Danish Queen Margrethe II announces her abdication

Denmark's Queen Margrethe II intends to abdicate on January 14, the 83-year-old said on Sunday in her televised New Year's address.

The resignation coincides with her 52nd anniversary on the throne.

In her annual speech, which is always closely followed by the Danes, Margrethe referred to her back operation this year. The operation had gone well thanks to health staff, but had made her think about her future as queen.

During her rehabilitation, she cancelled numerous appointments or was represented by her son Crown Prince Frederik, 55, and his wife Mary, 51. Her eldest son - heir to the throne for so long - is already attending appointments that the queen used to do herself.

Frederik's eldest son Prince Christian, 18, has also recently been authorized to officially represent the queen.

Margrethe will hand the throne on to her son Frederik, she said. Above all, she wanted to say thank you for the warmth and support she had received over the years, added the monarch.

The world's longest-serving living monarch began her speech with comments on the Gaza and Ukraine wars, after which she addressed the climate crisis and artificial intelligence.

After greeting the people of the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are part of the Danish kingdom, she dropped the bombshell news, which was described in the Danish media as "absolutely historic."

The onlookers who had gathered in the square in front of Amalienborg Palace broke into spontaneous applause after the announcement.

Margrethe had always stressed that she wanted to remain on the throne until her death - until she came up with the big surprise in Sunday's speech.

Margrethe's move is considered extremely unusual and historic. Since the introduction of the hereditary monarchy in 1660, there has never been a monarch who has voluntarily abdicated the throne, history professor Lars Hovbakke Sørensen from the University of Absalon told the Ritzau Danish news agency.

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen praised Margrethe as the "epitome of Denmark," who over the years has found words and feelings for who the Danes are as a people and as a nation.

The soon to be former queen was born Margrethe Alexandrine Thórhildur Ingrid on April 16, 1940. Her father, King Frederik IX, only had the line of succession to the throne changed in 1953 when it became clear that he would have no male offspring.

Margrethe inherited the throne after the death of Frederik on January 14, 1972.

Her motto was "God's help, the people's love, Denmark's strength." As Margrethe II, she was Denmark's first female monarch in 500 years.

The always radiant - and often seen smoking - monarch is popular with the people, and her New Year's Eve speeches have cult status.

She is extremely creative and interested in art, is considered pragmatic and sometimes a little unconventional. Since the death of Britain's queen Elizabeth II, whose third cousin she was, Margrethe has been the longest-serving monarch in the world.

It was also her love of art that united her with her husband, the French Count Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat, later known as prince Henrik. They met in London, where he was working at the embassy. They married in 1967.

Crown Prince Frederik was born in 1968 and Prince Joachim a year later. Henrik died in February 2018 - after more than 50 years of marriage.

Like his mother, Frederik is popular with his fellow countrymen. Frederik is also known for his sporting fervour: he ran various marathons, completed an Ironman and launched the Royal Run event for his 50th birthday.

In his mid-20s, he underwent tough military training to become a combat swimmer in the navy. His wife, Crown Princess Mary, and he are considered a well-rehearsed team. The couple have four children: Christian, 18, Isabella, 16, and twins Vincent and Josephine, 12.