King Frederick X of Denmark succeeds to the throne in place of his mother, who has retired

On Sunday, Frederik X took the royal throne in Denmark. He succeeded his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who officially abdicated after 52 years of rule. This was reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.

Details

According to the royal palace, the succession was formalized on Sunday, when Margrethe signed a declaration of her abdication during a meeting of the Council of State in parliament. Denmark, one of the oldest monarchies in the world, does not have a coronation.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the government, Margrethe, Frederick, 55, his wife, Maria, 51, who is now queen, and their eldest son, Christian, 18, who is the new heir to the throne.

About an hour after the signing, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was to proclaim the new king on the balcony of the parliament, and Frederik would give a short speech.

Tens of thousands of people from all over Denmark came to the capital to witness the events, which demonstrates the enormous popularity of the monarchy in the country of almost six million people.

Later in the afternoon, the new king and queen were to travel in a carriage to their residence, Amalienborg, a royal complex built in the 1750s and located in the center of Copenhagen.

The couple will continue to live together with Margrethe, who will retain her title of queen, in Amalienborg, albeit in their palaces in the octagonal complex.

Abdication of the Queen

Margrethe, 83, announced on New Year's Eve that she plans to become the first Danish monarch in almost 900 years to voluntarily abdicate.

Margrethe, who has said in the past that she would remain on the throne for life, did not give an exact reason for her decision to step down, but said that the serious back surgery she underwent last February had made her think about her future.