TRANSCRIPT
The land of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales has inked a modern-day classic with Frederik X and his Australian-born wife Mary becoming the new King and Queen of Denmark.
Tens of thousands of people converged on the Danish capital in close to freezing temperatures to watch the new King ascend to the throne following his mother Margrethe II's abdication.
Frederik, who is 55, was proclaimed king by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
"Today is Sunday the 14th of January, 2024. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II has abdicated. On behalf of the kingdom, I wish Queen Margrethe a deepfelt and devoted thanks.... To be queen and king is a link in a more than thousand-year-long chain. When one steps aside, the next is standing at the ready. And the crown prince that now becomes our monarch is a king that we know, a king that we like, and a king that we trust."
Ms Fredriksen then led the crowd in a nine-fold salute for His Majesty the King.
In his first speech as monarch, King Frederik paid tribute to his mother.
"My mother Her Majesty Margrethe II has reigned over Denmark for 52 years. Through half a century, she has followed the times with our shared heritage as a starting point. She will forever be remembered as an extraordinary regent. ... Today the throne is passed on. My hope is to become a unifying king of tomorrow. It is a task I have approached all my life. It is a task I take on with pride, respect and great joy."
Margrethe, who is 83, stunned the nation on New Year's Eve when she announced she planned to become the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to voluntarily relinquish the throne.
She said that she came to the decision after a period of reflection following surgery on her back in early 2023.
As dawn broke in Denmark on Sunday, several committed onlookers were already in place on the square of the Amalienborg palace, waiting to catch sight of Margrethe's carriage as she left as monarch for the last time.
Among the gathered was pensioner Mette Hansen who travelled from Aalborg for the occasion.
"I actually think I'm going to cry but I'm not sure. So, yes, Just being here this morning is just like, it's a bit teary."
52-year-old cinematographer Rene Olsen was also in the crowd.
She describes what she felt seeing Queen Margrethe leave Amalienborg Castle for the last time as reigning monarch.
"Ah that was emotional because, you know, after - I'm 52 years old and she's been a part of my life, the whole life you know, and the way she has performed is outstanding, I must say."
Marina Halberg is a resident of Copenhagen she was among the thousands gathered at Christiansborg where King Frederik spoke.
“He will be fantastic (King Frederik X). We loved his speech and everything he said and we're looking so much forward to him being our king from now.”
King Frederik is married to 51-year-old Australian-born Mary, who is now queen.
Their children include 18-year-old Christian who is the new heir to the throne, Princess Isabella, who is 16, and 13-year-old twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent.
They all got the promotion the moment Margrethe signed abdication papers at a state council meeting inside Christiansborg Palace, home to the Danish parliament.
Queen Mary is from Tasmania.
This has these Australians feeling rather proud.
“Oh I think it’s wonderful and puts Tasmania on the world stage and what a great ambassador for Australia. ... I’m very proud. I’m very excited, I think it’s wonderful. Yeah I think she’ll make a great queen, don’t you? ... Yes, definitely, yes. ... Proud of her. Yeah it's lovely. ... Terrific news. ... She deserves it, she’s lovely. ... And she carries herself extremely well.”
The new king and queen of Denmark must now take-on the task of sustaining the monarchy's popularity and relevance as the country faces modern challenges like climate change, immigration, E-U relations, and the desire for autonomy in Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
