On January 14, 2024, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark officially abdicated, passing the baton to her son, who assumes the title of King Frederik X and becomes king and head of state of Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. The event attracted more than a hundred thousand people, as evidenced by television pictures documenting the solemn ceremony.

The queen, at the age of 83, formalized her renunciation of the throne by signing the declaration of abdication during a ceremony at the Council of State, located in Christiansborg Palace. During this significant moment, her 55-year-old son was seated at her side, preparing to assume the role of ruler.

She is the first Danish monarch to voluntarily renounce the throne.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla crowned in Westminster Abbey

The crowd present to witness the event expressed their affection and respect for the outgoing queen. Among the participants, a special gesture emerged in the form of a small kangaroo-shaped puppet in honor of the new Queen Mary, born Mary Elizabeth Donaldson in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, into a middle-class family with no noble origins and who became the first Australian queen. As she declared herself, she had never thought of becoming queen until one day during the 2000 Sydney Olympics she met Frederik in a city pub who only later revealed her noble status to her.

The newly crowned King and the new Queen have four children: Crown Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent, and Princess Josephine.

Queen Margrethe’s abdication and King Frederik X’s accession to the throne mark a significant chapter in the history of the Danish monarchy, arousing excitement and attention from a large section of the population.