Therefore, there will be no coronation

 

Royally  

 

Queen Margrethe  

 

So Frederik becomes king of Denmark  

 

Therefore, there will be no coronation of Frederik X  

 

Jenny Alexandersson  

 

Published 2024-01-13 17.12

 

On Sunday at 3 p.m., Crown Prince Frederik will be proclaimed King of Denmark at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen.  

 

But there will be no coronation. Denmark has shelved that tradition.  

 

- It will still be solemn and festive and the Danish people will celebrate big, says court expert Sara Ericsson. 

 

Soon, Frederik and Mary stand on Christiansborg's castle balcony and meet the Danish people for the first time as king and queen. 

 

 It is a unique and historic event that Queen Margreth Queen Margrethe hands over the throne to her son. For the first time in roughly 900 years, a regent in Denmark abdicates. 

 

Denmark's monarchy is one of the oldest in the world and the traditions are many. But putting a crown on the king's head was stopped already in 1648 when the last king was crowned. In 1660, autocracy and hereditary monarchy were introduced. 

 

- The kings of Denmark no longer wanted a nobleman to place a crown on their heads after that, because the nobility was put aside when they were no longer the ones who chose the country's king, says court expert and historian Lars Hovbakke Sørensen to B.T. 

 

Queen Margrethe abdicates on 14 January 2024. Photo: Per Morten Abrahamsen  

The succession consists of three parts:

• 14.00 Minister of State at Christiansborg Castle. The Queen, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Christian participate there with the government and the Cabinet Secretary.The Queen signs a document of her abdication.
  
• 15.00 The prime minister proclaims Frederik king from the balcony of Christiansborg Castle. His title will be His Majesty King Frederik X. 
•  17.00 The royal flags are transferred from Christian IX's Palace to Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg, i.e. from the queen's residence to the residence of the new royal couple. 
  

No more reigning queen in Europe 

 

Court expert Sara Ericsson points out that even though the change of throne is a toned-down story, it is still a festive and solemn event. Mainly because Queen Margrethe hands over while she is still alive. 

 

- This is a day that will go down in the history books. Partly because of the fact that the queen chooses to abdicate and that means that we no longer have a reigning queen in the world anymore, says Sara Ericsson.  

 

Margrethe will retain her royal title: Her Majesty Queen Margrethe and she will also remain in her apartment at Amalienborg Palace.  

 

After Frederik is proclaimed king by the prime minister on the balcony, he gives a speech and also tells which electoral language he has chosen. A salute of three times 27 shots is fired from Battery Sixtus on Holmen in Copenhagen.  

 

FACTS  

Change of faith in Denmark: The programme

• 14.00 Minister of State at Christiansborg Castle. The Queen, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Christian participate there with the government and the Cabinet Secretary. The Queen signs a document of her abdication. 
• 15.00 The prime minister proclaims Frederik king from the balcony of Christiansborg Castle. His title will be His Majesty King Frederik X. The King makes a speech and concludes with his election speech.
• 15.10 Salute from Battery Sixtus with 3 x 27 shots.
• 15.10 The royal flag is lowered at Christian IX's palace and raised at Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg.
• 15.30 The royal couple departs in motorcade from Christiansborg Castle. 
• 17.00 The royal flags are transferred from Christian IX's Palace to Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg, i.e. from the queen's residence to the residence of the new royal couple. 

 

On January 14, Denmark gets a new royal couple: King Frederik X and Queen Mary. Photo: Hasse Nielsen