Margrethe was not only known for her role as monarch. “I will hand over the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.” Credit: GettyĮxtensive back surgery in February prompted her to question “whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation”.

Queen Margrethe abdicated on Sunday, 52 years to the day after she acceded to the throne after her father’s death. One cannot undertake as much as one managed in the past,” she said. “Time takes its toll, and the number of ‘ailments’ increases. The 83-year-old, who took over the throne in 1972, said in her annual New Year’s speech she had “decided that now is the right time”. In the final hours of 2023, Margrethe II, the longest-serving monarch in Europe after her third-cousin Queen Elizabeth II’s death, announced she would abdicate after 52 years. “As their political power has shrunk, new justifications have emerged: that the monarchy is a neutral protector and guardian of democracy a symbol of continuity and stability and supporter of civil society through the encouragement and attention of royal visits and patronage.” Farewell to a beloved ‘institution’ University College London’s Bob Morris says the secret of the modern-day successes of Europe’s royals has been allowing their political power to shrink to virtually zero.

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