time has now come for a change of throne,” Frederiksen stated in a press release, including that many Danes had by no means identified one other monarch.
“Queen Margrethe is the epitome of Denmark and all through the years has put phrases and emotions into who we’re as a folks and as a nation,” the prime minister stated.
Born in 1940, Margrethe has all through her life loved broad help from Danes, who’re keen on her tactful and but artistic persona.