Copenhagen, 14 January 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Denmark's Queen Margrethe II gave up the throne on Sunday to her son Frederik, who was then proclaimed the new king of Denmark by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

The 83-year-old signed her abdication declaration after a 52-year-reign at a meeting with the government in Copenhagen on Sunday, as television footage from Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish parliament, showed.

The former crown prince then symbolically took his mother's place at the table. "God bless the king," said Margrethe as she left the hall, then drove back to Amalienborg Palace, the official residence of the Danish royal family.

Margrethe stunned Denmark by announcing in her New Year's speech that she would be abdicating on January 14 and that she intended to hand over the throne to her eldest son.

She justified the move with a major back operation that she underwent in February. The operation made her think about whether it was time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation, the monarch said in her New Year's speech, which is traditionally watched closely by the Danish population.

The move is extremely unusual in Denmark: unlike in the Netherlands, for example, it is generally not customary in the Scandinavian royal houses to abdicate before death.

According to the royal house in Copenhagen, the last time a Danish monarch voluntarily abdicated the throne in this way was in 1146.

Margrethe herself had repeatedly emphasized that she wanted to fulfil her office until her death - until she made the surprise announcement.

Frederik differs from his mother in many ways.

While the queen is considered a creative soul with a great passion for art and high culture, the heir to the throne is a rock music fan and a sports enthusiast who has run several marathons, an Ironman and went on a months-long dog sled expedition through Greenland.

Crown Princess Mary, from Australia, who is set to become the new queen, is noted for her commitment to global women's rights, and sustainability.

The couple, seen as a dynamic duo, has four children, including the now-crown prince, Christian.

Photo: EPA