Before the bells, as in the stories that royalty used to star in ancient times. Margaret II of Denmark announced this Sunday by surprise her abdication of the throne in favor of her son, Prince Frederick, after more than half a century in office. She and she did not do it through a cold statement, although not in an event open to the public.; It was in the traditional televised New Year's Eve speech that she addresses to the country.
At 83 years old, almost two-thirds of his life has been spent with the Danish crown on his men after succeeding his parents, King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid. It was at the beginning of the seventies, when the European royal houses still retained part of a splendor that with the passage of time has lost much of its brilliance, although in Denmark the continuity of the monarchy is not in question and its firstborn will ascend to the throne. throne next January 14 as Frederick X.
The Government of this Nordic country has especially valued the career of Margarita II. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen herself thanked her in a statement for her “lifelong dedication and tireless work for Denmark.” The queen, however, had already been planning her departure for months after having back surgery last February and seeing how her physical capacity suffered. Fortunately “everything went well,” she recalled this Saturday, but “inevitably” the intervention “gave rise to thoughts about the future: whether now would be the right time to pass on responsibility to the next generation.”
Margarita Alejandrina Thorhildur Ingrid – her full name – had no doubt that the chosen one would be her first-born and all that was needed was to find “the right moment”, something that she has finally decided to do with the change of year, leaving, in addition, no active queens to European monarchies. Prince Frederick will be king at 55 years old, an age that is beginning to be less and less strange in European monarchies given the longevity of its last occupants, a notable case being that of Elizabeth II of England, who died in September 2022 at 96. years.
“Time takes its toll”
“I have reigned for 52 years,” he said in his televised message. An amount like that will leave its mark on anyone, including me. Time takes its toll and the number of ailments increases. “You can't undertake as much as you did in the past,” he admitted while thanking “the overwhelming support and warmth I have received over the years” and that “they have been crucial to the success of my task.” ». For this reason he asked for “the same trust and affection” for the future king and his wife, Princess Mary, an Australian citizen whom he married in 2004. “They deserve it and Denmark deserves it,” he concluded. .
The Danish monarch has continued with her thanks, also to “the changing governments” with whom collaboration has always been “gratifying”, in addition to the Danish Parliament, which “has always placed its trust” in her. Precisely the popularity of Margarita II and the “kind thoughts” that she has been receiving from her all these years allowed her to overcome two unpleasant family episodes for her.
On the one hand, her husband, the French diplomat Enrique de Laborde de Monpezat, was never satisfied with his role as royal consort and was involved in several public disagreements with her, criticizing her for undervaluing him despite stating on several occasions that he loved her. He even refused to be buried in the royal pantheon and asked to be cremated. A few months before her death in 2018 from a lung infection, it was officially announced that she had dementia.
The other family disagreement was more recent and with his youngest son, Prince Joaquín. In September 2022, Margaret II resolved to withdraw the title of prince from her four children under the excuse that it would be better for her grandchildren “to live without the considerations and obligations implied by a formal affiliation to the royal house as an institution.” But the father, far from understanding this striking reasoning, considered it “mistreatment” and distanced them, although on the occasion of the queen's jubilee there was an apparent reconciliation.
I remember Ukraine
Faithful to her professional work until the last day, the queen also had words of support in her speech for those who celebrate the New Year “in the shadow of terrorism and war”, with special mention of the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine. Regarding the latter, she expressed her regret for the “enormous loss of human life”, while asking “not to forget the struggle of Ukrainians for freedom.”
Specifically, Kings Felipe VI and Letizia were the protagonists of one of the last institutional visits received by the Danish royal house. It was on a state trip last November to further strengthen the already good relations between both countries. However, it was the first in more than four decades, the first after the one carried out in 1980 by Juan Carlos I and Doña Sofía and it was going to have been carried out in April but was postponed due to Margarita II's operation.
#Queen #Margaret #Denmark #abdicates #century #throne