Thousands of people gathered on Sunday in Copenhagen to witness a passing of the throne in one of the world’s oldest monarchies.

Queen Margrethe II, Denmark’s longest reigning monarch, was set to give the crown to Frederik, her first-born son, on Sunday and huge crowds began gathering in front of the parliament.

Margrethe stunned the nation of nearly six million on New Year’s Eve when she announced her decision to abdicate after 52 years as queen, becoming the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to voluntarily relinquish the throne.

There will be no coronation, but the succession will take place in parliament at around 1pm (GMT), the moment Margrethe, 83, signs the declaration of her abdication.

People from all over Denmark converged on the capital in a sign of the huge popularity the monarchy is enjoying.

“I was in shock and started crying when the queen said on New Year’s Eve she would abdicate,” said Karen Holk Jeppesen, 31, a communications consultant, standing in front of parliament where the new king will be proclaimed later on Sunday.

Jeppesen, who arrived in Copenhagen with her sister on Saturday, said she booked a hotel in the capital the day after the queen’s announcement.

“It’s very rare to witness a real historical moment that you know will be written about in the history books,” she said.

Queen Margrethe, affectionately known as Daisy after the marguerite flower, was congratulated by her cousin Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, who himself celebrated 50 years on the throne in September last year.

“Your Majesty, dear Cousin Daisy! When you step down today from your high office as Queen of Denmark, I want to say a warm thank you for the good cooperation over the years,” the Swedish king said on Instagram.

The crown prince, 55, and his Australian-born wife Mary, 51, who will become queen, were scheduled to leave the royal palace at 12.35pm (GMT) in a 1958 Rolls-Royce. Margrethe will follow by horse carriage a few minutes later to take her final ride as monarch through the streets of the capital.

The signing of the abdication will take place during a meeting of the Council of State at parliament where government ministers, Frederik and his oldest son Christian, 18, and the new heir to the throne, will participate.

Soon after, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen will proclaim the new king on the balcony of the parliament and Frederik will give a short speech, before the new king and his wife ride by carriage back to the palace.

The Amalienborg complex, built in the 1750s, is located in central Copenhagen and consists of four palaces built around an octagonal courtyard. It is home to both the outgoing queen and the new reigning couple.

Major back surgery

Margrethe, who in the past had said she would remain on the throne for life, did not give an exact reason for her decision to step down but said that a major back surgery she underwent in February last year had made her consider her future.

“It could be that she thinks Prince Frederik is prepared to take over now,” said Lars Hovbakke Sorensen, a historian and associate professor at University College Absalon in Denmark.

“He’s 55, and maybe the queen wanted to avoid a situation where you would have a very, very old king, as you saw with Prince Charles.” The British king was 73 when he ascended the throne after his mother Elizabeth II died in September 2022 aged 96.

The new king and queen will take the throne at a time of huge public support and enthusiasm for the monarchy. The most recent survey done after Margrethe announced she would abdicate indicated that 82 per cent of Danes expect Frederik to do well or very well in his new role, while 86 per cent said the same about Mary.