Denmark’s Queen abdicates: Watershed moment for Mary and Frederik
Princess Mary and Prince Frederik of Denmark faced a pivotal moment in their royal careers on Thursday as they prepare to ascend the throne.
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Princess Mary and Prince Frederik of Denmark faced a pivotal moment in their royal careers on Thursday, as they prepare to take the reins from Queen Margrethe II and ascend the throne.
The royal couple stepped out side-by-side in matching blue sashes decorated laden with military insignia at a reception for officers from the armed forces and national emergency management agency as part of Denmark’s traditional New Year’s fete.
Princess Mary, 51, wore a formal black blazer and pleated skirt, accessorised with a huge pearl and jewel-encrusted choker. On her sash, she wore a touching tribute — a portrait of Queen Margrethe — while the star of the Order of the Elephant, also denoted by the elephant suspended from her sash, was pinned closer to her hip.
Prince Frederik, 55, wore full military regalia, complete with his own Order of the Elephant insignia and bevy of medals.
The reception was particularly significant this year as Queen Margrethe’s final public appearance as monarch.
Queen Margrethe, who is Europe’s longest reigning living monarch, announced her surprise abdication on New Year’s Eve, paving the way for Prince Frederik and Princess Mary to ascend.
She will step down on January 14 after 52 years on the throne, marking the first time a monarch has abdicated in Europe’s oldest ruling monarchy, which has withstood nearly 900 years.
Thousands of Danes braved sub-zero temperatures and snow to bid farewell to their queen as she rode through Copenhagen in a gilt coach pulled by six white horses.
The so-called Gold Coach, covered in 24-karat gold leaf and topped with four crowns, is used when the monarch rides from the royal residence at Amalienborg Palace to Christiansborg Palace during the New Year’s fete.
Queen Margrethe arrived at the event in a mahogany fur coat, under which she sported a crimson ball gown and her own regalia.
“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,” Queen Margrethe said in her abdication message on December 31.
“I want to say thank you,” she continued.
“Thank you for the overwhelming warmth and support that I have received over the years. Thank you to the changing governments, with whom it has always been rewarding to work together, and to the Danish parliament, which has always met me with confidence.
“The support and assistance that I have received over the years has been decisive for me being able to carry out my task. It is my hope that the new royal couple will be met with the same trust and affection that I have received. They deserve it. Denmark deserves it.”
Originally published as Denmark’s Queen abdicates: Watershed moment for Mary and Frederik
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