Succession of the throne

In her New Year's Address, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II announced that she will step down as the Queen of Denmark on 14 January 2024 and hand over the throne to her son His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik.

HM The Queen's 52-year reign is the longest by a monarch in Danish history. She took on the role of Queen at the age of 31 in 1972 when her father, HM King Frederik IX, passed away. Since then, HM The Queen has been a beloved anchor and a gathering figure for Denmark.

When HM The Queen abdicates at the Council of State on Sunday, 14 January 2024, it will be the first time in nearly 900 years that an abdication has taken place in Denmark, and it will be an extraordinary and historic event.

In Denmark, the tradition up to the present has been that the succession to the throne takes place upon the death of the sovereign, as was the case most recently in 1972. In these instances, the succession occurs the moment the sovereign dies.

The upcoming succession to the throne will be different. This time, the succession will take place during the meeting of the Council of State at the moment The Queen has signed a declaration of her abdication.

HRH The Crown Prince will thus arrive at Christiansborg Palace as a crown prince and leave it as King. Likewise, HRH The Crown Princess will arrive as a crown princess and depart as Queen. HRH Prince Christian will leave Christiansborg Palace as Crown Prince (heir to the throne).

Upon the succession to the throne, the new sovereign takes charge of all of the functions which, according to the constitution, are incumbent on the head of state.

HM The Queen has regularly visited Greece during her reign.