Royal kiss in Copenhagen – Frederik

Frederick X is the new king of Denmark. The 55-year-old former crown prince was given the throne in Copenhagen on Sunday by his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who historically became the first Danish head in almost 900 years to voluntarily abdicate the throne during her lifetime. Signing a corresponding statement, the world’s longest-serving reigning monarch resigned as announced – after 52 years of rule to the day. Frederick was then celebrated by a sea of ​​cheering Danes at the proclamation of the change of throne.

“Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II has abdicated. Long live Her Majesty King Frederik led by Frederiksen, shouted “Hurrah!” nine times, proclaimed in honor of the king. Numerous Danish flags were waved.

Frederik was visibly moved and had tears in his eyes. In his first speech as a new monarch, he paid tribute to his mother as queen, who will forever be remembered as an exceptional regent. He has approached his new task all his life and takes on the responsibility with respect, pride and great joy, he said.

“My hope is to become a unifying king of tomorrow,” said Frederik. “I approach the future with the certainty that I am not alone.” He then ended the speech with his motto: “United, committed, for the Kingdom of Denmark.”

A huge crowd had gathered in front of the castle for the proclamation, with particularly loud cheers breaking out when Frederick’s wife, Queen Mary (51), and the couple’s four children stepped onto the balcony. Frederik in uniform and Maria, dressed in white, shared a loving kiss – “a real kiss for the throne,” radio station DR raved.

Shortly afterwards, the new royal couple rode back to the palace at Amalienborg Castle in a carriage – accompanied by cheering crowds along the side of the road. The royal family once again greeted the palace square, which was also filled to the brim and beamed from the balcony of their palace. In the evening, a huge fireworks display at Tivoli, the venerable amusement park in the heart of Copenhagen, lit up the sky above the Danish capital.

Messages of love poured in from far and wide for the outgoing monarch and the new king. Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf sent a telegram in which he addressed Margrethe as “Dear cousin Daisy” – Daisy is the queen’s nickname. Also the British King Charles III. and Norwegian King Harald V sent warm words to Copenhagen. Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen even flagged in space: “Many thanks to Queen Margrethe for everything she has done for our country,” he wrote on social networks over a photo of the Danish flag on board the International Space Station (ISS) .

Margrethe’s surprising abdication

In her annual New Year’s speech, Margrethe unexpectedly announced that she would pass the throne to her eldest son. This step was formally taken on Sunday when she signed a declaration of abdication during a meeting with the government. At that moment, Frederik went from crown prince to king, Maria from crown princess to queen and Prince Christian (18), the couple’s eldest son, became the new crown prince. Margrethe will retain her title of queen and will be able to act as her son’s representative in the future if he is traveling abroad or cannot attend for some other reason.

Normally, it is common for queens and kings in Scandinavia to remain on the throne for their entire lives. Unlike, for example, in the Netherlands, abdications are extremely atypical: according to the royal family in Copenhagen, the last time a Danish regent voluntarily abdicated during his lifetime was in 1146. At that time King Eric III. Lam abdicated the throne to allegedly go to a monastery, the court said.

Margrethe had previously repeatedly emphasized that she wanted to continue in her role until the end of her life. However, she then had to undergo major back surgery in February 2023, which she said made her think about whether it was time to pass the responsibility on to the next generation. She then announced that she would hand over the throne to Frederick on January 14 – on that date in 1972 she had also inherited the throne from her then deceased father Frederick IX. inherited.

Since the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Margrethe is considered the world’s longest-serving monarch. Since January 14, 1972, she has been the head of her kingdom, which includes Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Until now, a large part of the Danish, Greenland and Faroese population only knew her as head of state.

(sda/dpa)