From the Danish royal house's press office
"Since the 1600s, the Danish monarchy has been a so-called hereditary monarchy, in which the Crown is inherited upon the death of the sovereign.
The Act on Succession to the Throne of the Kingdom of Denmark from 1953 thus stipulates that the Danish throne is inherited within the descendants of Christian X and Queen Alexandrine.
Until 1953, only male descendants of the king were able to inherit the throne. That was changed in 1953, when, following a referendum, it was determined that female descendants should also be able to inherit the throne, but in such a way, however, that male descendants should have precedence.
It was the amendment of the rules for succession in 1953 that prepared the way for HM The Queen to be able to assume the throne after the death of her father, Frederik 9., on 14 January 1972.
With the most recent amendment of the Act of Succession in 2009, equality in the succession to the throne was implemented. This means that the throne is now inherited by the sovereign’s oldest child – regardless of gender.
In Denmark, the tradition up to the present has been that the succession to the throne takes place upon the death of the sovereign, as was the case most recently in 1972. In these instances, the succession occurs the moment the sovereign dies.
The upcoming succession to the throne will be different. This time, the succession will first take place during the meeting of the Council of State at the moment The Queen has signed a declaration of her abdication.
HRH The Crown Prince will thus arrive at Christiansborg Palace as a crown prince and leave it as King. Likewise, HRH The Crown Princess will arrive as a crown princess and depart as Queen. HRH Prince Christian will leave Christiansborg Palace as Crown Prince (heir to the throne).
Upon the succession to the throne, the new sovereign takes charge of all of the functions which, according to the constitution, are incumbent on the head of state."
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| Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection |
3 comments:
I'm curious if there will be a coronation ceremony with Frederick and Mary being crowned with the Danish Crowns, the ones you pictured in the article "The Danish Crowns." Or, will there simply be the formal meeting where the succession to the throne will be given at the meeting of the Council of State?
The last Coronation was in 1648 with Frederik III. At the time, Denmark was an elective monarchy. In 1660, Denmark became a hereditary monarchy. The coronation was replaced with an anointing ceremony. The last anointing was in 1840 when Denmark became a constitutional monarchy. From 1849, the sovereign has been proclaimed with no special ceremony. When the Sovereign dies, his/her successor is automatic. but an official proclamation takes place usually the next day. Margrethe II, all in black, was proclaimed on the balcony of Christianborg palace the day after she succeeded. The proclamation will be done by the Prime Minister. Frederik will become king the moment Margrethe signs the act of abdication. This will take place during a meeting of the Council of State. The proclamation on the balcony by the PM will take place shortly afterward.
Thank you, Marlene, for the historic background and current schedule.
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