Denmark’s King Frederik X takes the throne after queen steps down
Al Jazeera
The succession was formalised the moment Queen Margrethe II signed the formal declaration of her abdication.
Denmark’s King Frederik X has ascended the throne, succeeding his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who has formally abdicated after 52 years as monarch.
Margrethe, 83, stunned the nation on New Year’s Eve when she announced she planned to become the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to voluntarily relinquish the throne.
The succession was formalised the moment she signed the declaration of her abdication during a meeting of the Council of State at Parliament on Sunday, the royal palace said.
Denmark, one of the oldest monarchies in the world, does not have a coronation.
The meeting was attended by government representatives, Margrethe, Frederik, 55, his Australian-born wife Mary, 51, who is now queen, and their oldest son Christian, 18, who is the new heir to the throne.
