Denmark’s King Frederik X ascended the throne, succeeding his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who formally abdicated after 52 years of reign, and large crowds gathered in the Danish capital to witness the historic moment.
Margrethe, 83, surprised the nation on New Year’s Eve when she announced plans to become the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to voluntarily abdicate, Reuters reports.
Queen Margrethe II signed her abdication today at a meeting with the Danish cabinet after more than five decades of service. Denmark, one of the oldest monarchies in the world, does not have a coronation.
The meeting was attended by government representatives, Margrethe, Frederik (55), his
Australian-born wife Mary (51), who is now Queen, and their eldest son Christian (18), who is the new heir to the throne.
The last time the Danish monarch voluntarily resigned in 1146, when King Eric III. Lam stepped aside to enter the monastery.
Photo ©️IDA MARIE ODGAARD//GETTY IMAGES
