In Denmark, the Monarch always gives a live TV address during New Years Eve. This year, it contained a bit of breaking news: The fact that she is abdicating on January 14th, and that her son, Crown prince Frederik, will become the Monarch instead.
Probably unsurprisingly to all, I am not for monarchies, even as symbolic and defanged as in Denmark, and I had hoped that we could do away with it after the current monarch. Unfortunately it probably won’t happen this time.
Source: Queen of Denmark Margrethe II announces abdication live on TV
I don’t feel strongly either way about constitutional monarchies. If they can be discarded without collateral damage (e.g. a US-style republic), that’s fine. Anyway, since support for the monarchy in Denmark is about 70%, it’s not going any time soon.
I think you will see that the support for the monarchy will drop dramatically after Queen Margrethe is gone. She is much more popular than her son.
So Denmark might have its next chance to drop its monarchy at the same time the UK, Canada, and whoever else has the current British monarchy as head of state does. Because I expect Charles will be like his mom and grandmother and still be around in his 90s. Canada isn’t likely to drop the monarchy voluntarily because that would mean reopening the 1982 Constitution and its big can of worms.
@2
Agreed. I think that made it unrealistic for the monarchy to end now. She’s way too well-respected. Now, if Frederik blows it, things may look quite different in a few decades. He’s got some big shoes to fill.
Personally, I’d like it if we at least changed the constitution to officially divest the monarch of political power. At the moment, they’re apolitical, but only by tradition, not by law. In principle, the monarch can disband the government at the stroke of a pen. Yes, it would lead to an immediate constitutional crisis, but it wouldn’t be illegal.