by The streets of Copenhagen were transformed into a sea of red and white flags this weekend as Denmark bid farewell to Queen Margrethe II.
After a surprise New Year’s Eve announcement that she will abdicate the throne, the Queen, 83, will hand over power to Crown Prince Frederik, 55, a bearded former party boy and veteran of the Danish equivalent of the Navy Seals.
In contrast to Charles III’s Coronation, it will be a low-key affair, with no formal ceremony and no crown or scepter in sight.
Instead, the Queen, who became Europe’s longest-living monarch after the death of Elizabeth II, will sign a declaration of abdication at Christiansborg Palace, followed an hour later by a royal proclamation at 3pm from the balcony announcing the King’s accession Frederik X with the Palace. a throne.
Despite the lack of fanfare and ceremony, excitement levels are high in Copenhagen, with hotels sold out, restaurants fully booked and thousands flocking to the city for a weekend of royal festivities.
The Danish royal family remains popular, with a recent survey showing that 82 percent of people expect the new monarch to do “well” or “very well” in the new role .
Danish newspapers noted, with a flicker of irritation, that the Queen was dubbed the “queen of ashtrays” in the British press because of her fondness for unfiltered cigarettes. She quit the habit earlier this year on the advice of doctors.
Huge Danish crowds braved sub-zero temperatures to gather at Kongens Nytorv (King’s New Square) for a farewell concert with the Queen, raising glasses of champagne and cans of Carlsberg to her health.
“They’re down to earth,” said Søren Mortenssen, 35, of the incoming royal couple as he waited for the concert to start with his friend Nicolai Parelius, 27. “They’re good people. monarchy as an institution, there is no one against the people in it.”
“We did a baronetcy for her once,” Mr Parelius said. “They are good, calm people. They turned up and ordered their own drinks. They are very good at putting people at ease, who might be uncomfortable with royalty.”
The Queen, who ascended the throne in 1972, stunned Denmark with the speech announcing her retirement after five decades, citing health issues. “I will leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik,” she announced live on television.
Her successor is known by the nickname “Pingo” in Denmark because of a training incident in his Frogman (Danish Navy Seal) days when his wetsuit filled with water and he had to waddle around like a penguin.
He is married to Crown Princess Mary, 51, an Australian-born former advertising executive whom he met at the Slip Inn in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics.
She reportedly had no idea at the time that he was Danish royalty, introducing the Crown Prince as “Fred”, but they soon began a long-distance relationship that required him to make several discreet visits to Australia.
They married at Copenhagen Cathedral in 2004 and have four children: Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 16, Prince Vincent, 13, and Princess Josephine, also 13.
Even some republicans turned up at the Queen’s farewell concert, such as Stine, an event planner – although she kept a low profile in the back of the crowd.
The 40-year-old said she was concerned about the royal family’s cost to Danish taxpayers, but said she admired the Queen for speaking out on social issues facing Denmark.
“I really hope that the new King will continue on that path, that he will speak for the refugees in Denmark, and for the environment,” she said. “I think it is very important that Denmark does not lose its sense of inclusiveness, and that it regains a reputation for being socially oriented.”
On Saturday, hundreds of Danes flocked to the square outside Amalienborg palace, where the Queen resides, for one final changing of the guard ceremony.
Spectators watched solemnly at noon in silence, and bike-taxi riders slowed to a halt, to watch the Danish Royal Guard march around the inner palace courtyard in busby fur hats, black tunics and white sashes.
“It was a big surprise,” Susanne Hosbond, a 50-year-old doctor, said of the moment the Queen announced her abdication. “Everyone I know said what happened was a complete shock, but after a few hours people realized it was all right – because this is the time for the Crown Prince and [Crown Princess] Mary to take over.”
“She was the mother of the nation during Covid,” said Ms Hosbond’s sister Louise, a 41-year-old nurse. “She stood up and made us follow the guidelines on national TV – she canceled her own 80th birthday celebration.”
A few doors down from the palace, inside a street kiosk called Copenhagen Vibes, its owner, Kenn Jensen, is selling several portraits of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess amid a surge in interest in royal memorabilia.
“She’s done a great job and he’s got big shoes to fill after his mother but he can do it his own way,” he said confidently of the new King. “He’s a people person, he still goes to concerts and he’s a former Navy Seal. You can meet him on the streets and that’s heartwarming.”
“And [Crown] Princess Mary,” he said, “is the babysitter, she goes out to the schools and they have a lot of fun when she comes to visit. She could have just stepped back and been his wife, but from day one she wanted to be part of the people – she’s so sweet.”
