Margrethe II abdicated as Queen of Denmark on 14 January 2024, the 52nd anniversary of her accession, being the first voluntary abdication of a Danish monarch since that of Eric III in 1146.
Margrethe made the announcement of her abdication during her New Year's Eve address on 31 December 2023. On 14 January, Margrethe signed a declaration of her abdication during a meeting of the Council of State, whereafter her elder son Crown Prince Frederik succeeded to the Danish throne as King Frederik X. Per Danish state custom, the prime minister of Denmark then proclaimed the accession of the new monarch from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace.