The Queen of Denmark, Margaret II, announced in her traditional New Year’s speech, that he will abdicate on January 14, after 52 years of reign. “On 14 January 2024, 52 years after succeeding my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I will leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik,” she announced during the speech.
A very popular figure, the sovereign, widowed since 2018, underwent major back surgery in February which prevented her from appearing in public until April. “The operation sparked thoughts about the future, that the time had come to pass on responsibilities to the next generation,” the 83-year-old queen said. Having ascended the throne following the death of her father in 1972, the queen, an intellectual and polyglot, contributed to modernizing the monarchy. After the death of her distant cousin Elizabeth II, Margrethe is the last sovereign to reign in Europe. More than 80% of Danes declare themselves monarchists, and last year thousands attended the 50th anniversary celebration. «Many of us have never known another monarch. Queen Margerita is the very embodiment of Denmark and, over the years, she has given voice and feeling to who we are as a people and as a nation,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said immediately after the queen’s announcement.