As announced in her new year’s eve speech earlier today, the Queen will be stepping down on January 14th, the 52nd anniversary of her ascension, with her son succeeding her as King Frederik X.
Reading her Wikipedia page, I learn that she was an artist, using the pseudonym Ingahild Grathmer. Her portfolio includes a set of illustrations for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, which Tolkien himself liked.
She is a neat lady. It will be good for the crownprince. He is 55 years old now, he should get a chance to do the job he has trained for his whole life.
It was something of a chock, I saw the new year speech on tv and then at the end she said that she would abdicate January 14th, exactly 52 years after her crowning. I was 16 then.
She’s the only current queen regnant, and AFAIK there aren’t any female heirs apparent in the pipeline unless Japan changes its succession law and/or the emperor’s brother and nephew both predecease him.
As PatrickLondon notes there are a few. The Crown Princess Victoria in Sweden is only 46 and her father is 77, so she very likely will ascend sooner rather than later and her next heir is her 11-year old daughter.
In the Netherlands heirs 1-3 are female, mostly in their teens. Their father the king is 56, so they probably won’t have to worry about it anytime soon.
In Spain, exactly the same thing - 55/56 year-old king, top three heirs female (two teen daughters then an older sister who should have been the monarch but is now retroactively eligible since the law change to absolute primogeniture).
In Belgium the king is 63, his eldest daughter 22 (man, these monarchs marry late).
Spain still uses male-preference primogeniture and I don’t know of any immediate plans to change this. Here is one relevant Wikipedia article, another one, and here is confirmation of the practice in the form of a quote from the constitution on the website of the royal house.
It appears you are correct. I had assumed the law was changed to allow his sister, but it seems I was simply miscounting . It’s female heirs in order in the absence of male heirs. So Felipe VI has no sons and no brothers, only daughters and sisters. Hence female heirs . Given his wife is also in her 50’s, that should hold through this generation. Princess Leonor is the current heir.