An Abdication and 'Malicious Affair': Did Denmark's Queen Margrethe II Renounce the Throne to Save Prince Frederik's Marriage?

In a shock to many on New Year's Eve, Denmark's Queen Margrethe II announced she would abdicate the Danish throne on January 14.

"I have decided that now is the right time," Her Majesty stated in her abdication speech.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederikse said that the Queen is the "epitome of Denmark," who "throughout the years has put words and feelings into who we are as a people and as a nation."

Margrethe II acceded to the Danish throne on January 14, 1972, upon the death of her father, King Frederick IX, and recently celebrated her Golden Jubilee of 50 years as monarch in 2022. Her intention to step down from the Danish throne came as a surprise since the monarch had publicly said she would never abdicate and would die in office, as all her predecessors had done since 1146.

"It's always been: you stay as long as you live. That's what my father did and my predecessors. And the way I see it, too," the Queen stated in a 2016 interview.

Her abdication will be the first for a Danish sovereign in nearly 900 years and leave the world with no reigning female monarch over any of its monarchies.

Some royal analysts claim that the current turmoil surrounding Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary may have played a part in her historic decision. Still, others point to the Queen's statement and specifically her sharing of how her early 2023 back surgery got her thinking.

"In February this year, I underwent extensive back surgery. It went well, thanks to the skilled healthcare staff who took care of me. Of course, the operation also gave rise to thinking about the future—whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation," the Queen stated.

Despite the sovereign's stated reasons, the "affair" rumors surrounding her soon-to-be successor are also making headlines in tandem with the abdication announcement.

"I categorically deny the statements that suggest a romantic relationship between Prince Frederick and me," Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova told an outlet when denying she had an affair with the future king. "Any statement of this type not only completely lacks the truth but also misrepresents the facts in a malicious manner. This is already in the hands of my lawyers, who will take care of the pertinent steps to protect my right to honor, truth, and privacy."

The crown prince and crown princess married in a lavish wedding in 2004 after a four-year romance. The future king of the Scandinavian nation first met Mary, an Australian advertising executive, during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Their desire to wed received the blessing of Denmark's monarch and Frederik's mother, Margrethe II, in 2003.

The pair went on to have four children together, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine. Frederik will become the King of Denmark upon the death of Margrethe II, and Mary will become his Queen Consort.

Daily Express reported on Margrethe's statement.