Why did the Queen of Denmark abdicate?
Denmark now officially has a new king – Margrethe II resigned her powers and handed over the throne to her son Frederick. After the departure of Elizabeth, the 83-year-old Danish woman, who is the world’s only reigning queen and the record holder for the longest reign, announced her desire to leave the throne on December 31, 2023. In her New Year’s speech on national television, she reminded viewers that she had back surgery in February 2023. “The operation naturally raised questions about the future; Is it time to hand over power to the next generation? – said the queen. – On January 14, 2024, 52 years after succeeding my beloved father, I will abdicate as Queen of Denmark. “I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.”
Margrethe II’s abdication came as a surprise not only to the public, but also to her own sons, Frederick and Joachim. They learned that their mother planned to abdicate three days before her New Year’s speech on December 28, Danish newspaper Berlingske reported.
At the same time, in 2016, the queen announced that she would never abdicate. “It’s always been like this: As long as you live, you stay. That’s what my father and his ancestors did. “This is important to me too,” she said.
Therefore, the media hastened to connect the current renunciation of Margrethe II not only with her state of health, but also with the problems in the Frederick family, where rumors spread in the fall about his infidelity with his wife Mary.
“The Queen probably took these actions because she feared the marriage would break down and Princess Mary would be lost to the royal family. This can cause serious problems. “The Queen always thought highly of Mary.” stated The Telegraph is the leading British expert on the Danish royal family, Phil Dampier. Two months after rumors of Crown Prince Frederik’s betrayal spread, He stated that the announcement of Margrethe’s abdication was too much of a coincidence. According to the expert, after Frederick and Mary officially become king and queen of Denmark, they will have to overcome the domestic discord that Margrethe is struggling with.
Reports of 55-year-old Frederick’s alleged extramarital affairs emerged in the fall of 2023, when the heir to the throne flew to Madrid for a private visit while his wife was in New York. Spanish tabloid Lecturas published paparazzi photos in which the crown prince was captured with Mexican actress Genoveva Casanova. The couple are thought to have spent the night together at the woman’s home. The actor denied these allegations and the Royal Danish Palace declined to comment.
What did Margrethe II do on the throne?
Queen Margrethe II ascended to the throne on 14 December 1972, the day her father, King Frederick IX, died. He was able to ascend to the throne thanks to the amendment made to the Law of Succession adopted in 1953; This regulation allowed women to ascend to the throne only if they had no brothers. (By the way, a new change was made in 2009 – and now the eldest daughter of the monarch becomes queen, even if there are sons in the family.)
The eldest daughter of Frederick IX of the Glücksburg dynasty and Princess Ingrid of Sweden, like the monarchy itself, was initially unpopular with the public: in 1972, only 42% of Danes were in favor of its preservation. But over time, the level of support for the royal family in the country has increased significantly – in 2022, 85% of Danes already supported the monarchy.
Queen Elizabeth II During Margrethe’s term, the country changed government 25 times and managed to work with 11 prime ministers. During all this time his duties were no different from those performed by any other head of the royal family under the constitutional monarchy. Although the Queen signed all the laws, they only came into force after approval by the Council of Ministers. Margrethe II herself had to remain completely loyal to the government.
The monarch’s role remained representative – the queen’s duty was to speak on behalf of Denmark abroad and travel around the country on visits. It could be seen at numerous public events such as exhibitions, anniversaries, award presentations, and more. There were also public organizations under the patronage of Margrethe II. Part of the Queen’s work included the receptions she held at her residences (which also included concerts, birthday and New Year’s parties, and visits from foreign guests).
II made official visits abroad 54 times while on the throne. Margrethe hosted foreign guests 58 times. The first countries the Queen visited (already in 1973) were Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. The last state to accept Margrethe II as queen of Denmark was Germany; the tour took place in 2021.
What else is known about Queen Margrethe II?
Before ascending to the throne, Margrethe II took courses at various educational institutions. After passing the philosophy exam at the University of Copenhagen in 1960, she went to Cambridge University in England to study archeology and ancient history. He studied political science at Aarhus University in Denmark from 1961 to 1962, attended the Sorbonne in Paris in 1963, and became a student at the London School of Economics in 1965. She is the queen and speaks Danish, English, French, German and Swedish and can also speak Faroese.
Margrethe II is also known for her love of decorative and applied arts; She tried herself as a costume designer and set designer, doing embroidery and decoupage. She is also a famous illustrator she. While still a princess and studying at Cambridge, she created illustrations for John Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. In 1970, Her Majesty sent her drawings to the author and she signed them under the pseudonym Ingrid Gratmer. And although Tolkien did not like his books to be illustrated – he believed that the reader should independently imagine the world he created – after the death of the writer, Margrethe’s drawings were found in the archives, to which science fiction fans left approving comments. writer’s hand.
The Lord of the Rings, which featured the Queen’s drawings, went through three editions: 1977, 2001 and 2021.
Margrethe’s other hobbies include archaeology. In his youth, he and his grandfather, King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden, participated in excavations during a holiday in Italy.
Queen Margrethe’s husband was the French diplomat Count Henri de Laborde, who took the name Prince Henrik in marriage. The princess met him while studying in England. The couple had two sons: Prince Frederick and Joachim. By the way, the latter’s children were deprived of their titles last year (their grandmother motivated this by the desire to give her grandchildren the opportunity to live a life without the restrictions associated with the special considerations and responsibilities that come with official membership in the royal family “the Danish house requires”), after which Joachim left with his family to the USA moved.
Who is the new king of Denmark?
Since January 14, 2024, the Danish Royal Throne has been occupied by his eldest son Margrethe II, who should now be called King Frederik X, and his wife Queen Mary.
The new king was born during the reign of his grandfather and namesake, Frederick IX – May 26, 1968. He received his higher education at Aarhus University, where he studied political science. The prince also studied for a year at Harvard in the United States, where he was known as Frederik Henriksen. He also interned for several months at the Danish UN mission. After graduating from university, the heir to the throne received the post of first secretary of the Danish Embassy in France. He served in the army in the early 2000s and specifically trained in scuba diving.
In 2000, during the Olympic Games in Sydney, Prince Frederick met his future wife, Australian Mary Donaldson, who was then working as a marketing consultant. In 2003, Queen Margrethe gave permission for them to marry, and the wedding took place in 2004. The couple raises four children: Christian was born in 2005, Isabella in 2007, and in 2011 the family expanded with twin sisters Vincent and Josephine.
The new king is known as a warrior against climate change; actively supports scientific developments in the field of sustainable energy resources. Frederick X also contributes to the development of sports in the country, is in the International Olympic Committee and participates in marathons. In particular, he tried himself in the Iron Man race in Copenhagen in 2013 – the heir to the throne became the first member of the royal family to undergo this test.
Another hobby of the prince was expeditions – in 1986 he went on a research trip to Mongolia. In 2000, Prince Frederick became a member of an expedition to Greenland, covering 2,795 km by dog sled. The task of the heir to the throne was to film this polar journey.