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Denmark’s King Frederik X takes throne after his mother Queen Margrethe II abdicates

  • Queen Margrethe says tearfully ‘God bless the king’ after she signed a declaration of abdication
  • A crowd of more than 100,000 Danes turn out to attend the unprecedented royal event

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Denmark’s King Frederik X and Denmark’s Queen Mary wave from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen on January 14. Photo: AP
Agence France-Presse

Denmark turned a page in its history on Sunday as Queen Margrethe II abdicated the throne and her son became King Frederik X, with more than 100,000 Danes turning out for the unprecedented event.

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After a final procession in a horse-drawn carriage through the streets of Copenhagen, the hugely popular 83-year-old queen signed a declaration of abdication at Christiansborg Palace – a first in 900 years in Denmark – ending her 52-year reign and automatically making her 55-year-old son monarch.

Margrethe then left the Council of State, also attended by the government, the new king, his wife Queen Mary and their 18-year-old eldest son, the new Crown Prince Christian.

Margrethe left the room with tears in her eyes, saying: “God bless the king.”

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark signs a declaration of abdication as Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark becomes King Frederik X of Denmark in the Council of State at the Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen on January 14. Photo: AFP
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark signs a declaration of abdication as Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark becomes King Frederik X of Denmark in the Council of State at the Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen on January 14. Photo: AFP

Denmark, one of the oldest monarchies in the world, does not have a coronation but there were still moments of pomp in the day’s events.

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After the abdication, the new monarch was proclaimed king by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on the balcony of the parliament building, Christiansborg castle, with the words: “Long live his majesty King Frederik the 10th.”

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