Tens of 1000’s of individuals gathered on the streets of Copenhagen to rejoice the accession of Denmark’s new king, Frederik X, on Sunday, simply two weeks after his mom, Queen Margrethe II, made the dramatic announcement that she would abdicate.
The nation’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, introduced the brand new king, bareheaded and sporting a darkish uniform adorned with medals and golden epaulets, to the Danish folks from a balcony of Copenhagen’s Christiansborg Palace, in a transfer seen as underlining Denmark’s democratic character.
Massive crowds of individuals, a lot of them waving small Danish flags, lined the route as King Frederik made his approach to the fort by automobile in a motorcade as bells rang out from a close-by church.
Earlier than the general public look, Margrethe formally handed the monarchy to King Frederik in a televised assembly, signing her abdication papers, and, handing them over to Ms. Frederiksen, saying merely, “There.”
Margrethe’s abdication was 52 years after the monarch succeeded her father in the identical palace following his loss of life. She had been the longest-serving monarch in Europe.
In a New Yr’s speech, Queen Margrethe, 83, cited her age and well being as components in her determination to step down. On the identical time, she introduced that her son Frederik, 55, would succeed her.
King Frederik, who is known as an easygoing, sports-loving and climate-friendly prince, was already extraordinarily well-liked amongst Danes, who overwhelmingly assist a monarchy.
Denmark’s king serves as a head of state and is answerable for signing all acts of Parliament earlier than they turn out to be legislation. However legislative powers have been within the fingers of elected officers since 1849.
Lars Hovbakke Sorensen, an skilled on the Danish royal household, mentioned that having the prime minister announce the brand new monarch was a gesture that underscored the significance of the nation’s democracy.
“It implies that we now have a monarchy the place the monarchy doesn’t have any political energy,” Mr. Hovbakke Sorensen mentioned.
He mentioned that no crown had been laid on the top of a Danish sovereign since 1660, when the monarchy grew to become hereditary. Earlier than then, the king was elected, and a member of the aristocracy topped him.
On Sunday, King Frederik stood on the balcony alongside his spouse, Queen Mary, 51. The queen, who’s initially from Australia, is massively well-liked in Denmark, admired for her sense of non-public type and her dedication to sustainability and ladies’s rights. The couple met at a bar in Sydney throughout the 2000 Olympics in what grew to become often known as a fairy-tale encounter.
(Years later in Australia, Frederik was turned away from a bar for an absence of ID.)
Queen Margrethe, identified for her artwork, her chain smoking and her charisma, had beforehand mentioned that she would “keep on the throne till I drop,” however she mentioned {that a} latest again surgical procedure had made her think about handing over accountability.
In 2022, she stripped 4 grandchildren of royal titles to free them of the tasks that may include their roles. The choice upset members of the family, main her to subject an apology.
Mr. Hovbakke Sorensen mentioned that subsequent week, King Frederik would attend a Mass in Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest metropolis, to point out the nation that he cares for the entire nation, and never solely the capital metropolis.
