Frederik X Proclaimed the New King of Denmark After His Mother Queen Margrethe II Abdicates

Frederik X Proclaimed the New King of Denmark After His Mother Queen Margrethe II Abdicates
Denmark's King Frederik X and Denmark's Queen Mary wave from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Jan. 14, 2024. Martin Meissner/AP Photo
The Associated Press
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark—Denmark’s prime minister proclaimed Frederik X as king on Sunday after his mother Queen Margrethe II formally signed her abdication, with massive crowds turning out to rejoice in the throne passing from a beloved monarch to her popular son.

Margrethe, 83, is the first Danish monarch to voluntarily relinquish the throne in nearly 900 years. Many thousands of people gathered outside the palace where the royal succession took place, the mood jubilant as the Nordic nation experienced its first royal succession in more than a half-century, and one not caused by the death of a monarch.