World

52 Years On, Queen Of Denmark Announces Abdication

New Delhi: The longest-serving monarch in Europe following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, will abdicate on Jan. 14 after 52 years on the throne and will be succeeded by her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik, she announced on Sunday. The 83-year-old queen, who ascended the throne in 1972, made the surprise announcement on live TV during her traditional New Year’s Eve speech, which is viewed by many in the country of 5.9 million people, Reuters reported.

Referring to a successful back operation she underwent in February, she said, “The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future – whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation”.

“I have decided that now is the right time. On 14 January 2024 – 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father – I will step down as queen of Denmark,” she said.

“I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik,” she said.

In July, she became the longest-sitting monarch in Denmark’s history.

In Denmark, formal power resides with the elected parliament and its government. The monarch is expected to stay above partisan politics, representing the nation with traditional duties ranging from state visits to national day celebrations.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen thanked the queen for her life-long dedication to duty.

“It is still difficult to understand that the time has now come for a change of throne,” Frederiksen said in a statement, adding that many Danes had never known another monarch.

“Queen Margrethe is the epitome of Denmark and throughout the years has put words and feelings into who we are as a people and as a nation,” she said.

Born in 1940 to Denmark’s former monarch King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid, Margrethe has throughout her life enjoyed broad support from Danes, who are fond of her tactful and yet creative personality.

She is also known for her love of archaeology and has taken part in several excavations.

She became heir to her father in 1953 at the age of 31, after a constitutional amendment allowed women to inherit the throne.

In 1967, she married French diplomat Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, who served as her royal consort until his death in 2018.

The couple’s two sons are Crown Prince Frederik, who will become King Frederik X, and Prince Joachim. Frederik married Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, an Australian, in 2004.
OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Odisha Similipal’s Tigress Zeenat Enters ‘Safe’ Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve From Purulia

Bhubaneswar: Tigress Zeenat, who travelled nearly 200 km over two weeks from Odisha's Similipal, avoiding…

8 hours ago

Odisha Govt Dissolves Governing Body Of Non-Govt Aided Degree Colleges

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has dissolved the governing bodies or managing committees of all Non-Government…

9 hours ago

EX-SC Judge V Ramasubramanian Appointed NHRC Chief & Justice Bidyut Sarangi As Member

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Monday appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice V Ramasubramanian…

10 hours ago

CRUT Signs MoU With NTPC & Gridco For Running Hydrogen-Powered Buses In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Marking a significant development in eco-friendly transport in Odisha, a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding…

10 hours ago

Kumar Vishwas Slammed For His Veiled ‘Ramayana’ Dig At Sonakshi Sinha

Mumbai: After veteran actor Mukesh Khanna, noted poet Kumar Vishwas left netizens irked with his…

10 hours ago

Massive Fire Engulfs Godown In Bhubaneswar’s Satyanagar; Robot Deployed

Bhubaneswar: A major fire erupted at a pressure cooker company godown at Satyanagar in Bhubaneswar…

10 hours ago

This website uses cookies.