Denmark’s Queen Margrethe to step down after 52 years on throne
- Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II will abdicate on January 14 and pass the baton to her son Crown Prince Frederik
- The 83-year-old queen is Europe’s longest-serving monarch following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth
Denmark is making preparations for a new monarch after Queen Margrethe II announced plans to abdicate after 52 years, and hand over the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik.
The queen, who is Europe’s longest-reigning living monarch, announced during her New Year’s speech that she would step down on January 14, which is the anniversary of her own accession to the throne at age 31 following the death of her father, King Frederik IX.
Margrethe, 83, said the back surgery she underwent in early 2023 led to “thoughts about the future” and when to pass on the responsibilities of the crown to her son. “I have decided that now is the right time,” she said in her speech on Sunday.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen paid tribute to her in a statement, offering a “heartfelt thank you to Her Majesty the Queen for her lifelong dedication and tireless efforts for the Kingdom”.
Margrethe is the “epitome of Denmark” Frederiksen’s statement read, and “throughout the years has put words and feelings into who we are as a people and as a nation”.
