Video Captures Queen of Denmark's Emotional Moment of Abdication

Video footage of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark's abdication as the nation's monarch showed a rare moment of visible emotion as she departed the ceremony to make way for her son, King Frederik X, to take the throne.

Having signed abdication documents at a publicly televised ceremony on Sunday, the 83-year-old stood up to make way for her son, 55, to occupy the Danish throne. She was then handed a walking stick by her grandson, Crown Prince Christian.

Margrethe then said, in Danish, "God save the King," and her expression appeared to turn from that of a smile to holding back tears before she left the room.

The Danish queen is country's first in nearly 900 years to voluntarily relinquish the throne. She surprised royal watchers when she announced on New Year's Eve that she would step down, citing ill health related to a recent back operation.

The move renewed speculation about King Charles III of the U.K. doing the same for Prince William—though British royals have been generally averse to renouncing the throne before their death, especially since 1936, when the abdication of King Edward VIII caused a constitutional crisis.

Abdications in favor of younger monarchs are more commonplace in the rest of Europe. In 2014, King Juan Carlos I of Spain made way for his son, Felipe VI, and the year before King Albert II of Belgium handed the throne to Philippe. Two months prior to that, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated so that Willem-Alexander could assume the throne.

Denmark is one of just seven kingdoms left in Europe. Like the coronation of Charles III in 2023, the abdication ceremony saw support from the public, with thousands of people gathered outside the Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen.

Following the signing of abdication documents, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen proclaimed Frederik king from the balcony of the palace to the gathered citizens. As he was joined there by Queen Mary and their four children, The Associated Press reported the crowd spontaneously broke into the national anthem of Denmark.

"My hope is to become a unifying king of tomorrow," Frederik said. "It is a task I have approached all my life."

The royal couple later departed the Chrisianborg Palace—the current seat of the Danish parliament—for their Amalienborg residence, where they again appeared in front of a large crowd. Frederik was moved by the outpouring of emotion, wiping a tear from his eye as he waved to onlookers.

"My wife joins me in writing to convey our very best wishes on the day of your accession," Charles III of the U.K. wrote in a statement to the new Danish monarch.

As well as paying tribute to "the many years of service" of Margrethe, he added: "I look forward to working with you on ensuring that the enduring bond between our countries, and our families, remains strong." Charles and Margrethe are related via Queen Victoria.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden addressed Margrethe as "dear cousin Daisy" in his own message marking the "intimate and constant" friendship between the two, before conveying "my most heartfelt wishes for [your] success" to King Frederik.

"It is with warmth and affection that we honor Queen Margrethe for her unconditional commitment and extraordinary dedication to her country," King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands wrote.

"We look forward to meeting King Frederik X and Queen Mary in their new roles and will continue to cherish the deep friendship between the Netherlands and Denmark."

The royal ascent was also welcomed by Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, the president of Iceland, which was part of the Danish kingdom until 1944, when it became a republic. He sent "warm wishes" to Margrethe and offered Frederik "gratitude for the deep friendship between our countries through history and for years to come."