COPENHAGEN – Hundreds of individuals gathered Sunday in downtown Copenhagen to witness a Royal succession in one of many world’s oldest monarchies.

Round 2 p.m. (1300 GMT), Queen Margrethe II will signal her abdication at a gathering with the Danish Cupboard following over 5 many years of service. About an hour later, her 55-year-old son and crown prince Frederik might be proclaimed king earlier than the folks on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace within the coronary heart of the Danish capital.

Margrethe, 83, will turn into the primary Danish monarch to voluntarily relinquish the throne in almost 900 years.

Because the second neared, Margrethe left her residence for the Christiansborg Palace in a horse-drawn coach escorted by members of the Hussar Regiment in blue uniforms with pink jackets on horses. There she is ready to formally signal her abdication.

Her son and his spouse, Crown Princess Mary, additionally left for the palace in a limousine. Later the royal commonplace might be lowered on Margrethe’s dwelling and raised on the constructing the place Frederik and Mary dwell.

Citing well being points, Margrethe announced on New Year’s Eve that she would step down, beautiful a nation that had anticipated her to dwell out her days on the throne, as is custom within the Danish monarchy. Margrethe underwent main back surgery final February and didn’t return to work till April.

Even Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was unaware of the queen’s intentions till proper earlier than the announcement. Margrethe had knowledgeable Frederik and his youthful brother Joachim simply three days earlier, the Berlingske newspaper wrote, citing the royal palace.

The abdication will depart Denmark with two queens: Margrethe will preserve her title whereas Frederik’s Australian-born wife will become Queen Mary. Frederik and Mary’s eldest son Christian, 18, will turn into crown prince and inheritor to the throne.

Individuals from throughout Denmark gathered outdoors parliament, with many swarming streets adorned with the pink and white Danish flags. A number of outlets hung pictures of the queen and king-to-be, whereas metropolis buses had been adorned with smaller Danish flags as is customary throughout royal occasions. Many others throughout the dominion of almost 6 million folks adopted a dwell TV broadcast of the historic occasion.

The royal guards’ music band made their every day parade by way of downtown Copenhagen however wore pink jackets, as a substitute of their common black, to mark main occasions.

Copenhagen resident Rene Jensen, sporting a reproduction of a royal gown and a bejeweled purple crown on his head, stated he expects Frederik to be “a king for the nation, representing us everywhere.”

The final time a Danish monarch voluntarily resigned was in 1146 when King Erik III Lam stepped right down to enter a monastery. Margrethe might be abdicating on the identical day she ascended the throne following the demise of her father, King Frederik IX.

Denmark’s monarchy traces its origins to Tenth-century Viking king Gorm the Previous, making it the oldest in Europe and one of many oldest on this planet. At this time the royal household’s duties are largely ceremonial.

Australians additionally turned out on the streets of Copenhagen to rejoice certainly one of their very own turning into queen.

“I think it’s good that she’s not from royalty and has a normal Australian background. We can relate more to that because she’s from a middle-class background, and we are too,” stated Judy Langtree, who made the lengthy journey from Brisbane together with her daughter to witness the royal occasion.

Not like within the UK, there isn’t a coronation ceremony in Denmark. The prime minister will formally proclaim Frederik king from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace, which homes authorities workplaces, Parliament and the Supreme Courtroom in addition to the Royal Stables and Royal Reception Rooms.

4 weapons on the Copenhagen harbor will fireplace 3 times 27 rounds to mark the succession. Within the late afternoon, Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens amusement park plans to rejoice the brand new king and queen with the largest fireworks present within the park’s 180-year historical past.

A survey — commissioned by Denmark’s public broadcaster DR — printed Friday confirmed that 79% of the 1,037 folks polled by the Epinion polling institute stated that they believed Frederik was ready to take the reigns and 83% stated they thought his spouse Mary was able to turn into queen. The survey margin of error was 3 share factors, DR stated.

___

Related Press journalist Aleksandar Furtula in Copenhagen, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2024 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials might not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.