Danish Queen Margrethe II, who has reigned for more than fifty years and is Europe’s longest-serving monarch, said during her traditional New Year’s address on Danish television that she would abdicate the throne in early 2024.
The 83-year-old queen said she would hand the crown over to her son, Crown Prince Frederik. On January 14, 2024, exactly 52 years to the day, she succeeded her father, King Frederik IX, after his death.
Crown Prince Frederik is 55 years old.
“In February of this year, I underwent extensive back surgery,” she said during her speech. “Everything went well thanks to the skilled medical staff who looked after me. The operation inevitably led to thoughts about the future – whether it would be the right time to pass on responsibility to the next generation.
“I decided it was the right time,” she said.
“On behalf of the entire population, I would like to sincerely thank Her Majesty the Queen for her lifelong dedication and tireless devotion to the Kingdom,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on the prime minister’s website.
Queen Margrethe became Europe’s longest-serving monarch after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. The British monarch was queen for 70 years and 214 days.
Source: Deadline
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