# Queen Margrethe of Denmark to abdicate **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 31, 2023, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424 "2023-12-31T22:55:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2023, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/1 "2023-12-31T22:55:02Z")
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. [https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/31/europe/queen-margrethe-denmark-abdication-intl/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/31/europe/queen-margrethe-denmark-abdication-intl/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2023, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/2 "2023-12-31T23:36:04Z")
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. Neat! ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2023, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/3 "2023-12-31T23:48:06Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2023, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/4 "2023-12-31T23:59:19Z")
Article on the Crown Prince. Met his wife in a pub in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics. Did a 4 month skiing trek across Greenland. Studied at Harvard. > **[Crown Prince Frederik: What do we know about the next king of Denmark?](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67855112)** > > "I don't want to lock myself in a fortress. I want to be myself," Crown Prince Frederik once said. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/5 "2024-01-01T00:26:43Z")
May she enjoy her retirement and may her son be a good king. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/6 "2024-01-01T00:48:25Z")
So, any **reigning** queens left in Europe (or elsewhere) once she steps down? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/7 "2024-01-01T02:14:18Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > King Frederik X Did he sell his naming rights to Elon Musk? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/8 "2024-01-01T02:42:19Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > So, any **reigning** queens left in Europe (or elsewhere) once she steps down? 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. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/9 "2024-01-01T02:53:23Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Did he sell his naming rights to Elon Musk? That’s Frederik the Tenth, not Frederik the Site Formerly Known As Twitter. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/10 "2024-01-01T03:00:31Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Met his wife in a pub in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics. That pub was, and is, called the Slip Inn 😃 So in two weeks there will be an Australian on the throne of Denmark, but after 123 years of “independence”, still none as Head of State of Australia. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/11 "2024-01-01T04:00:08Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > So in two weeks there will be an Australian on the throne of Denmark, but after 123 years of “independence”, still none as Head of State of Australia. Sounds like Australia’s future bachelorettes are gonna need to step up their game by the time Prince George is of marriageable age. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/12 "2024-01-01T04:22:27Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Article on the Crown Prince. Met his wife in a pub in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics. As I now recall, he was actually here as a competitor in the Olympics, yachting I think. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/13 "2024-01-01T04:40:59Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > So in two weeks there will be an Australian on the throne of Denmark, but after 123 years of “independence”, still none as Head of State of Australia Seems like a simple solution. Instead of replacing the British monarch with a president, replace them with a Danish monarch! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/14 "2024-01-01T05:24:40Z")
Oddly enough I have her on one of my DeathPool lists. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/15 "2024-01-01T05:44:10Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > So, any **reigning** queens left in Europe (or elsewhere) once she steps down? No, but the next heirs in Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain are all female, and so is the next-but-one in Norway. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/16 "2024-01-01T14:41:14Z")
It’s a conspiracy! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/17 "2024-01-01T16:59:26Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > AFAIK there aren’t any female heirs apparent in the pipeline > [@PatrickLondon](#): > > No, but the next heirs in Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain are all female, and so is the next-but-one in Norway. As PatrickLondon notes there are a few. The [Crown Princess Victoria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria,_Crown_Princess_of_Sweden) 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). ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/18 "2024-01-01T18:12:28Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Oddly enough I have her on one of my DeathPool lists. I heard she _really_ likes smoking… ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/19 "2024-01-01T18:42:54Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > 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). Spain still uses male-preference primogeniture and I don’t know of any immediate plans to change this. Here is [one relevant Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchies_in_Europe), [another one](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_to_the_Spanish_throne), and [here is confirmation](https://www.casareal.es/EN/corona/Paginas/la-corona-hoy_orden.aspx) of the practice in the form of a quote from the constitution on the website of the royal house. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424/20 "2024-01-01T18:51:52Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > Spain still uses male-preference primogeniture 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor,_Princess_of_Asturias) is the current heir. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-margrethe-of-denmark-to-abdicate/995424.md?page=2)