Queen Margrethe of Denmark Told Heir Prince Frederik About Abdication 3 Days Before World Knew: Report

Historian Mie Ellekilde said the reign change would be a "huge upheaval" in Frederik's life whenever the day came

Did Queen Margrethe of Denmark give Crown Prince Frederik a 72-hour notice about her abdication and his accession?

In a surprise revelation to a local newspaper, the Danish Royal House’s head of communications said that Queen Margrethe told her sons Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim that she was stepping down just three days before she shared the news with the world. The 83-year-old Queen shocked Denmark when she used her annual speech on New Year’s Eve to announce that she was abdicating on Jan. 14 and that Frederik would become king.

"I can confirm that the Queen informed both the Crown Prince and Prince Joachim about the decision on 28 December," Lene Balleby, director of communications for The Royal House of Denmark, told Berlingske on Wednesday.

The official declined to disclose when the court and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen were notified of the huge news. "I can only state that it has been a very short run-up," Balleby said.

Related: Prince Joachim of Denmark to Attend Mom Queen Margrethe's Abdication Solo After She Stripped His Kids' Titles

Frederiksen was said to completely change her New Year speech to discuss the Queen’s abdication. Though the prime minister’s annual address typically focuses on domestic issues and government plans for the year ahead, Frederiksen instead spoke about how Queen Margrethe brought the people of Denmark together for over 50 years years. Margrethe became Queen at age 31 on Jan. 14, 1972, following the sudden death of her father King Frederik IX, and 52 years later, the Jan. 14 date will now double as Frederik’s accession anniversary with the change of reign.

Queen Margrethe will also become the first Danish sovereign to voluntarily step down from the throne in nearly 900 years, according to the Danish Royal House. Historian Mie Ellekilde speculated that the gravity of the announcement made Queen Margrethe wait to tell her inner circle.

"In Denmark, we don't have a tradition of abdications, so it seems quite outrageous that Crown Prince Frederik hasn't had more than three days to get used to the idea of ​​being the country's new monarch after the Queen has made her decision," Ellekilde told Berlingske. "Otherwise, one could well imagine that it is such a decision that the Queen would like to consult with her successor to find out if he is ready to take on that responsibility. Although he has known it would come one day, it is still a huge upheaval in his life."

Related: Danish Royal House Announces New Titles amid Queen Margrethe's Shock Abdication

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary stepped out on Jan. 1 for the New Year’s banquet at Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen for their first public appearance since the abdication announcement.

Queen Margrethe gave a wave as she entered the palace, while Frederik and Mary smiled as they arrived together.

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Unlike King Charles and Queen Camilla in England, the royal couple won’t have a coronation ceremony. Instead, Queen Margrethe will sign a declaration of abdication at a Council of State at Christiansborg Palace on Sunday afternoon, and Frederik will immediately become king. A proclamation of the new reign will then be made from the palace balcony, where the prime minister will announce King Frederik as monarch.

Courtiers previously confirmed that Queen Margrethe’s son will be called King Frederik the 10th, and his wife will be known as Queen Mary. Their 18-year-old son Prince Christian will become the Crown Prince of Denmark, and their three younger children, Princess Isabella, 16, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 13, will all move up a spot in the line of succession.

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