Margaret II will abdicate after 52 years at the head of the state

rDanish Queen Margareta IIThe 83-year-old and longest-serving living monarch on the throne announced this Sunday that she will abdicate on January 14 in favor of Crown Prince Frederick after 52 years at the head of the state.

In his traditional New Year’s Eve televised speech, Margaret IIthe only female head of a monarchy, explained that the back surgery she underwent last February made her think about the future and “whether it is time to leave the responsibility to the next generation”.

“I have decided that now is the right time. On January 14, 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my dear father, I will cease to be Queen of Denmark,” said Margaret II, alluding to the “wear and tear” of time as “You cannot carry more with what you could before.”

In Denmark, as in other Nordic monarchies, there is no tradition of abdication and it is customary for monarchs to exhaust their mandate until death.

Margarita has always repeated in public that she has no plans to leave the throne and that the status of queen is a “lifelong duty”.

The first-born, aged 55, will ascend the throne on the same day of the abdication, after the council of state, with the name Frederick X.

“Tonight, first of all, I want to say thank you, thank you for the enormous support and warmth I have received over the years,” the monarch said in her speech, asking for “the same trust and affection” for the future king and his wife Princess Maria.

Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksenhe thanked the queen in a statement for her “lifelong dedication and tireless work for Denmark.”

POPULAR QUEEN OF ARTISTIC INTENTIONS
Margarita Alexandrina Thorhildur Ingrid, the full name of the queen, enjoys great popularity, managed to stay away from major scandals, and the ones she had she solved naturally, including a serious obstacle that caused her husband, Prince Henry, to die in 2018, he refused to be buried in the royal pantheon at Roskilde Cathedral.

Enrique, who has never hidden his dissatisfaction with his role and has been the protagonist of several public pranks, caused a stir in August 2017 by accusing his wife in an interview of considering him a “fool”, while affirming his love for her and posting in protest his readiness for cremation.

Less than a month later A real home He announced that the prince had dementia and was retiring from public life, and in February of the following year Enrique died weeks after being admitted with a lung infection.

“It was his decision. He was a free person. And I respect that,” Margarita said months later.

To her status as a discreet and relatable queen, Margarita adds another thing to her advantage: her artistic interests, which include everything from sets and costumes for ballet, plays and even films; to the design of the monograms of members of the Royal House or his love for painting.

And this fruitful and long-lasting activity was appreciated in Denmark, especially because of her status as a woman, despite the fact that renowned art critics questioned the artistic quality of her paintings, which did not prevent prestigious museums from dedicating exhibitions to her.

The Danish monarch also dared to illustrate “The Lord of the Rings” by JRR Tolkien already translate into Danish “All men are mortal,” Simone de Beauvoir, and the trilogy about the fall of the Roman Empire by Stig Strömholm, along with the design of scenography and costumes for the film on the Netflix platform.