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Queen Margrethe is currently Europe’s longest-reigning monarch, having been on the Danish throne for 52 years.
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Queen Margrethe, Europe’s longest-reigning monarch, rode in a gilded, horse-drawn carriage into the Danish capital on Thursday as she celebrated her final New Year’s Eve before abdicating at the end of the month.
This is expected to be his last public appearance before leaving office.
Thousands of people braved Copenhagen’s freezing temperatures, high winds, snow and hail to cheer on the popular queen along the way.
She is going to step down on January 14 after being on the throne for 52 years.
The 83-year-old Queen will hand over the throne to her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederick. It is the first such resignation in Europe’s oldest ruling monarchy in nearly 900 years.
Margrethe was riding in the gold coach – pulled by six white horses – used when the king rode from the royal residence at Amalienborg Palace to Christiansborg Palace during traditional New Year celebrations with officers of the armed forces and others .
The Emperor wore a fur coat and white gloves in a 19th-century closed coach covered with 24-karat gold leaf and four gold crowns mounted on the roof. It was escorted by members of the Hussar Regiment in blue uniforms with red jackets.
Earlier this week, Queen Margrethe held a series of events to greet the Danish government, parliament, top civilian and military officials and foreign diplomats.
Christiansborg Palace, which is used for official royal events including grand banquets and public audiences, also houses the Danish Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark. It is situated a little more than half a mile from Amalienborg.
The queen will sign her formal abdication at a Council of State on Jan. 14 — a meeting with the Danish government — making Frederick, 55, and his Australian-born wife Mary, 51, king and queen of Denmark.
Although in many European countries monarchs have abdicated to allow younger royals to take power, Denmark has no such tradition.
Over the years, Margaret has insisted that she will not leave her job.
However, his health has changed this.
In her annual televised New Year address on 31 December, Margrethe said she was “thinking about the future” following back surgery in early 2023 and was also considering when to hand over the responsibilities of the crown to her son.
“I’ve decided now is the right time,” he said.
When she succeeded her late father, King Frederick IX, to the throne in 1972, only 42% of Danes supported the monarchy. She has been very popular; The most recent poll shows that 84% of Danes support it highly or somewhat.
Source: www.euronews.com
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