COPENHAGEN: Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, Europe’s longest-serving monarch, will abdicate on Jan 14 after 52 years on the throne and might be succeeded by her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik, she introduced on Sunday (Dec 31).
The 83 yr outdated queen, who ascended the throne in 1972, turned the longest serving monarch in Europe following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.
The queen made the shock announcement on stay TV throughout her conventional New Yr’s Eve speech, which is seen by many within the nation of 5.9 million folks.
In February, she underwent a profitable again surgical procedure.
“The surgical procedure naturally gave rise to serious about the longer term – whether or not the time had come to depart the duty to the subsequent era,” she mentioned.
“I’ve determined that now could be the fitting time. On 14 January 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I’ll step down as queen of Denmark,” she mentioned.
“I depart the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik,” she mentioned.