Denmark's queen to step down from throne on Jan 14

COPENHAGEN — Denmark's Queen Margrethe II announced on Sunday that she plans to abdicate after 52 years and hand over the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik.

The queen, who is Europe's longest-reigning living monarch, announced during her New Year's speech that she would step down on Jan 14, which is the anniversary of her own accession to the throne at age 31 following the death of her father, late King Frederik IX.

Margrethe, 83, said the back surgery she underwent in early 2023 led to "thoughts about the future "and when to pass on the responsibilities of the crown to her son.

"I have decided that now is the right time," she said in her speech.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen paid tribute to her in a statement, offering a "heartfelt thank you to Her Majesty the Queen for her lifelong dedication and tireless efforts for the Kingdom."

Margrethe is the "epitome of Denmark", Frederiksen's statement read, and "throughout the years has put words and feelings into who we are as a people and as a nation".

The 1.82-meter-tall, chain-smoking Margrethe has been one of the most popular public figures in Denmark, where the monarch's role is largely ceremonial.

Warm manners

She often walked the streets of Copenhagen virtually unescorted and won the admiration of Danes for her warm manners and for her talents as a linguist and designer.

A keen skier, she was a member of a Danish women's air force unit as a princess, taking part in judo courses and endurance tests in the snow. Margrethe remained tough even as she grew older.

Denmark has Europe's oldest ruling monarchy, which traces its line back to the Viking king Gorm the Old, who died in 958.Although Margrethe is head of state, the Danish Constitution strictly ruled out her involvement in party politics.

The queen's announcement made up only a few sentences at the end of her wide-ranging New Year's speech which reflected on the "turbulence and upheaval in the world" amid the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, and the climate crisis.

Agencies via Xinhua