Following his mother Queen Margrethe II’s abdication, Denmark’s King Frederik X assumed the throne. He waved to the thousands of people assembled in the country’s capital, Copenhagen, to commemorate the beginning of a new era, looking visibly sad.
His mother Margrethe was the only monarch many Danes had ever known. However, her unexpected abdication following over fifty years in the kingdom made room for her son, the erstwhile Crown Prince Frederik, to take the throne in her place.
After 52 years in the throne, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, who has been the longest-serving monarch in Europe, will step down on Sunday. The eldest son of the 83-year-old queen, Crown Prince Frederik, will take the throne from her after she asscended in 1972.
Frederik, the Crown Prince, will adopt the name Frederik X. The unexpected revelation was revealed by Queen Margrethe II live on television during her customary New Year’s Eve statement.
Now, the 55-year-old will ascend to the throne accompanied by Denmark’s soon-to-be queen Mary, a former marketing and advertising director who was born in Australia.