Queen Margrethe of Denmark was overcome with emotion as she surprised everyone by announcing the end of her reign.
The Queen of Denmark will abdicate on January 14th 2024, the 52nd anniversary of her accession to the throne.
She will be succeeded immediately by her elder son, who will become Frederik X of Denmark.
The announcement of her abdication came in her traditional New Year’s Eve speech.
Queen Margrethe, dressed in regal purple and wearing her trademark diamond daisy brooch, spoke powerfully and movingly about the divisions in the world and how everyone could come together to try and end them. There was little indication from her demeanour that she was about to give up her throne.
But as the address came to an end, she looked at the camera and began a reflection on her health which ended with the shock news that she will stand aside in just a few days’ time.
And as she asked Denmark to support her son and his wife, who will become queen consort, her voice cracked and the emotion showed on her face.
Her Majesty ended her speech as she always does with the words ”God Save Denmark, God Save You All” but by then, the emotion was almost too much for her.
Margrethe II became Queen of Denmark on January 14th 1972 on the death of her father, Frederik IX. She is currently the longest reigning Monarch in Europe.
