It begins! Danish royal abdication kicks off

Queen Margrethe’s abdication has kicked off as Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary – together with their son Prince Christian – have begun to make their technique to Christiansborg Castle.

A procession of automobiles set off with the royals setting off in a 1958 Rolls-Royce from Amalienborg.

Margrethe II adopted in a carriage, waving at delighted crowds as she left from Christian IX’s Palace.

Both will cross by Frederiksgade, Bredgade, Kongens Nytorv, Holmens Canal and Prince Jørgen’s Courtyard on the best way.

At 2pm, there can be a Council of State at Christiansborg Palace, which Margrethe, Frederik, and Christian will participate in along with the Government and the Council of State secretary.

This is the place the succession of the throne will occur, as Her Majesty The Queen will signal a declaration of her abdication. 

Margrethe will then make her approach again to Amalienborg, whereas Frederik and Mary will maintain a proper reception for specifically invited company.

At 3pm, the couple will make a balcony look at Christiansborg Palace. The Prime Minister will then proclaim the King’s accession to the throne.

After this, the newly topped monarch will then communicate and conclude with the motto.

It can be adopted by an honourary cannon salute from the Sixtus Battery – a heritage web site on Holmen, Copenhagen – and the Royal Standard will then be lowered at Christian IX’s Palace (Margrethe’s residence) and reraised at Frederik VIII’s Palace, the place the brand new King and Queen are based mostly.

Frederik and Mary will take a carriage from Christiansborg Palace again to Amalienborg, which can be escorted by a mounted squadron. 

At 5pm, there may even be a switch of the royal colors from Christian IX’s Palace to Frederik VIII’s Palace.

Speaking to FEMAIL, physique language knowledgeable Adrianne Carter mentioned there have been ‘no indicators of nervousness’ from Magrethe as she beamed at delighted crowds from her carriage – and waved.

‘Genuine smiles from the Queen within the carriage,’ she defined.

‘Full beaming smiles, she’s having fun with seeing so many individuals in attendance.’

Copenhagen’s streets had been lined to the brim as at the moment’s festivities kicked off within the morning. 

A stay broadcast from regional channel DR1 reveals troopers marching up and down the streets as excited crowds have lined up, donning plastic crowds, Danish flag and numerous regalia to have fun the low-key ceremony.

Photos from the occasion additionally present safety making checks on the balcony of Christiansborg Castle, with solely hours to go earlier than Queen Margrethe II’s abdication – which she introduced on New Year’s Eve.

Stable keepers have additionally been readying the horses within the royal stables of Christiansborg Palace this morning.

And earlier at the moment, troopers from the Danish Guard Hussar regiment seemed to be training for at the moment’s occasions.

Elsewhere, excited royal followers in Copenhagen have been queueing to purchase desserts embellished with a seal of the quickly to be topped King Frederik X, displayed within the window of the well-known confectionery store La Glace.

And the celebrations started as early as final evening as Margrethe was seen listening to the general public sing to her in Copenhagen on the eve of her abdication. 

The royal, 83, has dominated Denmark for greater than 52 years and have become Europe’s longest-reigning monarch after Queen Elizabeth II handed away in September 2022. 

The monarch delivered the information throughout her conventional New Year’s Eve speech.

The ceremony will occur at the moment, the place she is going to switch energy of the throne to her 55-year-old son, Crown Prince Frederik and his Australian-born spouse Mary, 51.

Danish royalists took to the streets of Copenhagen this weekend and waved pink and white flags to honour their beloved Queen Margrethe – and this morning, wellwishers have already began to arrange exterior Christiansborg Palace Square.

A video posted on X, previously often called Twitter, captured the general public singing to Margrethe exterior Amalienborg, Margrethe’s winter residence final evening.

One of the home windows to the palace was left extensive open, in order that she may hear those that got here to sing to her. 

The Queen, recognized for her chain-smoking and flamboyant type – was seen on the clip strolling round her residence and peering out on the crowd. 

Margrethe, who prior to now had mentioned she would stay on the throne for all times, didn’t give a precise motive for her determination to step down.

However, she mentioned {that a} main again surgical procedure she underwent in February final 12 months had made her contemplate her future.

‘The surgical procedure naturally gave rise to excited about the longer term – whether or not the time had come to depart the duty to the subsequent technology,’ she mentioned in her speech.

‘I’ve determined that now could be the correct time. On January 14, 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I’ll step down as Queen of Denmark.

‘I go away the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.’

And at the moment will see Denmark welcome the Crown Prince and Princess as their new King and Queen.

Wellwishers with folding chairs donning Danish flags have already began to excitedly line the streets in preparation for this afternoon’s occasions. 

The historic event is bound to be an thrilling occasion for the nation – however is about to be a way more stripped down transferrence of energy in comparison with King Charles’s ornate Coronation in May.

Queen Margrethe, who took to the throne in 1972, has turn into the primary Danish monarch in practically 900 years to relinquish the throne.

However, throughout an interview in 2016, she expressed a distinct opinion.

She mentioned: ‘It’s at all times been: you keep so long as you reside. That’s what my father did and my predecessors. And the best way I see it too.’ 

‘It might be that she thinks Prince Frederik is ready to take over now,’ mentioned Lars Hovbakke Sorensen, a historian and affiliate professor at University College Absalon in Denmark.

‘He’s 55, and perhaps the queen wished to keep away from a scenario the place you’d have a really, very previous king, as you noticed with Prince Charles.’ 

The new Danish royal couple will take the throne at a time of big public assist and enthusiasm for the monarchy.

The most up-to-date survey, which was performed after the queen introduced she would abdicate, indicated that 82 per cent of Danes anticipate Frederik to do properly or very properly in his new position, whereas 86 per cent mentioned the identical about Mary.

‘The royal household means every little thing that’s Danish. It’s fairytales and traditions,’ mentioned Anna Karina Laursen, 59, a nod to the nation’s well-known fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen.

The Amalienborg complicated, constructed within the 1750s, is positioned in central Copenhagen and consists of 4 palaces constructed round an octagonal courtyard. 

It is residence to each the outgoing queen and the brand new reigning couple.

However, a royal knowledgeable mentioned that the Danish Queen broke an ‘invisible pact’ between Scandinavian monarchs to by no means abdicate.

Roger Lundberg advised STV that, after Denmark’s changeover, there’s a probability King Harald of Norway, 86, and King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, 79, may comply with go well with and step down to permit their eldest youngsters to take the throne.

New Danish royal titles and line of succession

CROWN PRINCE FREDERIK WILL BECOME KING     

Frederick, 55, previously often called Crown Prince Frederick – is about to turn into His Majesty King Frederick X.

Her Majesty The Queen will proceed to be often called Her Majesty and bear the title HM Queen Margrethe. 

CROWN PRINCESS MARY WILL BECOME QUEEN 

Meanwhile, his spouse Crown Princess Mary – who’s extremely popular with the Danish public because of her dedication to royal obligation and dedication to studying the language – will turn into Queen Consort. 

She can be set to turn into the nation’s first Australian-born queen.

The couple, who met in a bar in 2000 in the course of the Olympics in Sydney, share 4 youngsters, who every occupy the subsequent areas within the line of succession.

PRINCE CHRISTIAN WILL BECOME CROWN PRINCE 

Their son Prince Christian will turn into the subsequent in line to the Danish throne at simply 18.

His title will change to Crown Prince Christian as he would be the inheritor obvious. 

He might need to act as head of state when his father is in a foreign country. 

Princess Mary, Frederik’s brother Joachim, and Princess Benedikte are capable of take over as head of state ought to Christian be too busy – nonetheless he will definitely be required to tackle extra official duties. 

Christian is also known as the ‘most eligible bachelor in Europe’ and his new title will solely elevate that standing much more.