Denmark’s King Frederik X has taken the throne after the abdication of his mother Queen Margrethe II.
The former Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark has stepped up to take the throne in the capital Copenhagen after his mother Margrethe voluntarily stepped down.
The handover took place at a cabinet meeting at Christiansborg Palace in the capital Copenhagen, when Margrethe signed a declaration of her abdication, officially transferring the crown to Frederik.
The Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen then publicly proclaimed the King’s accession from the balcony of the palace – a tradition in place since the constitution of 1849.
Frederik followed the proclamation with a short speech, before being joined by his Australian-born wife Queen Mary and their four children, including the Crown Prince Christian, the new successor to the throne.
“Today the throne is passed on. My hope is to become a unifying king of tomorrow,” Frederik said. His mother, he said, “will be remembered forever as an extraordinary regent.”
Prime Minister Frederiksen expressed “a deepfelt and devoted thanks” to Queen Margrethe on behalf of the nation.
“To be queen and king is a link in a more than thousand-year-long chain. When one steps aside, the next is standing at the ready. And the crown prince that now becomes our monarch is a king that we know, a king that we like, and a king that we trust,” she said.
Britain’s King Charles III congratulated the new king and queen.
“I look forward to working with you on ensuring that the enduring bond between our countries, and our families, remains strong, and to working together with you on issues which matter so much for our countries and the wider world,” he said in his message.
Margrethe, 83, was Europe’s longest-reigning monarch and the world’s last reigning queen.
She said she had been reflecting on “whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation” following a recent surgery on her back and had come to the decision “that now is the right time.”
The queen appeared emotional herself and said “God save the King” after she put down her signature to the Council of State, handed over the throne, and then exited the room.
