In what was his first official task as the newly proclaimed King Frederik X of Denmark, the king appeared before the country’s lawmakers on Monday. The country’s prime minister, whose party had grappled with how to relate to the monarchy, expressed full support for the new king.
The proclamation of King Frederik took place on Sunday, with roughly 174,000 people cheering in the capital city in close to freezing temperatures. This event marked the first official appearance of King Frederik, who is 55 years old. He succeeded his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who voluntarily abdicated after a reign of 52 years, making her the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to do so.
As a constitutional monarchy, Denmark’s head of state must sign new laws before they come into force, but the formal power remains with the government and the elected parliament.
Despite their limited powers, the new king and queen take the throne at a time of significant public support for the monarchy in the nation of nearly six million people.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a speech in parliament, “Our amazing royal family is doing so well that we may take the monarchy for granted. It is not a given, it stands and falls with the people who take responsibility. And it rests on a mutual contract between monarchy and democracy.”
The prime minister also mentioned that she had not always supported the monarchy, but she declared herself a royalist due to the work Queen Margrethe had done to unite Denmark.
Queen Margrethe’s popularity has grown even though she presided during a period when the Danish welfare state, built on a foundation of equality, grew to become the standard of the Nordic nation.
After the announcement of the abdication on New Year’s Eve, Frederiksen’s Social Democratic party, which had refused to take decorations from royals for a century, reversed this policy. It is now up to the members if they wish to receive orders.
Frederiksen stressed the importance of the king’s role in a modern democratic society, saying, “We very much need our king to unite Denmark.”
King Frederik addressed the crowds in a speech on Sunday but did not speak in parliament on Monday.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
