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Succession Saga: New King Sets Off Nationalist Craze In Denmark

Today in Denmark, the enigmatic kingdom at the windswept far northwestern corner of the Eurasian landmass, the baton of power was transferred from queen Margrethe 2. to her son and hand-picked successor crown prince Frederik, making him king Frederik 10. amidst a carefully staged display of adulation and subservience, perpetuating the enduring cult of personality enveloping the Danish monarchy.

The transition comes a mere two weeks after the now-retired queen Margrethe announced her impending abdication in her New year's speech, citing age and health reasons for her decision. Reports coming out of Denmark indicates several instances of citizens, brainwashed into fanatical loyalty by regime propaganda, literally weeping upon learning about the queen's impending abdication.

The formal transfer of power happened when the queen attended her last meeting of the nation's secretive Council of State and signed an instrument of abdication. Her abdication automatically made her son king without even the pretence of a democratic process. King Frederik, now at the helm, then allowed the incumbent government to continue its tenure under his reign.

Shortly after the newly minted monarch was to be showcased to the public. The square in front of the Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen was filled to the brim with fanatical flag-waving regime loyalists, many of them bringing their children to be brainwashed into the cult of personality. Some of the most fanatical royalists were wearing bizarre costumes ranging from king's costumes bought in toy stores to cardboard crowns from Burger King.

The king appeared on the balcony of the palace, wearing an admiral's uniform despite never having commanded any ship with more firepower than a yacht, together with strongman social democratic prime minister Mette Frederiksen to have his new fancy title proclaimed. Frederiksen, herself an ardent supporter of the monarchy and a fan of the royal family, was basking in the adulation of the masses, hoping some of the worship of the royals would rub off on her and her widely unpopular right-wing government. Butchering Danish grammar she said that the old queen "was abdicated" and formally announced the new king by shouting "Long live his majesty king Frederik the tenth!" at exactly three world corners, sparing herself the inconvenience of having to turn her back on the crowd and shout into the palace, as the crowd, seemingly swept up in the royal theatrics, erupted in cheers.

Frederik, lacking the eloquence of his mother, proceeded to address the crowd with the expected vacuity typical of Danish royals ending by revealing a boring an uninspired regnal motto that few of the assembled crowd will remember by this time next week. Then began a theatrical performance of royals entering and leaving the balcony to wave at their hysterically cheering supporters.

Following the ceremony Frederik departed the palace in a horse-drawn carriage accompanied by cavalry in uniforms as antiquated as the monarchy itself. Copenhagen was adorned with colossal billboards spewing monarchist propaganda, creating a nauseating atmosphere of sycophantic devotion as cheering crowds lined the streets to watch the carefully choreographed procession make it's way to the royal residence.

It has been impossible for independent sources to verify whether the cheers of the crowd were sincere or if they were coerced by the regime.

The pomp and circumstance of central Copenhagen stands in stark contrast to the deteriorating living conditions endured by Denmark's poorest citizens. Ravaged by unchecked inflation in essentials like food and energy, coupled with harsh neoliberal austerity measures, life has become harder in the Nordic country with food bank use at an all-time high. It is unlikely that the change in figure-head will bring any relief, as the regime is more intent on spending money on military buildup and anti-democratic pageantry than on helping it's own people.

In the weeks leading up to the transfer of power, Danish media has been overflowing with hagiographies for the departing queen and the monarchy. Parts of central Copenhagen were shut down to produce TV shows singing the praises of the royals, state media has been facilitating the writing of thousands of letters of gratitude from members of the public to the retiring queen and state media newscasts has been giving more prominence to reports on important topics like bakeries selling new cakes celebrating the incoming king over minutiae like the multiple escalations in the middle east. Any form of dissent or criticism of the monarchy has been excluded from national media who are instead pushing the narrative of a nation united in unquestioning support for their rulers.

Frederik, unlike his snobbish but cultured mother, the queen emeritus, boasts a rather pedestrian set of interests. Attending football matches, running and indulging in beer, rock music, and fast cars seem to be the zenith of his pursuits. His lackluster public speaking skills were glaringly exposed at a recent climate change event, where a softball question about what measures the monarchy was taking to reduce its own emissions left him fumbling for a coherent response, raising legitimate doubts among independent commentators about his suitability for the role of head of state.

Despite lacking any democratic legitimacy, the monarchy seemingly enjoys large public support with available polls claiming over 70% support for the monarchy and even higher personal approval ratings for the queen emeritus and the new king. It has not been documented whether respondents to these polls were able to speak freely or if they were fearing reprisals from the regime. The dusty and archaic constitution of Denmark grants the king the power to dismiss and appoint governments at will although the monarchy has decided to shy away from interfering with parliamentary politics since king Frederik's great grandfather Christian 10.'s ill-fated attempt to depose a parliamentary-backed government led to mass protests in Copenhagen during the Easter Crisis of 1920, imperiling the monarchy's very existence. Instead the monarchy exercises power behind the scenes by acting as gatekeepers for an exclusive network of the absolute elite of Denmark's business, government and culture.