DDanish Queen Margrethe II wants to abdicate. The 83-year-old said, completely unexpectedly, in her televised New Year's speech on Sunday evening that she wanted to resign as regent on January 14, 2024. The resignation coincides with her 52nd anniversary on the throne.
In her annual New Year's Eve speech, which is always closely followed by the Danes, Queen Margrethe discussed her back operation this year. The operation went well thanks to the health workers, but it made her think about her future as queen. She will leave the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik. Above all, she wanted to say thank you this evening – for the warmth and support that has been shown to her over the years, said the monarch.
The world's longest-serving monarch began the speech with comments on the Gaza and Ukraine wars, then she discussed the climate crisis and artificial intelligence. After a greeting to the people on the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are part of the Danish Kingdom, the sensation came completely unexpectedly. Danish media described the announcement as “absolutely historic.”
After the announcement, spontaneous applause broke out among the onlookers who had gathered on the palace square in front of Amalienborg Palace. Margrethe had always emphasized that she wanted to stay on the throne until her death – until she caused the big surprise on December 31st.
The monarch took over the throne after the death of her father Frederik IX. inherited on January 14, 1972. The always radiant and often smoking ruler is popular with the people; her New Year's Eve speeches have cult status like “Dinner for One” in Germany. She is extremely creative and interested in art, is considered pragmatic and sometimes a bit unconventional. Since the death of the British Queen Elizabeth II, whose third cousin she was, Margrethe was considered the longest-serving regent on earth.
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