Crown Prince Frederik, the popular 55-year-old who will become king of Denmark today in Copenhagen, must find the right balance between renewing the royal family’s bond with a new generation of Danes while maintaining the relevance of the 1,000-year-old monarchy. And being himself. He has had two weeks to gather his thoughts, after his 83-year-old mother shocked the nation in her New Year address.
At 6pm on 31 December, it is the norm in Denmark to watch Queen Margrethe II’s speech with friends and family while toasting with some bubbly. Such is the esteem in which the queen is held, the prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, in her own new year speech, declared that the monarch had converted her from a republican to a royalist. The audience for the queen’s new year address regularly surpasses 2 million and in 2021, more than 3.3 million Danes watched her speech – almost 60 per cent of the population.
The bookmakers offer odds on which words she will use in the speech. Yet few would have guessed the key word of the latest speech: abdication. No one knew; even Crown Prince Frederik was only told a few days in advance. The Danes couldn’t believe their ears. Queen Margrethe once said: “They will have to carry me out, feet first.” For a thousand years, the reigning monarch of Europe’s oldest monarchy has not left their throne alive. But Queen Margrethe said back surgery at the start of 2023 had brought a period of reflection.
This story is from the January 14, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the January 14, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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