Federico new king of Denmark. The monarch, who this Sunday ascended to the throne after the abdication of his mother, Queen Margaret II, has expressed his desire to be “a unifying king”.

This was stated in a brief speech before thousands of Danes from the balcony of Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen, where he was later accompanied by his wife, Queen Mary, and her four childrenheaded by new crown prince, Christian.

The accession of Frederick sign his mother’s abdication declaration. The sovereign’s carriage arrived to applause and thousands of flags waving for the ceremony. “I think it is a special day, a historic day. It happens once in a lifetime,” said a Danish woman among the attendees.

Queen Margaret announced her surprise abdication on December 31, in his New Year’s Eve speech. After 52 years on the throne, he was the last woman at the head of a royal houseEuropean and now he leaves a country that, according to polls, is still monarchical, where only 15% of Danes feel republican.

His son, Frederick, comes to the throne at the age of 55. Professor of Political Science, he is married to Mary Donaldson, an Australian woman of non-royal blood. Federico takes his children to public schools, celebrates his birthday by running marathons and has spoken out in favor of the fight against climate change.

He has, however, been the protagonist of some controversy in recent years, such as when he broke the ban on driving on a bridge in the middle of a storm, his problematic career as a member of the International Olympic Committee or the recent photos in Madrid with Genoveva Casanovaan incident that the Royal Family has not commented on despite some criticism in Denmark.