End of an era in Denmark and another one begins today, January 14, 2024, as Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II formally stepped down as monarch in favor of her son, now His Majesty King Frederik X.
The Queen's abdication day coincided with the 52nd anniversary of her accession to the throne in 1972 on the death of her father, King Frederik IX.
 |
| Their Majesties King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark |
 |
| The new Crown Prince of Denmark. Prince Christian |
Queen Margrethe signed the abdication instruments in front of the government officials, the new King, and the new Crown Prince, at the Christiansborg Palace, which houses the Royal Reception Rooms and Royal Stables as well as the Danish Parliament, the prime minister’s office, and the Supreme Court.
 |
| The Queen signs abdication instruments |
 |
| The formal handover of the Danish throne witnessed by government officials |
After signing the instruments, Queen Margrethe, rose and gestured to her son to take her place. “God save the king,” she said as she left the room using a cane for support.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stepped on the palace's balcony with King Frederik on her side, to officially proclaim him king, which was meet with booming cheers from the crowd.
“My hope is to become a unifying king of tomorrow," Frederik said. “It is a task I have approached all my life.”
 |
| Frederik X proclaimed King by Danish Prime Minister |
 |
| Thousands of Danes gathered around Christiansborg Palace to witness the historic event |
As it is customary for each new Danish Sovereign to adopt a royal motto as a guiding principle for their reign, King Frederik X's motto is: “United, committed, for the Kingdom of Denmark.”
“I want to return the trust I meet," the new king said. “I need trust from my beloved wife, you and that which is greater than us.”
 |
| Their Majesties King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark |
They then left Christianborg Palace in a horse-drawn coach as church bells rang out, and headed to their Amalienborg Palace residence, where they once again appeared before the cheering crowd who waved the nation's flag.
The new Danish royal family - King Frederik X, Queen Mary, their children: Crown Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Princess Josephine, and Prince Vincent, stepped on the palace balcony to greet the cheering crowd below.
 |
| End of an era in Denmark as it's longest reigning queen from the House of Glucksburg, Margrethe II, formally abdicates |
Queen Margrethe's abdication is the first time in the history of Denmark since the 12th century when King Eric III abdicated the throne in 1146. However, the Queen is the first to abdicate from the House of Glucksburg which ruled Denmark since the 19th century.
Unlike the United Kingdom, Denmark has no formal coronation ceremony, the new monarch will just be proclaimed by the prime minister.
This is also the first accession day of a Danish monarch that the setting is happy and in a festive mood. All accession days previously were in a sad mode and the royals were in mourning clothes as the accession always marked the death of the previous sovereign.
 |
| Danish royal family waves to the cheering crowd |
Greetings From Other Monarchies:
Reigning royal houses in Europe sent their congratulations to the newly ascended King. They are all cousins, after all. Britain's King Charles, Norway's King Harald V, Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, The Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander, Belgium's King Philippe, all sent their messages through their official social media accounts.
Earlier in the day, the royal guards' music band made their daily parade through downtown Copenhagen, but wore the red jackets used to mark major events, instead of their usual black.
His Majesty King Frederik X
King Frederik X was born on May 26, 1968. He has been Denmark's Crown Prince since he was a little boy in January 1972. He has a younger brother and only sibling, Prince Joachim.
He obtained a master's degree in Political Science from Aarhus University. He completed the course in the prescribed number of years with an exam result above average, thus becoming the first royal to obtain a master's degree.
 |
| The official logo of Frederik X |
He also completed extensive military studies and training in all three branches of the military. In 2001 and 2002, he completed further leadership training at the Royal Danish Defense College. Frederik remained active in the defense services, and in the period 2002–2003 served as a staff officer at Defense Command Denmark.
 |
| King Frederik X and his eldest son and heir, Crown Prince Christian |
King Frederik X has a special interest in scientific research, climate change, and sustainability. He participated in expeditions, forums and events on climate and represented Denmark as a promoter of sustainable Danish energy.
He co-authored, Polartokt Kongelig (Polar Cruise Royal), about the challenges of climate, published in 2009. In 2010, he wrote the book's foreword Naturen og klimaændringerne i Nordøstgrønland (The nature and climate change in Greenland).
 |
| Frederik X kisses his wife, Queen Mary, after his proclamation as Denmark's new king |
He married the former Mary Elizabeth Donaldson in 2004. She was born in Tasmania, Australia, to Scottish immigrants. Queen Mary worked as a sales and marketing executive when Crown Prince Frederik met her in Sydney during the Summer Olympics in 2000.
They shared four children: Crown Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent, and Princess Josephine. As King Frederik X begins his reign as Denmark's new monarch, let's wish him the best. Long live the King!
0 Comments