Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has announced her abdication from the throne

The royal family is the most talked-about in the world, making non-stop headlines, with this Christmas being no exception.

It wasn't the Mountbatten-Windsors that was getting the world talking this week however, but the ducal House of Glücksburg, the Danish royal family, as Queen Margrethe II announced her abdication in a surprise announcement on New Year's Eve. 

The 83-year-old Queen, Europe's longest-serving monarch, announced the news that she will be abdicating on January 14, leaving the throne to her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik.

Speaking of an operation that she had last year, Queen Margrethe announced live in her New Year's Eve Speech: "The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future - whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation".

"I have decided that now is the right time. On 14 January 2024 – 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father – I will step down as queen of Denmark. I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik."

"Tonight first and foremost I want to say thank you", Queen Margrethe announced in her speech. "Thank you for the overwhelming warmth and support I have received throughout the years. A thank you to the changing governments, with which it has always been rewarding to work, and to the Parliament, which has always met me with confidence.

"My thanks go out to all the many, many people who, at special events, as well as everyday, have surrounded me and my family with loving words and thoughts. It has made these years a number of gems.

"The support and assistance that I have received over the years has been crucial in enabling me to lift my task. It is my hope that the new royal couple will be met with the same trust and affection that have been shared with me.

"Now I will end my last New Year speech with the words I usually do: GUD BEVARE DANMARK. GOD BLESS YOU ALL."

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