Last Sunday, the Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, abdicated the throne in favor of her son, the very relaxed Frederik X. The oldest monarch and only remaining queen in the world, Margrethe II thus ended 52 years of reign for day. She is the first monarchical ruler to abdicate the crown in Denmark in 900 years. At 83, she not only helped modernize Denmark, but also the entire institution of the Danish monarchy.
A graduate in political science at the University of Aarhus, Prince Frederik took a pseudonym to do study internships at Harvard University in the early 1990s. His mother had used the same ploy for various professional activities, including the translation of the work of Simone de Beauvoir All men are mortal. Like his mother, Frederik is multilingual and did not marry a Danish woman. He speaks French perfectly thanks to his father, the French diplomat Henri de Monpezat. And his wife, Queen Consort Mary, is the first Australian to accede to a throne.
After an eventful adolescence and a notable stint in the three Danish defense corps (due to compulsory military service), his popularity among the country’s population today exceeds 80%. Described as a fervent defender of social justice, he made his fight the climate cause. Overall, Frederik X represents an uninhibited monarchy close to the people. In this, he resembles Prince William and his wife, Kate, next in line for the throne of the United Kingdom, Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The abdication of Queen Margrethe, from one of Europe’s longest-reigning monarchical families, has opened the way to speculation about a potential early departure of British King Charles III. Will he leave his place to William in 5, 10, 15 years?
This transition from an aging sovereign to younger sovereigns who are more beloved by the population could well mean a revival of the monarchy in Denmark and England. Like Queens Elizabeth II and Margrethe II in their time, for different reasons beyond their gender, these potential young monarchs would ensure a political break that could maintain a worn-out institution in place.
What to do with the monarchy?
According to historian Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, abdications have a significant impact on royal families, state institutions and national identities. Each case of resignation has led to a debate about the relevance of the monarchy.
Among the most notable abdications of recent decades are those of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg in 2000, King Albert II of Belgium in 2013 and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands the same year. In all three cases, their eldest son thus acceded to the throne. The renunciation of the power of Emperor Akihito of Japan also caused a stir in 2019, the latter being the first emperor to abdicate the throne in 200 years. Like Margrethe II, all justified their action by citing failing health and the desire to make way for someone younger to manage constitutional affairs. As the historian lists in an article for The Conversationsimilar resignations in our century have also taken place in Bhutan, Qatar, Kuwait and Malaysia.
The most notable European abdication of the 20the century is undoubtedly that of the British King Edward VIII, in 1936, for the benefit of his niece, Queen Elizabeth. He then chose to marry a divorced American woman, Wallis Simpson, and to do so had to leave his role as king and head of the Church of England. The elected government of the United Kingdom had refused to leave him as sovereign if he married a double divorcee; he was then the first British head of state to abdicate the crown in almost 250 years.
Although absolute monarchies are increasingly rare (seven in the world), there are still 14 constitutional monarchies: United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Thailand and Jordan. Social movements calling for the end of the monarchy do not always have the wind in their sails, however, particularly in countries subject to the authority of a former metropolis, such as Canada, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. It is different for Caribbean countries like Barbados, which obtained its independence in 2021, or Jamaica, which will hold a referendum in 2024.
Passing the throne to younger monarchs could perhaps avoid a fundamental debate on the very existence of monarchies in a world that is increasingly democratic and which believes less and less that a family has a “divine right” to govern. As Aristotle taught us, monarchy is only suitable for populations without the capacity to govern themselves.