Denmark has a new king and queen. Crown Prince Frederik has been proclaimed, along with his wife Princess Mary, at an official handover in Copenhagen. It makes Mary the first Australian-born queen of a European monarchy. Their ascension follows the abdication of the current queen after more than half a century on the throne.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00 His Majesty King Frederick X steps out on the balcony of Christianborg Palace, Denmark's
00:07 centre of power. Along with him his Tasmanian born wife, Her Majesty Queen Mary. Their ascension
00:15 is marked with a kiss, to the delight of tens of thousands of people watching on, before
00:27 they're joined by their four children. Moments earlier the Prime Minister proclaimed the
00:34 succession of the throne, leading a chant of "Hooray!" Ushering in a new era for the
00:41 Danish royal family.
00:46 My mother, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II, has ruled Denmark for 52 years. Today the
00:54 throne passes on. My hope is to become a unifying king of tomorrow. It is a task I have approached
01:01 all my life. It is a responsibility I take on with respect, pride and great joy.
01:08 The large crowd cheers as the new sovereigns are taken by a horse-drawn coach to the royal
01:15 residence in Copenhagen. It's a long way from suburban Hobart where Mary Donaldson grew
01:23 up in the 1970s and 80s. Princess Mary's work on social issues and her royal duties have
01:30 made an impression, and opinion polls show the couple have plenty of public support.
01:34 It's going to be interesting to see how he's going to cope being a king. It's a big change
01:41 for him, but it's also a big change for the Danish people.
01:46 It was good, a bit emotional also. It's new times because I love our queen as well.
01:53 With the abdication of Europe's longest serving monarch, Queen Margrethe II now bears the
02:03 official title of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe. The 83-year-old's surprise decision was announced
02:09 during an annual New Year's Eve address. She cited health issues.
02:14 The Danish monarchy dates back to the Viking Age and is one of the oldest in the world.
02:19 Members typically stay above partisan politics in favour of more traditional duties such
02:25 as state visits and national celebrations. With the ascension, there's a new generation
02:31 to take the royal family into the modern era, one now with even stronger ties to Australia.
02:39 [applause]
02:41 [BLANK_AUDIO]