INTERNATIONAL- Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who has held the title of Europe’s longest-serving queen, will abdicate on 14 January after 52 years at the helm. In an announcement made on Sunday (31 December), Queen Margrethe revealed that her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, will take her place.
The 83-year-old Queen Margrethe ascended the throne in 1972 and officially became the longest-serving monarch in Europe after the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.
The decision was announced live in a traditional televised New Year’s address, which many Danes usually watch. In February, Queen Margrethe underwent back surgery. This medical procedure, she said, made her reflect on whether it was time to hand over responsibility to the next generation.
“I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik,” she said.
“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.
“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.
“I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik,” she said.
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