COPENHAGEN
\nDenmark\u2019s King Frederik X ascended the throne on Sunday, succeeding his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who formally abdicated after 52 years as monarch, with big crowds gathered in the capital to witness history.
\nMargrethe, 83, stunned the nation on New Year\u2019s Eve when she announced she planned to become the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to voluntarily relinquish the throne.
\nIn close to freezing temperatures, tens of thousands of people from all over Denmark converged on the capital to witness events, in a sign of the huge popularity the monarchy is enjoying in the nation of nearly six million.
\n\u201cWe have come here today because this is history being made in front of our eyes. We just had to be here,\u201d said Soren Kristian Bisgaard, 30, a pilot.
\nHe was drinking champagne with three friends, sitting in camping chairs in front of parliament.
\n\u201cI\u2019m very fond of the royal family. I have been in the Royal Life Guards myself, standing guard at the royal palace. I\u2019m very proud to have done that and also to be here today,\u201d he said,
\nThe couple will continue to reside with Margrethe, who will retain her title as queen, in Amalienborg albeit in their respective palaces in the octagonal complex.
\nROYAL POWER COUPLE
\nMargrethe, who in the past had said she would remain on the throne for life, did not give an exact reason for her decision to step down but said that a major back surgery she underwent in February last year had made her consider her future.
\n\u201cIt could be that she thinks Prince Frederik is prepared to take over now,\u201d said Lars Hovbakke Sorensen, a historian and associate professor at University College Absalon in Denmark.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s 55, and maybe the queen wanted to avoid a situation where you would have a very, very old king, as you saw with Prince Charles.\u201d The British king was 73 when he ascended the throne after his mother Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022 aged 96.
\nThe new king and queen take the throne at a time of huge public support and enthusiasm for the monarchy. The most recent survey done after Margrethe announced she would abdicate indicated that 82% of Danes expect Frederik to do well or very well in his new role, while 86% said the same about Mary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
COPENHAGEN Denmark\u2019s King Frederik X ascended the throne on Sunday, succeeding his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who formally abdicated after 52 years as monarch, with big crowds gathered in the capital to witness history. Margrethe, 83, stunned the nation on New Year\u2019s Eve when she announced she planned to become the first Danish monarch in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380841,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-380801","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n