By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@APPhoto.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark used her New Year’s address on Sunday to unexpectedly announce her abdication on live television.
Margrethe II will formally step down on 14 January – exactly 52 years to the day of her ascension to the throne in 1972.
The 83-year-old monarch will be succeeded by her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik – who will become Frederik X.
With her voice cracking, she said: “I have decided that now is the right time. On 14 January – 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father – I will step down as queen of Denmark
“I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik,” she said.
Margrethe – the eldest child of Denmark’s former monarch King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid – succeeded her father following his death on 14 January 1972.
She became Europe’s current longest-serving monarch following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.
She is also the world’s only queen regnant – as opposed to a queen consort or queen regent who shares her spouse’s title.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen thanked the queen for her service. “On behalf of the entire population, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Her Majesty The Queen for her lifelong dedication and tireless efforts for the Kingdom,” Frederiksen said in a statement.