COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Thousands of people will gather Sunday to witness a historic moment in the city of Copenhagen, one of the world's oldest monarchies.
At around 2pm (1300 GMT), Queen Margrethe II will sign with her Renunciation In a meeting with the Danish cabinet following five decades of service. About an hour later, his 55-year-old son and crown prince, Frederik X, will be crowned king on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in the center of the Danish capital.
Margrethe, 83, is the first Danish monarch to voluntarily abdicate in nearly 900 years.
Margaret, citing health issues Announced on New Year's Day As is the tradition of the Danish monarchy, she will abdicate, stunning a nation that had expected her to live out her days on the throne.
Margrethe graduated with a major Repeat surgery He did not return to work until last February.
Even Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was unaware of the Queen's intentions until before the announcement. Margrethe had informed Frederick and his younger brother Joachim three days earlier, the Berlingske newspaper wrote, citing the royal palace.
“The Queen is here, she has been on the throne for over 50 years. And he's a very respected and famous person, so people didn't expect this, they were in shock,” said Danish royalist Thomas Larsen.
The last Danish king to abdicate voluntarily was King Eric III Lam in 1146 to enter a monastery. Margrethe would abdicate on the same day she ascended the throne following the death of her father, Frederick IX.
Denmark's monarchy, which traces its origins to the 10th-century Viking King Gorm the Old, is the oldest in Europe and one of the oldest in the world. Royal duties today are largely ceremonial.
People began to gather outside parliament early Sunday morning, and the streets of Copenhagen's main shopping street, the pedestrianized Strøget, were already decorated with red-and-white Danish flags. Many shops hung photographs of the Queen and the future King. Local media reported that hundreds of people from all over the country were traveling to the Danish capital, while others were following the live television broadcast to witness the monumental event.
City buses were decorated with miniature replicas of the Danish flag, which is customary during royal events.
Unlike in England, there is no coronation in Denmark. The Prime Minister will formally announce King Frederick from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace, which houses government offices, parliament and the Supreme Court as well as the Royal Stables and Royal Reception Rooms. Thousands of Danes are expected to witness the announcement from the square below.
The abdication would leave Denmark with two queens: Margrethe would keep her title during Frederick's. The Australian-born wife would become Queen Mary. Frederick and Mary's eldest son Christian, 18, is the crown prince and heir to the throne.
The new king and queen will leave Christiansborg Palace in a horse-drawn coach and return to Amalienborg, the royal residence in a separate building where Margrethe lives. The royal standard will be lowered in Margrethe's house and raised in the building where Frederick and Mary live.
The four guns in Copenhagen harbor will fire 27 rounds three times in succession. In the afternoon, Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens amusement park plans to celebrate the new king and queen with the largest fireworks display in the park's 180-year history.
