Copenhagen [Denmark], January 15: Denmark has a new king, who is seen as enthusiastic about contemporary issues such as climate change, contributing to breathing new life into European royal families that are trying to change to continue to survive.
Yesterday, January 14, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark officially abdicated after 52 years on the throne, handing over the throne to her eldest son, crown prince Frederik, who will from now on be King Frederik X. The Danish royal family is not organized. Solemn coronation ceremony with a series of traditional rituals like when King Charles III ascended the throne in England in May 2023. Instead, it was a simple ceremony: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced the new king from the balcony of the parliament building and King Frederik X spoke briefly, according to Reuters.
New king and new era
In her New Year's Eve speech on December 31, 2023, Queen Margrethe II caused surprise when announcing she would abdicate - the first thing that happened in Denmark in nearly 900 years. Ascending the throne in 1972, she became the longest reigning monarch in Europe after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in August 2022. She is also the longest-reigning monarch in Danish history.
Born in 1968, King Frederik While Queen Margrethe II once disappointed scientists by saying she did not believe climate change was directly caused by humans, her son is famous for his interest in environmental issues. , according to The New York Times .
When he was still crown prince, King Frederik He attended United Nations climate conferences and repeatedly spoke and gave interviews on environmental issues, emphasizing the urgency of action and pressuring investors to consider to global warming when using capital.
King Frederik ascended the throne at a time when Danish public support for the royal family was high. According to AFP, the results of public opinion polls show that more than 80% of Danish people support the new king.
Change to survive
According to Euronews , the monarchy still exists in 12 European countries, including kingdoms and principalities. Most countries follow a constitutional monarchy, in which the royal family plays only a ceremonial role and has no real political power.
But Europe's royal families have faced increasing criticism over the years, over their use of taxpayer money as well as a series of scandals. In that context, the royal family tried to adapt, abandoning hundreds of years of tradition.
In 2022, Queen Margrethe II stripped four of her eight grandchildren of their royal titles to reduce the size of the royal family and "protect the future" of the Danish monarchy, according to CNN. Previously, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden did the same with his five grandchildren.
According to DW Radio, the Danish queen proactively abdicating the throne to her children continues the trend taking place in European royal families (except England). In the Netherlands, it is now customary for older monarchs to hand over to the younger generation: Queen Beatrix abdicated in 2013, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother. King Albert II of Belgium and King Juan Carlos I of Spain also proactively abdicated the throne to their eldest son.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper