Europe Margaret II signs her abdication and makes Frederick X king

“Her Majesty Queen Margaret II has abdicated, long live Her Majesty King Frederick X! Her Majesty Queen Margaret II has abdicated, long live Her Majesty King Frederick Long live His Majesty King Frederick Three times, left, right and center, Mette Frederiksen, social democratic and monarchist prime minister, shouted from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace because of her admiration for Margaret. And Frederick X was thus proclaimed king. Afterwards, Frederiksen asked the crowd for nine cheers (three for God, three for the king and three for the country).

Frederick

It was the culminating moment of a historic day in which the Scandinavian country saw for the first time in 900 years a replacement on the throne due to the abdication of a sovereign.

“God preserve the king,” Margaret II had exclaimed, holding back tears, as soon as she signed, shortly after 2:00 p.m., her declaration of abdication in one of the halls of Christiansborg, the seat of Parliament and the Executive Branch of Denmark.

Margarita (83 years old), Frederick (55) and Crown Prince Christian (18) had participated in the Council of State together with the full Government, headed by the Prime Minister and the Secretary of the Council, Barbara Bertelsen. The passing of the throne occurred during this meeting, at the time when the queen signed her declaration of abdication.

Margarita, in purple, presided over the table, with Federico on her right, in a rear admiral’s uniform, and Frederiksen, in blue, on her left. Mother and son, visibly excited. To the right of Federico, Christian. After signing her name, the queen stood up and gave her chair to the new king while her grandson rushed to bring him the cane with which she helps herself walk since she underwent back surgery in May 2023.

After leaving the Council meeting, Margaret returned to her residence at Amalienborg Palace in the flagship of the Royal Household automobile fleet, a 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Wrath baptized the Store Krone (big crown). She had made the one-way trip, barely a kilometer and a half, just an hour before in the so-called Golden Wedding Carriage, black and drawn by six white horses. Meanwhile, Federico and Mary served as hosts at a reception for a small group of special guests that lasted until the beginning of the proclamation on the balcony.

The new sovereign gave a short and heartfelt speech in which he praised his mother, announced his intention to be “a king of unity for tomorrow” and finally revealed his royal motto, secret until that moment. Without a doubt one of the most anticipated moments of the day (even the subject of bets), as it is a tradition of almost 600 years consisting of the new monarch choosing the motto that summarizes his values ??and beliefs. The motto of Frederick X will be “United, committed, for the kingdom of Denmark.” His mother’s was “Help from God, love from the people, strength from Denmark.”

With a huge influx of public and under a strong security device (the terrorist threat is considered high), the acts of the proclamation of Frederick of four almost identical mansions that form an octagonal square.

After being cheered with his family, putting his hand over his heart in gratitude and kissing Mary, and while part of the crowd sang the Danish national anthem, he entered Christiansborg again. The Sixtus Battery then fired three rounds of 27 artillery salvos (three times nine: for God, for the king and for the country). At the same time, the royal flag was lowered at the palace of Christian IX, Margaret’s residence, and raised at the palace of Frederick VIII, residence of Frederick and Mary.

The Danish kingdom is considered the oldest in Europe, dating back to the 8th century. The Glücksburg dynasty, the current one, acceded to the throne in 1863 when Christian IX succeeded the drinker and womanizer Frederick VII, of the Oldenborg dynasty, who died without known descendants despite marrying three times. The Danish royal family, however, does not use surnames. The new king’s full name is Federico Andrés Enrique Christian. From now on, following his mother’s custom, he will sign as Federico X Rex.