When will Princess Mary become queen?
After months of speculation that Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is planning to abdicate the throne and with her husband Prince Henrik’s passing yesterday, speculation is mounting that Prince Frederik and Australian-born Princess Mary will become king and queen consort sooner rather than later.
However, even with the hardship the Queen has gone through in the last year with her late husband suffering numerous health complications, Australian Women’s Weekly editor and author of The Royals in Australia, Juliet Rieden, says we shouldn’t expect to see Fred and Mary on the throne until Margrethe herself has passed away.
“I talked to a lot of people in Denmark about this and the consensus is that Queen Margrethe is very unlikely to abdicate,” Rieden told the Daily Mail.
“The only reason that she would abdicate is if she became infirm and incapable of being a queen.
“Prince Henrik hasn't been by her side for a little bit so she is already used to taking the reins on her own and done so very easily and with a lot of confidence, so I don’t imagine she will step aside now.
“Obviously Princess Mary will become Queen consort one day next to Prince Frederik who will be king, but I don’t think it will be in the next 12 months.
“You can never tell and other European monarchs have stepped aside for younger heirs but Queen Margrethe has always been very devoted to the job and she is known for that.
“There is a long tradition in Denmark for the head of state to stay in office for as long as he or she lives. In fact, the last time a Danish King resigned before he died was in 1523 so I think for Queen Margrethe to break with that historic tradition would be a big deal for Denmark.”
Having ascended to the throne in 1972, Queen Margrethe II is the second-longest-ruling Danish monarch in the country’s history.
Image credit: Det danske kongehus/Facebook.