Denmark's Queen Margrethe II to step down: A look back at other royal abdications

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark will soon be stepping down from the throne. She announced her decision to abdicate from her role in early 2024, during her customary New Year’s Eve broadcast on Danish television. During the address, the 83-years-old also revealed her intentions to pass the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik, citing personal reflections prompted by a back surgery she underwent in February 2023. “In two weeks’ time, I have been Queen of Denmark for 52 years,” the Queen expressed, acknowledging the significant duration of her reign. “The time takes its toll, and the number of ‘ailments’ increases. One cannot undertake as much as one managed in the past.” Her health, she said, prompted contemplation about the future and the appropriateness of transitioning responsibility to the next generation. Detailing her plans, Queen Margrethe II specified the date of transition as 14 January, 2024, exactly 52 years after taking the throne following the death of King Frederik IX. According to the Danish prime minister’s office, her son, Crown Prince Frederik, will become His Majesty King Frederik X. [caption id=“attachment_13566332” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Queen Margrethe II’s son, Crown Prince Frederik, will become His Majesty King Frederik X, according to the Danish Prime Minister’s office. File image/AP[/caption] Following the surprising announcement by Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II of her plans to relinquish the throne, here’s a look back at other memorable abdications over the past century: Edward VIII The British public was stunned when their king of less than a year, Edward VIII, made the shock announcement on 12 December, 1936, that he would abdicate in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Edward’s tumultuous love affair with Simpson had caused a major constitutional crisis, with the headstrong monarch insisting he wanted to marry the US socialite — despite the Church of England, of which he was head, vehemently opposing the match. In an explosive radio broadcast Edward said he found it “impossible” to be king without the support “of the woman I love”. His younger brother Albert, father of the late Queen Elizabeth II, succeeded him under the name of George VI. Norodom Sihanouk Cambodia’s revered late king Norodom Sihanouk, who held his country together through six turbulent decades in various guises, abdicated twice. He was appointed to the throne in 1941 by the collaborationist Vichy regime of colonial power France but stepped back in 1955 after independence in favour of his father. The self-confessed “naughty boy”, who married six times and also served as president and prime minister, abdicated again on 7 October, 2004 after being treated for cancer, and was succeeded by his son, King Norodom Sihamoni. Sihanouk died in 2012 in Beijing. Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI, leader of the world’s Catholics as well as sovereign of Vatican City, was the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years when he stepped down in 2013 due to ill health. The German pontiff, a champion of Catholic orthodoxy, lived for another decade before his death in December 2022. [caption id=“attachment_13566362” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Pope Benedict XVI, leader of the world’s Catholics as well as sovereign of Vatican City, was the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years when he stepped down in 2013 due to ill health. File image/AP[/caption] The reputation of Spain’s monarchy took a battering under former King Juan Carlos I, who abdicated on 18 June, 2014, after being dogged by a steady flow of revelations about his love life and personal wealth. Carlos, who was 76 at the time, had come to the throne in 1975 on the death of dictator Francisco Franco. A symbol of national unity, he was widely respected for his role in helping Spain make the transition to democracy. But revelations about his opulent lifestyle and extramarital relationships overshadowed the latter years of his reign, with his popularity plummeting dramatically after he was photographed standing beside a dead elephant on a hunting trip to Botswana in the midst of a financial crisis in Spain. He abdicated in favour of his son Felipe and later moved to the United Arab Emirates. Akihito On 30 April, 2019, Japan’s much-loved Emperor Akihito gave up his throne at the age of 85 after nearly three decades in the job, the first imperial retirement in the country in more than two centuries. Akihito, who helped restore Japan’s standing in the world after its defeat in World War II, said he felt unable to continue in the job because of his failing health. His son Emperor Naruhito ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019. With inputs from AFP