Queen Margrethe may have abdicated to salvage son Prince Frederik’s marriage

Could Queen Margrethe II of Denmark’s decision to abdicate her throne in favor of her son Crown Prince Frederik be a ploy to save his marriage?

The 83-year-old sovereign — 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.

Some 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.

Royal expert Phil Dampier gave his two cents about the Queen’s decision, telling the Telegraph that it is “an extraordinary coincidence that she should make this unexpected announcement just a couple of months after stories emerged of the Crown Prince supposedly having an affair.

“In two weeks’ time, the Prince and Princess will be pitched together as King and Queen and they will have to get on with it,” Dampier explained.

He added: “The Queen may be thinking that they will patch up their differences and it will save their marriage.”

On Monday night, Frederik and Mary put on a united front when they attended the New Year’s gala at Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Margrethe will make way for Frederik to become monarch in just 12 days — on the same day that she ascended to the throne in 1972 after the death of her father, King Frederik IX.

“In two weeks’ time I have been Queen of Denmark for 52 years,” she declared in her speech. “Such an amount will leave its mark on anybody — also on me! The time takes its toll, and the number of ‘ailments’ increases. One cannot undertake as much as one managed in the past.”

She explained that the back surgery that she underwent last year “gave cause to thoughts about the future — whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation.

“I have decided that now is the right time. On 14th January, 2024 — 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father — I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I will hand over the throne to my son Crown Prince Frederik.”

Queen Margrethe will become the first monarch in Denmark to step down in over 500 years.