Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II to step down from throne on Jan. 14

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II has announced that she plans to leave the throne to make way for her son, Crown Prince Frederik. The queen announced during her New Year’s speechon Sunday that she would abdicate on Jan. 14th, which is the 52nd anniversary of her own accession to the throne at age 31 following the death of her father, King Frederik IX. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed the decision and paid tribute to the 83-year-old monarch, offering a “heartfelt thank you to Her Majesty the Queen for her lifelong dedication.” The 6-foot-tall (1.82-meters-tall), chain-smoking Margrethe has been one of the most popular public figures in Denmark. The queen’s role is largely ceremonial.