Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has announced that she will abdicate her position at the beginning of 2024, after a reign that lasted more than five decades.
Margrethe will hand over the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik, she said in her traditional New Year's speech broadcast on Danish television.
She cited back surgery in February 2023 as one of the reasons that led her to think about the future.
“Two weeks from now, I will be Queen of Denmark for 52 years,” she said.
“That number of years will leave its mark on anyone — and also on me! Time takes its toll and the number of “illnesses” increases. You can’t do as much as you did in the past,” she added.
“In February of this year, I underwent extensive back surgery,” she said. “Everything went well, thanks to the competent healthcare team that took care of me. Inevitably, the operation gave rise to thoughts about the future—whether now would be the appropriate time to pass the buck to the next generation.
“I decided now is the right time,” she said.
“On January 14, 2024—52 years after I succeeded my beloved father—I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I will hand over the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.
Queen Margrethe II assumed the throne on January 14, 1972, following the death of her father, King Frederik IX.
Prince Frederik will assume the throne as His Majesty King Frederik X in January, the Danish Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
After a meeting of the Council of State, the Prime Minister will proclaim the change of throne at Christiansborg Castle and the Queen will continue to be called Her Majesty after the transfer.
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Source: CNN Brasil
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