Queen Margrethe of Denmark has made her final public appearance as monarch ahead of her abrupt abdication next week.
The 83-year-old sovereign traveled in a luxurious carriage from Copenhagen’s Amalienborg Palace to Christiansborg Palace for a plush New Year’s reception Thursday.
The smiling queen waved to royalists lining the snowy streets of the Danish capital hoping to catch a glimpse of the royal on her final hurrah as monarch.
Her Majesty looked opulent as she made her way in the Danish Royal House’s gold coach which dates back to 1840, and is also known as “the Royal House’s finest carriage,” according to the royal’s official Instagram.
It’s not uncommon for the monarch to make her way to New Year’s celebrations in the 19th-century Gold Coach, which is pulled by six white horses and escorted by members of the Hussar Regiment.
The carriage is encrusted with a 24-carat gold leaf and is adorned with four gilded crowns on the roof.
Margrethe was escorted by members of the Hussar Regiment for her final public outing as Queen.
The monarch — third cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II — revealed in her New Year’s speech on Dec. 31 that she would be stepping down on Jan. 14.
The decision to abdicate her throne means that her son, Crown Prince Frederik, will now take the reins.
While royal experts believe that Margrethe’s decision to abdicate early was to make way for a younger ruler, others have wondered if the announcement was a way to preserve the prince’s relationship with his wife, Crown Princess Mary, amid affair rumors.
Frederik, 55, was speculated to have been unfaithful to the Australian-born marketing consultant, 51, with socialite Genoveva Casanova after photos emerged of them together during a trip to Madrid in November.
However, the Mexican native, 47, denied that any affair had taken place.
It’s since been suggested that Britain’s King Charles may be looking to make a similar move himself and step down as King in favor of his son Prince William and his wife, Princess Catherine, to take the throne while they’re still young.
Queen Margrethe’s decision to abdicate early could be to ensure that the monarchy kept up with the times — something Charles has expressed interest in implementing into his own Firm.
Margrethe will make way for Frederik to become monarch in just 9 days — on the same day that she ascended to the throne in 1972 after the death of her father, King Frederik IX.
Her abdication marks the first time in nearly 900 years that a monarch has resigned as ruler in Europe.
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