The Queen of Denmark unexpectedly announced her abdication of the throne: she followed Yeltsin’s path

Margrethe II will leave the throne to her son Frederick

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, quite in the spirit of Yeltsin’s New Year’s resignation, announced shortly before the New Year that she was going to abdicate after 52 years on the throne.

Announcing the surprise news to the nation in her New Year’s speech, Queen Margrethe II said she would step down on January 14, the 52nd anniversary of her accession to the throne, leaving the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik.

Queen Margrethe, who will continue to bear the title “Her Majesty”, became queen on January 14, 1972 after the death of her father, King Frederick IX, The Guardian recalls.

In a speech given at Christian IX’s palace in Amalienborg, the queen said: “I have decided that now is the right time. January 14, 2024, 52 years after I took over [на троне] my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.”

Back surgery in February forced her to reconsider her situation and wonder “whether it’s time to pass the responsibility on to the next generation.”

“Time is running out, and the troubles are becoming more and more. You can no longer overcome the same problems as before,” said the Danish queen.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen thanked the Queen for her service. “On behalf of the entire population, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Her Majesty the Queen for her lifelong dedication and tireless efforts for the good of the kingdom,” she said.

“Although the duties and position of regent have been passed down through generations for over 1,000 years, it is still difficult to understand that now is the time for a change of throne.

“Many of us have never known another ruler. Queen Margrethe embodies Denmark and has for many years put her words and feelings into who we are as a people and a nation.

“In the new year, Crown Prince Frederik will be proclaimed king. Crown Princess Mary will become queen. The kingdom will have a new regent and a new royal couple. We can look forward to all of this knowing that they are ready for the responsibility and the task.”

Australian-born Mary Donaldson became Crown Princess of Denmark in 2004 following her marriage to Crown Prince Frederik. She grew up in Tasmania, eventually moving to Sydney where she met Frederick during the 2000 Olympics. She moved to Copenhagen in 2002 before the couple married two years later.

According to The Guardian, Queen Margrethe was of “undeniable importance” to Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, notes Mette Frederiksen, for which she is recognized “with equal parts gratitude and admiration.”

Margrethe II was one of the most popular public figures in Denmark. She often walked the streets of Copenhagen virtually unaccompanied and won the admiration of the Danes for her warm manners and talents as a linguist and designer.

An avid skier, she was a princess in the women’s unit of the Danish Air Force and participated in judo courses and snow endurance tests. She remained resilient even as she got older. In 2011, aged 70, she visited Danish troops in southern Afghanistan, wearing military overalls.

As monarch, she traveled throughout the country and regularly visited Greenland and the Faroe Islands, two semi-independent territories that formed part of the Danish kingdom, and was greeted by cheering crowds everywhere.