King Frederik X of Denmark visited the Danish parliament, Folketinget, for the first time as monarch.
He was joined by his wife, Queen Mary, his son, Crown Prince Christian, his mother, Queen Margrethe, his brother, Prince Joachim and his aunt, Princess Benedikte.
During the Folketinget meeting, the Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, read a letter the new King had written to the representatives.
The letter was to announce his mother’s abdication and his ascension to the Danish throne.
The King made sure to pay tribute to his mother and her motto as monarch, saying: “With God’s help and the love of the people, throughout her 52-year reign, Queen Margrethe II has only had the best of Denmark as her goal and put all her energies into a faithful and dutiful effort for this.
“The Queen’s love for the whole kingdom has been reciprocated, and everywhere the Queen has been met with warmth, affection and appreciation.
“We owe the Queen a debt of gratitude for diligently pursuing her life’s goals longer than any other Monarch before her.”
Queen Margrethe’s royal motto was ‘God’s help, the people’s love, Denmark’s strength,’ and the King alluded to this in his remarks.
He later continued: “We have now, in accordance with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Denmark and the Succession to the Throne Act, taken over the responsibility of being Denmark’s king. It is a task that we will do our utmost to fulfill.
“Together with Queen Mary, we will put all our efforts into serving the entire Danish kingdom in all the time we are given.
“It is our hope that we will succeed in making an effort for the benefit of the entire Realm and in winning the people’s trust.”
The letter concluded with King Frederik telling parliament: “We begin our responsible work as Denmark’s king in the belief that the Folketinget will meet us in the joint work for the good of the kingdom.”
The Speaker of the Danish Parliament, Søren Gade, also spoke and emphasised the relationship between parliament and the Royal House: “Today we celebrate the accession of our new King in the most important hall of the Danish democracy, the Chamber. This is evidence that the elected as well as the inherited power can go blissfully hand in hand. This is because both parties understand and respect such duties and areas of responsibility as they each perform and represent. I congratulate His Majesty King Frederik X, wishing him all the happiness and strength as he follows in the footsteps of Queen Margrethe II.”
Additionally, the Speaker made sure to thank Queen Margrethe for her 52 years of service to Denmark: “Her Majesty Queen Margrethe was not just a queen of her time, as she was just as much a queen at her time. The Queen modernised the royal house, bringing the royal house closer to the Danes. Not by way of upheaval. But step by step. Respecting the history and traditions of the monarchy.”
Celebrations for the change in monarchs will conclude on Sunday, 21 January with a church service at Aarhus Cathedral.
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