Queen Margrethe of Denmark has declared her intention to abdicate after 52 years on the throne, allowing her son to rule the country’s monarchy.
The queen made the news tonight during her traditional New Year’s Eve address, assuring the Danish people that it was the correct decision.
“I have decided that now is the right time,” she stated, according to the English translation of her address. “I will step down as Queen of Denmark on January 14, 2024, 52 years after succeeding my beloved father.” I abdicate the crown in favor of my son, Crown Prince Frederik.”
A date for Frederik’s coronation has not been announced.
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Following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II last year, Queen Margrethe became Europe’s longest-serving queen, having ascended to the throne in 1972. According to the website of the Danish royal family, the kingdom changed its succession legislation in 1953, allowing women to govern only secondarily.
She had back surgery earlier this year, which she said caused her to reconsider her place in the monarchy.
“Everything went well, thanks to the competent health personnel, who took care of me,” she went on to say. “Inevitably, the operation gave cause to thoughts about the future — whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation.”
Frederik, who is married and has four children, graduated from Denmark’s Aarhus University and went on to study political science at Harvard University. He also served in the Danish military, rising to the rank of commander in the navy, as well as colonel in the army and air force, in 2010.
