The Danes are in mourning. This Sunday, December 31, during his traditional New Year’s speech, Queen Margrethe II surprised everyone by announcing his wish to abdicate. After 52 years of reign, the octogenarian and sovereign will end her reign on January 14, and will entrust the throne of Denmark to her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, aged 55. In his speech, the octogenarian said: “On January 14, 2024, 52 years after succeeding my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I will hand over the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.”.
Very popular in Denmark, Margrethe II has always been unanimous, with the exception of a unilateral decision taken in 2018, which was not understood: the sovereign had decided to strip four of his grandchildren of their honorary titles, officially to free them from the obligations imposed by monarchical protocols : “I underestimated how much it could affect my youngest son and his family. It caused a lot of turmoil” lamented the sovereign, who experienced a unique controversy in half a century of reign. Infinitely appreciated by the Danes, it was judged adored by 80% of Denmark in a study carried out on the occasion of its diamond jubilee in 2022.
The year 2023 was very complicated for Margrethe II, and the numerous health concerns that the sovereign encountered surely motivated her decision to abdicate: already experienced since almost six years after the death of her husbandMargrethe II had to undergo a very major back surgery in Februarywhich led to her being removed from her position as sovereign for more than two months.
She was the cousin of Elizabeth II and last female queen of Europe
Since the death of Elizabeth II in September 2022, which was otherwise a distant cousin, Margrethe II was the last queen of Europe. As of January 14, all European monarchies will be exclusively in the hands of kings. Born in 1940, daughter of King Frederick IX, who ruled the country from 1947 to 1972, and Princess Ingrid of Sweden, she has two little sisters named Benedikte and Anne-Marie. With her husband, Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, who died in 2018, she became the mother of two children, Frederik in 1968, then Joachim the following year. She is the grandmother of eight grandchildren: Nikolai, Christian, Felix, Isabella, Vincent, Henrik, Josephine and Athena.