Crowds gather in Copenhagen as Queen Margrethe abdicates

The Guardian reports that thousands expected on the streets of the Danish capital to see the monarch hand over to Crown Prince Fredrik. Caliber.Az reprints the article.

Thousands of people have gathered on the streets of Copenhagen to bid farewell to Queen Margrethe II, Denmark’s longest-serving monarch, as she prepares to hand over the role to her son Crown Prince Frederik.

The queen’s abdication comes two weeks after a surprise announcement in her New Year’s Eve speech that left much of the country reeling. Even Denmark’s Social Democrat prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, previously not considered a royalist, has said the queen’s handling of the role has converted her.

Coachloads of people from around the country were expected to arrive in the capital as well as visitors from around the world for the once-in-a-generation event and many of the city’s hotels are fully booked.

Margrethe, who is standing down after 52 years on the throne, is the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to abdicate voluntarily.

Official proceedings will begin at 1.35pm (1235 GMT) when the new royal couple, Frederik and Mary, leave Amalienborg – the royal family’s official residence, formed of four different palaces – and are driven to Christiansborg Palace, the home of the Danish parliament.

The route will travel through central Copenhagen – along Frederiksgade, Bredgade, Kongens Nytorv, Holmens Kanal to Prins Jørgens Gård – where crowds are expected to gather to greet the couple. They will be closely followed by the queen, who will ride in a coach along the same route from Amalienborg to Christiansborg escorted by the Guard Hussar Regiment’s horse squadron.

According to protocol, there will be no coronation ceremony – Denmark has not had once since the introduction of the constitution in 1849 – but the succession will officially take place at approximately 2pm Danish time at Christiansborg Palace, when the queen signs a declaration of her abdication.

At 2.15pm, Margrethe will leave for Amalienborg, while the new king and queen will hold an event for specially invited guests at Christiansborg.

At 3pm, Frederik will step out onto the balcony of Christiansborg and Frederiksen will proclaim him the new king to the crowds gathered below, after which he is expected to say a few words.

This will be followed by a salute of honour and 27 shots fired three times from Holmen, a collection of islands in the capital. The royal flag on Christian IX’s palace will be taken down and raised on Frederik VIII’s palace at Amalienborg.

Finally, at 3.30pm, the royal couple will ride by carriage escorted by Guardhussar Regiment’s Horse Squadron to Amalienborg where they are expected to be greeted by crowds lining the streets.

Among those to send their good wishes to the outgoing queen was her cousin Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf, who wrote on the Swedish royal family’s Instagram page: “Your Majesty, dear Cousin Daisy! When you step down today from your high office as Queen of Denmark, I want to say a warm thank you for the good cooperation over the years.”

Frederik and Mary, who is Australian and met her husband, with whom she has four children, at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, are assuming the role at a time when themselves and the Danish monarchy have high approval ratings, according to polls.

The day is not expected to pass without protests. The anti-monarchy group Republik Nu (Republic Now), which says it has received a surge of support since the abdication announcement, is planning to unveil a protest banner at the proclamation of the new king.

The group’s chair, Mads Rundstrøm, said he was inspired by the anti-monarchy protests in Britain during the coronation of King Charles.

“This is the perfect time for us as a nation to take a break and say: ‘Hey, is this what we really want?’ To reflect on what direction we want the country to go in,” he told the Observer. “The proclamation of a new king is a perfect way to shine a spotlight. Just like they did in the UK with [the chants of] ‘not my king’.”