Denmark's Queen Margrethe II announces abdication during New Years Eve address

Denmark's monarch, Queen Margrethe II, stunned the nation by announcing her abdication in a live New Year address, marking the end of her remarkable 52-year reign. The television broadcast captured the attention of the Danish people as the queen, who ascended to the throne in 1972, shared her decision to step down from the position she has held for over five decades.

She will pass on the throne to her eldest son, Fredrik, the Crown Prince of Denmark.