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The first Australian-born queen has joined her husband, Denmark's King Frederik X, in a joyous and emotional presentation to the Danish people an hour after ascending the throne.
Queen Margrethe II, 83, abdicated on Sunday afternoon (early Monday AEDT), ending five decades on the Danish throne and leaving her son, King Frederik, to lead the monarchy along with Queen Mary, the first Australian-born queen.
About 2pm (1am Monday AEDT) tens of thousands of gathered wellwishers burst into cheers as the doors to Copenhagen's Christiansborg Palace opened and Frederik emerged clad in military dress to wave at his subjects with white-gloved hands.
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The beaming monarch wiped away a tear before being proclaimed by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who symbolically turned her body to indicate the country's new direction, before a rousing rendition of the Danish equivalent of three cheers.
"My hope is to become a unifying king of tomorrow," Frederik said.
"It is a task I have approached all my life.
"I want to return the trust I meet. I need trust from my beloved wife, you and that which is greater than us."
Queen Mary emerges
Then it was the moment Australian royal watchers had been waiting for: Queen Mary.
Shining in all white, the queen waved with one hand and clasped her husband's waist with the other, before they turned and embraced, a world away from her Tasmanian upbringing and the Sydney pub where they met.
The royal children, including new heir Prince Christian, quickly followed before Mary and Frederik were left alone once again.
A kiss prompted a fresh round of cheers as cannons fired over the Nyhavn River and then the new faces of the Danish monarchy were gone.
The royal couple began their short and relatively pomp-free journey under cloudy, cold Copenhagen skies in a historic day for both countries, a happier-than-usual transfer of power thanks to Denmark's first abdication for almost 900 years.
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Australians brave winter cold to celebrate Mary
The odd Australian flag fluttered amid crowds of excited Danes along Toldbodgade as the royal couple set out from Frederik VIII's Palace, Amalienborg, to Christiansborg Palace just after 1.35pm (11.35pm AEDT) on Sunday.
"I think it's good that she's not from royalty and has a normal Australian background. We can relate more to that, because she's from a middle-class background, and we are too," said Judy Langtree, who made the long journey from Brisbane with her daughter to witness the royal event.
Minutes behind, Queen Margrethe, who set this historic day in action with a New Year's Eve speech announcing her intention to abdicate after 52 years to the day on the throne, started her own ride to end her reign.
The outgoing royal beamed and waved a gloved hand from inside a grand black carriage accompanied by tens of thousands of wellwishers on her short journey to end her reign.
The horseback Guard Hussar Regiment and police on motorbikes accompanied the tassled coach on the queen's kilometre-long journey from the neighbouring Christian IX's Palace to Christiansborg.
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History made in two countries with no-fuss document signing
From there, Margrethe, clad in magenta, signed a declaration of her abdication during a Council of State meeting at Christiansborg Palace, a vast complex that houses the royal reception rooms and royal stables as well as the Danish parliament, the prime minister's office and the Supreme Court.
Footage from inside the room later showed Margrethe and Frederik smiling as they took turns to sign the papers that made the transition official.
"God save the King," she said as she left the room, after Christian handed her a walking stick.
About 2.15pm (12.15am Monday AEDT), the crowd erupted in cheers and bells rang out as motorcyclists in bright yellow flanked the departure of Margrethe, no longer queen, through a throng of red and white flags.
The pomp was sparse compared to the extravagant ceremony surrounding the ascension to the throne and coronation of King Charles, Australia's head of state, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth.
Footage from inside the palace showed Margrethe sitting, smiling and calmly signing the abdication papers with a minimum of ceremony before her oldest son took her place both literally in the chair and figuratively on the throne.
Huge crowds turn out to watch history
But that didn't stop huge crowds of Danes, and more than a few boisterously dressed Australians, braving 3 degrees in Copenhagen to watch history in the making.
Sweden's King Carl sent a heartfelt message to his "dear cousin Daisy", expressing his warm thanks for their years of cooperation.
Though Margrethe was entering a new role, their friendship would remain, the king said, thanking her for guaranteeing the closeness of the two countries and houses over the years.
After a small function for specially invited guests, the new king and queen were proclaimed from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace at 3pm (1am AEDT), followed by a short speech and a cannon salute.
Later, there will be a formal transfer of the royal colours and a reception to celebrate the accession.
The abdication leaves Denmark with two queens: Margrethe keeps her title.
A chance meeting in a Sydney pub
Mary famously met King Frederik X, then a prince, in a Sydney pub 24 years ago, supposedly without having any idea who he was.
She was born in Hobart, the youngest of Scottish academics John, a professor of applied mathematics, and late mother Henrietta, one-time executive assistant to the vice-chancellor of the University of Tasmania.
Her hometown on the Derwent River just south of the capital was celebrating today, hours before the former estate agent ascended the throne.
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Copenhagen's streets featured a few hastily improvised nods to the royal shakeup.
People from across Denmark gathered outside parliament, with many swarming streets decorated with red-and-white Danish flags.
Several shops hung photos of Margrethe and Frederik, while city buses were adorned with smaller Danish flags as is customary during royal events. Many others across the kingdom of nearly 6 million people followed a live television broadcast of the historic event.
La Glace bakery, which has a 150-year history of making cakes in tribute to the royal, had locals queuing up with its tribute.
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After selling Queen Margrethe cakes for 52 years, the workers had days to come up with a recipe for King Frederick.
Denmark's royal transition was sparked just weeks ago by her bombshell announcement on New Year's Eve, revealing her intention to abdicate within weeks, citing health issues.
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NYE abdication shocks country
The news that Frederik's hugely popular mother, the world's only reigning queen, would relinquish the throne, shocked Danes, who had expected her to live out her days on the throne, as is tradition in the Danish monarchy.
Margrethe underwent major back surgery last February and didn't return to work until April.
Even the prime minister was unaware of the queen's intentions until right before the announcement. Margrethe had informed Frederik and his younger brother Joachim just three days earlier, the Berlingske newspaper wrote, citing the royal palace.
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Opinion polls show when it comes to who's the most popular royal after Margrethe, it's Mary.
A survey — commissioned by Denmark's public broadcaster DR — published on Friday showed that 79 per cent of the 1037 people polled by the Epinion polling institute said they believed Frederik was prepared to take the reigns and 83 per cent said they thought Mary was ready to become queen.
The survey margin of error was 3 percentage points, DR said.
– Reported with Associated Press
