NEW KING AND QUEEN. Denmark's King Frederik X and Denmark's Queen Mary wave from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark. They were declared new king and queen after the abdication of Queen Margarethe II after 52 years on the throne. (TASS)
STOCKHOLM – Denmark's longest reigning monarch, Queen Margarethe II, has officially stepped down after 52 years on the throne.
The 83-year-old queen signed the official declaration of her abdication in favor of her 55-year-old son, Prince Frederik X, at the Christiansborg Palace.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared Frederik X and Australian-born Princess Mary King and Queen of Denmark.
The queen stunned the nation when she announced on New Year's Eve her decision to step down and pass the throne to her son.
She is the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to have voluntarily relinquished the throne.
The abdication violates the country’s centuries-long tradition that the ruling monarch could only leave the throne when he or she dies.
However, 81 percent of the country’s residents believed her decision was right, and only four percent disagreed with it. (TASS)
