King Frederik X takes Danish throne after mother abdicates

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 was taking place, the mood jubilant as the Nordic nation experienced in first royal succession in more than a half-century, and one not caused by the death of a monarch.

Wearing a magenta outfit, Margrethe signed her abdication during a meeting with the Danish Cabinet at the Christiansborg Palace, a vast complex in Copenhagen that houses the Royal Reception Rooms and Royal Stables as well as the Danish Parliament, the prime minister’s office and the Supreme Court.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen next proclaimed Frederik king from the balcony of the palace before thousands of people.

The abdication leaves Denmark with two queens: Margrethe keeps her title while Frederik’s Australian-born wife becomes Queen Mary.

Frederik and Mary’s eldest son Christian, 18, has become crown prince and heir to the throne.