The historic abdication announcement made last night by Queen Margaret II of Denmark in her New Year’s Eve speech has shaken this Nordic country, which is torn between surprise and recognition of an extremely popular monarch.
The photo of Margaret II, who will abandon the throne after 52 years on January 14 in favor of her first-born son Frederick, today occupies the front pages of the Danish media, with sober headlines alluding to her retirement from the head of state and laudatory editorials towards the longest-serving living monarch.
“Today all Danes are in shock,” writes the conservative Jyllands-Posten, while the tabloid Ekstra Bladet speaks of a “sensation”: since Denmark became a hereditary monarchy in 1660, no king or queen had abdicated, and Margaret II had always assured that his job was “for life.”
In the speech, which left the announcement for last, the queen herself alluded to her age (83 years) and a recent complicated back operation to justify a retirement that no one expected, but which occurs a few months after her grandson Christian , Federico’s eldest son, turned 18 years old.
According to the public broadcaster DR and the semi-private channel TV2, the Prime Minister herself, Mette Frederiksen, has had to rewrite her New Year’s speech, a sign that she was not informed too far in advance.
“He abdicates at a time when no other European royal house enjoys greater support and respect among its population,” writes Politiken, the main Danish newspaper.
The liberal Berlingske speaks of a “brave” decision by someone who has known how to “create a modern and intelligent monarchy, relevant and loved by the majority of Danes”, in contrast to those of other European countries.
70% of her compatriots support the monarchy, and 84% have a positive image of the queen and Prince Frederick, according to a recent DR poll.
“Thank you for an invaluable work in the service of Denmark,” wrote former Prime Minister and current Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen on the social network X (formerly Twitter), where Danish political leaders mostly thanked the queen for her role.
The abdication of Margaret II has been echoed in neighboring Sweden and Norway, where there is speculation that the unexpected announcement could have repercussions on their monarchies, led respectively by Carl XVI Gustaf (77) and Harald V (86).
As confirmed to Swedish public television SVT by the spokesperson for the Royal House of that country, Margareta Thorgren, Margaret II personally informed Charles XVI Gustav of her decision before making it public.
The ascension to the throne of Frederick X in two weeks will also make Princess Mary queen, a fact that has also been widely highlighted by the press in Australia, her country of origin.
Just 24 hours after the announcement, Margaret II will reappear in public this Monday to celebrate, accompanied by the rest of the royal family, the traditional New Year’s reception at Amalienborg Palace for members of the Government and representatives of official Denmark.
