The King Continues Tradition – Addresses the Danes on New Year’s Eve

In Denmark, it is a tradition for the monarch to give a New Year’s speech to the Danes.

In 1941, Christian X’s New Year’s speech was broadcast on the radio. Prior to that, newspapers had published the speeches by the monarchs delivered at the New Year’s table.

In 1958, the speech was broadcast on TV for the first time from the New Year’s table. It was Frederik IX who became the first monarch to reach the Danes through television. In that year, the speech took the form that we know today, where the monarch speaks directly to the Danes.

When Margrethe II became the monarch, she continued the tradition and has delivered 52 New Year’s speeches – perhaps her last one will be remembered especially, as it was when she announced her abdication and passed the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik.

And tomorrow, on Tuesday, December 31st, it will be King Frederik X himself who speaks to the Danes. The speech will take place at 6 o’clock and will be broadcast on both TV and radio.

This newspaper will publish the speech translated into German tomorrow, after it has been delivered.