next King Denmark: Crown Prince Frederik - Baltic News Network

"Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announces abdication in favor of her son, Crown Prince Frederik, who will become the new king."

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has made the surprising announcement that she will abdicate the throne on January 14th, exactly 52 years after taking the throne, and hand it over to her son Crown Prince Frederik on January 1st, reports the BBC.

Crown Prince Frederik, 55, was known as a party prince in the early 1990s, but his image changed after he graduated from Aarhus University in 1995 with a master's degree in political science, becoming the first member of the Danish royal family to have a university degree.

He has served in the Danish navy and has a passion for adventure, participating in a four-month skiing expedition in Greenland in 2000. Despite his royal status, he wants to maintain his authentic, adventurous identity and has no desire to be confined to living in the palace even after ascending the throne.

Crown Prince Frederik is known for his passion for the environment and has promised to guide Denmark into the future.

His wife, Australian-born Princess Mary, met him in 2000 while working as a lawyer in Sydney during the Olympic Games. They prioritize a normal lifestyle for their four children, who attend state schools despite their royal status.

When he becomes king, there will be no official coronation ceremony, and he will be announced as king from Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen. He will become King and Head of State of Denmark and Head of State of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Queen Margrethe II is the world's only reigning queen and the longest-reigning monarch in Europe. She ascended the throne in 1972 after the death of her father, King Frederick IX.

The 83-year-old queen cited her back surgery in early 2023 as a reason for her decision to abdicate, stating that "it is time to leave the responsibility to the next generation," according to the BBC.