Monarchy - Danish Queen Margrethe II announces her abdication
Danish Queen Margrethe II wants to abdicate. She intends to step down as regent on January 14, 2024, the 83-year-old said in a completely surprising statement during her televised New Year's address on Sunday evening. The resignation coincides with her 52nd anniversary on the throne.
In her annual New Year's Eve address, which is always closely followed by the Danes, Queen Margrethe referred to her back operation this year. The operation had gone well thanks to the health staff, but had made her think about her future as Queen. She will leave the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik. Above all, she wanted to say thank you on this evening - for the warmth and support she has received over the years, said the monarch.
The world's longest-serving monarch began her speech with comments on the Gaza and Ukraine wars, after which she touched on the climate crisis and artificial intelligence. After a greeting to the people of the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are part of the Danish kingdom, the sensation came as a complete surprise. Danish media described the announcement as "absolutely historic". The onlookers who had gathered in the square in front of Amalienborg Palace broke into spontaneous applause after the announcement. Margrethe had always emphasized that she wanted to remain on the throne until her death - until she came up with the big surprise on December 31.
The monarch had inherited the throne after the death of her father Frederik IX on January 14, 1972. The always radiant and often smoky regent is popular with the people, and her New Year's Eve speeches have cult status like "Dinner for One" in Germany. She is extremely creative and interested in art, is considered pragmatic and sometimes a little unconventional. Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, whose third cousin she was, Margrethe has been the longest-serving regent in the world.
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Source: www.stern.de
