Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia and her sister Dowager Queen Alexandra of United Kingdom

 Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia and her sister Dowager Queen Alexandra of United Kingdom (consorts of Emperor Alexander III of Russia and King Edward VII of United Kingdom) in their house in   Hvidovre, Denmark, ca. 1910. 

Four generations

 Four generations: Queen Louise of Denmark (born Princess of Hesse-Kassel) with her eldest daughter Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom (consort of King Edward VII, at the time of taking the picture she was the Princess of Wales) and Alexandra’s eldest daughter Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife. Queen Louise is holding Princess Louise’s eldest daughter Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, 1893

Denmark's Queen Margrethe II announces surprise abdication on live TV

Denmark's Queen Margrethe II, Europe's longest-serving monarch, will abdicate on Jan. 14 after 52 years on the throne and will be succeeded by her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik, she announced on Sunday.

The 83-year-old queen, who ascended the throne in 1972, made the surprise announcement on live TV during her traditional New Year's Eve speech, which is viewed by many in the country of 5.9 million people.

Referring to a successful back operation she underwent in February, she said, "The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future - whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation".

"I have decided that now is the right time. On 14 January 2024 – 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father – I will step down as queen of Denmark," she said.

"I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik," she said.

 

The queen became the longest-serving monarch in Europe following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. In July, she became the longest-sitting monarch in Denmark's history.

In Denmark, formal power resides with the elected parliament and its government. The monarch is expected to stay above partisan politics, representing the nation with traditional duties ranging from state visits to national day celebrations.

Margrethe II of Denmark

 Margrethe II (born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark and commander-in-chief of the Danish Defence.

Born into the House of Glücksburg, Margrethe is the eldest child of Frederick IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden. She became heir presumptive to her father in 1953, when a constitutional amendment allowed women to inherit the throne. Margrethe succeeded her father upon his death on 14 January 1972. On her accession, she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margrethe I, ruler of the Scandinavian kingdoms in 1375–1412 during the Kalmar Union. In 1967, she married Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, with whom she had two sons: Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim.

Margrethe is known for her strong archaeological passion and has participated in several excavations, including in Italy, Egypt, Denmark and South America. She shared this interest with her late grandfather Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, with whom she spent some time unearthing artefacts near Etruria in 1962.

As of 2021, Margrethe has, as sovereign, received 42 official state visits and she has undertaken 54 foreign state visits herself. In addition to this, the Queen and the royal family have made several other foreign visits. Support for the monarchy in Denmark has been and remains consistently high at around 82%, as does Margrethe's personal popularity.

Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia, née Princess Dagmar of Denmark (1864).

 

Crown Princess Mary, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent, and Princess Josephine

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

HM Margrethe II Queen of Denmark

The Danish Crown Princes' Family

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, pictured with their four children, Prince Christian,Prince Vincent, Princess Josephine and Princess Isabella, are celebrating their ten-year wedding anniversary on May 14th

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark