Queen Margrethe 2nd of Denmark Abdication

[Enko]

I have just read the queens New Year speech (I am Danish living in the UK) and the queen will abdicate on the 14th January 52 years after her ascending the throne.

I am very moved. She is the only queen I remember of Denmark and currently the only reigning female Monarch. This will change as the next generations come through but not in Denmark where the next 2 are male.

I wouldn't go back to being a Princess. I would make everyone call me Emeritus Queen.

I think it's great news.

I think she has already said that she is retaining her title of Queen.

The one thing that hasn't been mentioned yet are her sisters. They have both been widowed in the last few years. So she likely wants to spend more time with them possibly in warmer winter locations to help her health.

I do think she sorted the grandkids titles in preparation for this and then waited till Christian was 18. Perhaps she was wondering when would be the right time to announce it. Maybe Fred slipping his security detail and popping to Madrid to see that Mexican lady made her see the right time was now. Mary gets the prize of Queen so is less likely to leave him (if that was what she is thinking) and Fred will be too busy to slip off to Spain or elsewhere much and unable to do it with no security.

Plus Margarethe is still around to help him settle into the role as I don't think he is as well prepared as Charles, Felipe of Spain etc at their accessions.

He'll never abdicate.
There may come a point where he passes more onto William, and he stops doing overseas visits, for example. However, Charles will be monarch until the end, I'll wager.

Agree entirely.

He waited 70+ years for the gig and he's not going to roll over for Willy unless unforeseen circumstances dictate.

Our lot missed their chance to stroll into the sunset dignity more or less intact when the queen died.

I think the important thing to remember in all of this is that William still has a young family.
I'd imagine Charles would love to relinquish some control given his ageing years but absolutely would not put all that pressure on to his son while his kids are so young.
I think also Charles sees himself as a transitory monarch, bridging the gap between his mother and a new monarchy.
I think he's striking the right balance and is very mindful that his son will be the next monarch in the new vein.

I’d be astonished if Charles abdicated. His whole life while his mother lived was like that comic Lord of the Rings fanfic in diary form where Aragorn’s entry every day was ‘Still not King.’

I think it would be like when we had the Queen Mother (2 ex Queens still alive actually, with Mary).

Her Majesty Queen .........
And Her Majesty The Queen.......

Both are Queen's, only 1 of them is The Queen (Regnant or current Consort).

Didn’t Mary have an affair too?
Maybe Queen Margretha thinks it will deflect the attention away from their private lives?

A very smart and humble move on Queen Margrethe’s part, something our late Queen should have done a decade or so ago imho. It would have been far easier to modernise and update the UK monarchy once QEII had stepped aside, although having said that, Charles doesn’t seem to be racing to slim anything down much!

Much prefer the Danish low key approach to the monarchy anyway! They don’t give themselves such airs and graves as our lot. Queen Margarethe seems almost human by comparison!

That’s all very well but thousands of families throughout the uk have at least one parent working long hours in a demanding professional or physical job while their dc are young, without half of the support and infrastructure that William can draw upon!

Charles does not look to have the same health as his parents. I would not bet on him being around till 95+.

I think he will do the full job until 80 and then slowly pass over the long haul trips etc to William and Kate.

I think a lot depends on whether one thinks Crown Prince Fredrik will be able to manage the serious side of ruling. His environmentalism is good, as is his ability to connect with the general public but that's the absolute limit to my knowledge.

Would t surprise me if will kat had the later superfluous dc for exactly this scenario- to avoid them doing any reasonable amount of work for as long as possible.

They are the laziest members of the RF (that's saying something)!

I think the current UK model has been delay getting into the Royal work for as long as possible as once you are in it you are there till 96. So you have your 'retirement' when young and then work till you drop.

In Europe they often have elderly monarchs abdicating in favour of their children who are in their 40s and 50s. The heir knows they will take over relatively young so they get themselves ready when young. Except Fred whose mother said she wouldn't abdicate. Not sure he will be ready to step up and probably likes the perks but not the work.

What absolute rubbish. What a vile thing to say about them and their children.

If our Monarchy wants to flourish, Charles should abdicate at 80 and go and tend his garden at Highgrove with Cam down the road in Wiltshire.

William will be 46, perfect age to take over, ditto Catherine. They can't keep using the excuse 'oh, but the children'. The children will be protected and cosseted and William can get on with reforming the Monarchy and making it more relevant, as opposed to an unequal archaic institution.

Then W&K can do the same in 20-25 years when George will be nearly 40. So W&K have an easy life now and will have the same at age late sixties.

It will keep the Monarchy young and fresh because it ain't that at the moment.

Is Prince Frederik the one with the brother whose wife is identical looking to Mary?

Indeed. Marie.
Single White Princess.

Yes, Frederik's younger brother Joachim has a second wife named Marie Cavallier. She looks eerily like Princess Mary.

Prince Joachim's 1st wife Alexandira, Mother of his 1st two children, was originally from Hong Kong. I can't find a reference to hand, but I remember reading that the Queen suggested to her sons that they find wives outside of Europe. That is- an influx of fresh genetic material would be useful.

Could be a total myth, but if it's true she was one clever woman.

I read about that. I hadn't realised she was the last reigning queen in the world!

Denmark seems like a stable country, protective of it's stability. At least from the outside.
Not sure how much of that is down to the monarchy but their queen came across as smart and strong.
I read 'A year of living Danishly', and it was a very positive account of the fairness and loyalty of Danish society. Slimming down the monarchy and abdicating for the good of the country support that.
Does Denmark have the same elitist school system as the UK or is the education system more egalitarian?
There is much ill-feeling about inequality in the UK which fosters social division.

@quantumbutterfly

"There is much ill-feeling about inequality in the UK which fosters social division."

There's exactly the same ill-feeling in the US, in France, Germany, Italy to name just a few.

The BRF aren't the cause - but they are an excuse for some to project onto.

If he's still here at even 80 I'll be absolutely amazed, but having waited so long to be "it" I honestly don't see abdication happening worse luck

And when Beatrix of the Netherlands did it, wasn't the late Queen said to have sniffed "typical Dutch"?

Does Denmark have the same elitist school system as the UK or is the education system more egalitarian?

It has an excellent education system, quantumbutterfly, and tuition's free at university too, but even Denmark has its elitist private schools which the wealthy try to get their kids into

Perhaps elitism matters most if it means the rest are left with inadequate provision, and in Denmark that doesn't appear to be the case

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jun/27/denmark-ghetto-law-eviction-non-western-residents-housing-estates
Significant problems - imagine being deemed "non Western" if you were born and brought up in Denmark.