Frederick X is crowned King of Denmark after Queen Margaret II abdicates

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark's prime minister announced Frederick X as king on Sunday after his mother, Queen Margaret II, formally signed her abdication, with huge crowds turning out to rejoice as the throne passed from a beloved monarch to her famous son.

Margaret, 83, is the first Danish queen to voluntarily abdicate the throne in nearly 900 years. Several thousand people gathered outside the palace where the royal succession process took place, amid a joyful atmosphere as the northern country witnessed its first royal succession in more than half a century, a succession that was not due to the death of a king.

Dressed in a purple outfit, Margaret signed her abdication during a meeting with the Danish Cabinet at Christiansborg Palace, a massive complex in Copenhagen that has been the seat of Danish power for centuries. It now houses the royal reception rooms and royal stables, as well as the Danish Parliament, the Prime Minister's Office and the Supreme Court.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen then declared Frederik king from the palace balcony before several thousand subjects of a kingdom where the trappings of monarchy are mostly symbolic in today's modern age of constitutional democracy.

Frederiksen read the proclamation three times, which is tradition, as Frederiksen stood beside her in a ceremonial military uniform adorned with medals. Then join him on the new balcony, Australian-born Queen Mary The couple's four children, and the audience spontaneously sang the national anthem.

“I hope to become a unified king of tomorrow,” Frederick said. “It's a job I've done my whole life.”

It is customary for each new king to adopt a royal motto as a guideline for his rule, and Frederick's motto is: “United, committed, for the Kingdom of Denmark.”

“I want to regain the trust I met,” the new king said. “I need the trust of my beloved wife, of you and of someone greater than us.”

Then Frederick kissed Mary, who was wearing a white dress, and another huge cheer went up from the audience.

They then left Christianborg Palace in a horse-drawn carriage when the church bells rang, and headed to their residence in Amalienborg, where they appeared again before a large crowd of people cheering and waving the country's flag with a white cross on a red background.

Frederick, who was visibly moved, placed both hands on his heart in a gesture of thanks.

The abdication document was presented earlier to Margaret while she was sitting at a huge table covered with a red cloth, around which sat members of the royal family and members of the Danish government. Frederick sat next to her.

After signing it, Margaret stood up and motioned for Frederick to take her place. “May God protect the king,” she said as she left the room.

The abdication leaves Denmark with two queens: Margaret retains her title, while Frederick retains his The wife becomes Queen Mary. Christian, the eldest son of Frederick and Mary, aged 18, became crown prince and heir to the throne.

Wearing a replica of a royal robe and wearing a jeweled purple crown on his head, Copenhagen resident Rene Jensen said he expected Frederik “to be king of the nation, representing us everywhere.”

The last time a Danish king resigned voluntarily was in 1146, when King Erik III Lamm stepped down to enter a monastery. Margaret abdicated the throne on the same day in January that she ascended the throne after the death of her father, King Frederick IX, on January 14, 1972.

The origins of Denmark's monarchy go back to the ancient Viking king Gorm in the 10th century, making it the oldest in Europe and one of the oldest in the world.

Australians also took to the streets of Copenhagen to celebrate the crowning of one of their own queens.

“I think it's good that she's not royal and has a normal Australian background. We can relate more to that, because she's from a middle-class background, and so are we,” said Jodi Langtry, who made the long trip from Brisbane with her daughter to watch the royal event.

A poll – commissioned by Danish public broadcaster DR – published on Friday showed that 79% of 1,037 people surveyed by pollster Epinion said they thought Frederik was ready to take over, and 83% said they thought his wife Marie was ready to take over the presidency. queen. DR said the poll's margin of error was 3 percentage points.

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Alexander Fortula contributed to this report.