Individuals dressed as kings and queens wait at Christiansborg Fort in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, as Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik takes the crown from his mom, Queen Margrethe II.
Martin Meissner/AP
conceal caption
toggle caption
Martin Meissner/AP
Individuals dressed as kings and queens wait at Christiansborg Fort in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, as Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik takes the crown from his mom, Queen Margrethe II.
Martin Meissner/AP
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Denmark's prime minister proclaimed Frederik X as king on Sunday after his mom, Queen Margrethe II, formally signed her abdication, with large crowds cheering because the throne handed from a monarch beloved by his widespread son.
Margrethe, 83, is the primary Danish monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne in practically 900 years. A number of thousand individuals gathered exterior the palace the place the royal succession had taken place, the temper jubilant because the Nordic nation skilled its first royal succession in additional than half a century, and never attributable to the demise of a monarch .
Carrying a magenta costume, Margrethe signed her abdication throughout a gathering with the Danish Cupboard at Christiansborg Palace, an unlimited advanced in Copenhagen that homes the Royal Reception Rooms and Royal Stables, in addition to the Danish Parliament, the workplace of the prime minister and the Supreme Courtroom. .
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen later proclaimed Frederik king from the palace balcony in entrance of 1000’s of individuals – topics of a kingdom the place the trimmings of royalty are principally symbolic within the trendy period of constitutional democracy.
Frederiksen learn the proclamation 3 times, which is the custom, as Frederik stood subsequent to her in a ceremonial navy uniform adorned with medals. He was then joined on the balcony by the brand new Queen Mary and the couple's 4 kids, and the gang spontaneously sang the nationwide anthem.
“My hope is to turn into a unifying king of tomorrow,” mentioned Frederik. “It's a activity I've approached all my life.”
“I need to return the belief you meet. I would like belief from my beloved spouse, you and the one who is larger than us,” mentioned the brand new king.
Frederik then kissed Maria and one other nice cheer went up from the gang.
The abdication doc was first introduced to Margrethe as she sat at an enormous desk lined in purple material round which sat the royal household and members of the Danish authorities. Frederik sat down subsequent to her.
After stopping, Margrethe stood up and motioned for Frederik to take his seat. “God save the king,” he mentioned as he left the room.
The abdication leaves Denmark with two queens: Margrethe retains her title, whereas Frederik's Australian-born spouse turns into Queen Mary. Frederik and Maria's eldest son, Christian, 18, turned crown prince and inheritor to the throne.
Christian gave Margrethe her strolling stick as she departed from her abdication ceremony.
Citing well being issues, Margrethe introduced on New Yr's Eve that she would step down, gorgeous a nation that had anticipated her to stay out her days on the throne, as is custom within the monarchy. Danish. Margrethe underwent main again surgical procedure final February and didn’t return to work till April.
Even the prime minister was unaware of the Queen's intentions till simply earlier than the announcement. Margrethe had knowledgeable Frederik and his youthful brother Joachim solely three days earlier than, wrote the newspaper Berlingske, citing the royal palace.
Individuals from throughout Denmark gathered exterior the parliament, with many streets lined with purple and white Danish flags. A number of retailers hung photos of Margrethe and Frederik, whereas metropolis buses have been adorned with smaller Danish flags as is customary throughout royal occasions. Many others within the kingdom of practically 6 million individuals adopted a stay tv broadcast of the historic occasion.
The marching band of the royal guards made their each day parade by way of central Copenhagen, however wore purple jackets, as a substitute of their common black ones, to mark main occasions.
Copenhagen resident Rene Jensen, who wore a reproduction royal gown and a bejeweled purple crown on his head, mentioned he anticipated Frederik to be “a king for the nation, representing us all over the place.”
The final time a Danish monarch resigned voluntarily was in 1146, when King Erik III Lam left to enter a monastery. Margrethe abdicated on the identical day in January that she ascended to the throne after the demise of her father, King Frederik IX, on January 14, 1972.
The monarchy of Denmark traces its origins to the Viking king Gorm the Elder of the tenth century, making it the oldest in Europe and one of many oldest on this planet. At present, the duties of the royal household are largely ceremonial.
Australians additionally took to the streets of Copenhagen to have a good time considered one of their very own queens.
“I believe it's good that she's not from royalty and has a standard Australian background. We are able to relate extra to that as a result of she's from a middle-class background, and so are we,” mentioned Judy Langtree, who made the lengthy journey from brisbane. together with his daughter to attend the royal occasion.
A ballot – commissioned by Denmark's public broadcaster DR – printed on Friday confirmed that 79% of the 1,037 individuals polled by the polling institute Epinion mentioned they thought Frederik was ready to take over and 83 % mentioned they thought his spouse Mary was able to turn into. queen The survey's margin of error was 3 share factors, DR mentioned.
