When Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne on 6 February 1952, she joined a large group of European rulers. Let’s take a look at who the other monarchs were at the time of her accession.
King Frederik IX of Denmark
Often regarded as a modernising monarch, King Frederik IX of Denmark had been on the throne for nearly five years at the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession.
The eldest son of King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine, Frederik IX was born and raised within the kingdom, and chose to attend the Royal Danish Naval Academy—breaking a long tradition of Danish monarchs joining the Danish Army—before undertaking a successful military career.
King Frederik IX succeeded his father on 20 April 1947, proclaimed king from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace by the Danish Prime Minister. At the time, he’d been married to Ingrid (formerly Princess Ingrid of Sweden) for 12 years, and had three daughters: Margrethe, Benedikte and Anne-Marie.
As the Danish laws of succession prohibited women from inheriting, at the beginning of his reign, his heir was his younger brother, Prince Knud. However, in 1953, it was clear to everyone that King Frederik and Queen Ingrid would not have any more children, and the Act of Succession was updated to reflect that a woman could inherit the throne if there were no male siblings (it wouldn’t be until the time of Frederik’s great-grandchildren that absolute primogeniture was adopted). Thus, Princess Margrethe became heiress apparent to her father.
King Frederik IX’s reign was marked by a modernisation of Danish society and of the monarch itself. As King and Queen, Frederik and Ingrid set about making the Royal Family more accessible to the people, and the New Year Speech was introduced in his reign.
The king’s first cousin, Prince Axel, and his wife represented the Danish Royal Family at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.
The Queen has paid two state visits to Denmark, though only one was during the reign of King Frederik IX—from 21–23 May 1957. The King did not undertake a state visit to the United Kingdom during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, though Queen Margrethe has, twice.
King Frederik IX began to feel unwell shortly after the holidays in 1972, and suffered a heart attack on 3 January. Though he rallied for a few days, his condition deteriorated and he passed away on 14 January, succeeded by his eldest daughter, Queen Margrethe II.
Elizabeth II has seen two Monarchs in Denmark during her 70 year reign: Frederik IX and Queen Margrethe II.
