Abdication and accession mark momentous year for Denmark's royals
12/29/2024 03:00 AM
On the eve of 2024, Queen Margrethe announced her abdication and two weeks into the new year, a new king was installed. From there, King Frederik and Queen Mary spent the year cementing their positions and we watched as a reign began.
Here are 10 of the biggest moments of the year for the Danish Royal Family.
Queen Margrethe shocks the world
Traditionally, Danish monarchs share a New Year's broadcast in which they recap the year and share their hopes for the year ahead. On 31 December, Queen Margrethe shocked the world with the announcement that she would abdicate her throne two weeks later in favour of her elder son, Frederik.
In the broadcast, Queen Margrethe said: "In February this year I underwent extensive back surgery. Everything went well, thanks to the competent health personnel, who took care of me. Inevitably, the operation gave cause to thoughts about the future – whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation.
"I have decided that now is the right time. On 14th January, 2024 – 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father – I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I will hand over the throne to my son Crown Prince Frederik."
The end of an historic reign
For Europe's then-longest reigning monarch and the last queen regnant for a generation, her final audience came days before her abdication. On 8 January, Queen Margrethe met with Flemming Kjølstrup Jensen, an employee at Centralvaskeriet Bispebjerg.
King Frederik X of Denmark
On 14 January, Queen Margrethe signed the instruments of abdication and her son ascended as King Frederik X. It was a very emotional moment for mother and son, but celebratory as well, as the new king had Queen Mary at his side. As Crown Prince Christian became first in line, his younger siblings were rewarded with a special honour.
It was overall a very emotional, poignant day in Demark as the new king promised to give his all for his country, and so far, as the first year of his reign comes to a close, it seems to be a promise kept. He chose as his motto, forbunde, forpligtet, for kongeriget Danmark.
Queen Mary takes over Denmark’s Crown Jewels
One of the perks that come with being queen? Access to a set of jewels—the Crown Jewels—that you were previously barred from using. Queen Mary made quick work of utilising the Crown Jewels, appearing with the Emerald Parure for her first official portraits as queen.
But the biggest news came in December, when the Danish Royal Court announced that Queen Mary had transformed 300-year-old diamonds into a new bandeau tiara expressly for her usage. The Danish Diamond Rose Bandeau debuted atop Queen Mary's head at the Egyptian State Banquet earlier this month.
A royal tour of Scandinavia
Keeping with tradition meant that as King Frederik ascended to his throne, an official royal tour of Scandinavia and Greenland and the Faroe Islands would be forthcoming. History dictates that these are always the first countries visited when a new monarch reigns, though King Frederik deviated slightly from this with a quick visit to Poland—arranged when he was still thought that 2024 would see him remain as Crown Prince.
The Danish Royal Court shared that King Frederik and Queen Mary would first travel to Sweden in early May; their visit toNorway would occur in mid-May; and their tours of Greenland and the Faroe Islands would happen over the summer.
Crown Prince Christian moves to a new chapter of his life – and a new continent
At the tail-end of summer the Danish Royal Court announced that Crown Prince Christian would spend the autumn in an undisclosed country in East Africa working on two farms to learn practical and administrative work and gain the skills needed for his future role as king.
The royals viewed Crown Prince Christian's trip as a private matter and no updates were given except for a birthday snap in October and a quick message from the future king at the end of November, where he shared that "Everyday life down here is something completely different than at home. The food, the culture, the climate, the wildlife, the tasks and the people make it an experience I will never forget."
Denmark’s future king announces military service plans
As his time in East Africa came to a close, Crown Prince Christian took to social media to share snaps of his time on the African continent—farm work, conservation and some football with the locals in his town—and to reveal his plans for 2025.
"I am also slowly starting to look forward to returning home to my family in Denmark and celebrating Christmas in a few weeks," Crown Prince Christian wrote. "And so I am looking forward to new challenges! In February I will start my military service at the Guard Hussar Regiment in Slagelse."
The future king joins his counterparts throughout Europe, like Princess Ingrid Alexandra in Norway and Princess Elisabeth in Belgium, in undertaking military training as preparation for his role.
Another hospital stay for Queen Margrethe
In mid-September, Queen Margrethe was hospitalised after a fall at Fredensborg Palace that led to an injury with vertebrae in her neck and a fractured wrist.
The announcement from the Royal Court revealed that "Queen Margrethe is in good spirits and is doing well under the circumstances but will, however, be in recovery for a longer period of time" but that her diary would be cancelled and curtailed for a period of time to allow her to recuperate.
King Frederik commented on his mother's health: "She is well, comfortable and in safe hands at Rigshospitalet. We'll take it day by day, let doctors decide, if any action should be taken."
Queen Margrethe was discharged from the hospital on 20 September and her first royal engagement post-hospitalisation came on 6 November.
A modern monarchy
With the change in throne there were bound to be some changes in how King Frederik and Queen Mary chose to operate. One such change was the announcement that the Danish royals plan to phase out the royal warrant process (the trend didn't make its way to the United Kingdom, if you were wondering).
The reason? Modernising the monarchy. The Royal Court announced: "It is the view of The Royal House of Denmark that a system which implies that individual companies can claim special recognition from The Royal House of Denmark for a number of years is no longer in keeping with the times."
Date night in Paris for Europe’s newest king and queen
All eyes were on Paris this summer, with royals from all over the world arriving for the Summer Olympics and Paralympics. King Frederik and Queen Mary dominated Paris, arriving for all of the precursor events and cheering on the Danes at the opening ceremony and beyond, and they were a constant presencearound the Olympic Village as well. (And for a couple that met at the Sydney Olympics, they of course needed to start off with a romantic selfie!)
And not to be outdone, Crown Prince Christian later showed up for some of the Olympics and later the Paralympics before departing to East Africa for his autumn stint.
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