Denmark's Queen Margrethe II announces surprise abdication after 52-year reign

Europe's longest-serving monarch Queen Margrethe II of Denmark surprised her nation on Sunday by announcing her abdication, saying she would pass the baton to her son.

During her traditional New Year's Eve speech, the popular queen told viewers that she would step down on January 14. The 83-year-old pointed to her age and health issues as reasons for the unexpected decision.

"In two weeks' time, I will have been Queen of Denmark for 52 years," Margrethe said, adding that such a long reign could take its toll on anyone.

"One cannot undertake as much as one managed in the past," she added.

Her son Crown Prince Frederik is set to become King in her place. The January 14 date carries a special significance, as it was on this day in 1972 that Margrethe's father King Frederik IX passed away, leaving the throne to her.

Back surgery prompted change of heart

The monarch had previously said she would never abdicate, but after having a successful operation on her back in February, she wondered "whether the time had now come to pass on the responsibility to the next generation."

Margrethe has been Europe's only reigning queen after the death of Britain's Elizabeth II in September 2022.

In July, she became the longest-sitting monarch in Denmark's history.

She has enjoyed broad support from Danes and has been hailed for subtly modernizing the royal family in her half-century on the throne, while also staying out of politics.

In Denmark, the monarch represents the nation with many traditional duties, ranging from state visits to national day celebrations.

Tribute paid by PM Frederiksen

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen thanked the queen for her life-long dedication to duty:

"It is still difficult to understand that the time has now come for a change of throne," Frederiksen said in a statement. She added that many Danes had never known another monarch.

"Queen Margrethe is the epitome of Denmark and throughout the years, has put words and feelings into who we are as a people and as a nation," the prime minister said.

Born in 1940 to former monarch King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid, Margrethe took the throne in 1954 at the age of 31, after a constitutional amendment allowed women to inherit the throne.

In 1967, she married French diplomat Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, who served as her royal consort until his death in 2018.

The couple's two sons are Crown Prince Frederik, who will become King Frederik X and Prince Joachim. 

Frederik married Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, an Australian, in 2004.