COPENHAGEN: Denmark turned a page in its history on Sunday as Queen Margrethe abdicated the throne and her son became King Frederik X, with more than 100,000 Danes turning out for the unprecedented event.

After a final procession in a horse-drawn carriage through the streets of Copenhagen, the hugely popular 83-year-old queen signed a declaration of abdication at Christiansborg Palace — a first in 900 years in Denmark — ending her 52-year reign and automatically making her son monarch.

She then left the Council of State, also attended by the government, the new king, his wife and their 18-year-old eldest son, the new Crown Prince Christian.

She left the room with tears in her eyes, saying: “God bless the king.”

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was to proclaim 55-year-old Frederik the new king on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace, the seat of parliament and government, at 3:00 pm (1400 GMT), with his wife Queen Mary at his side. Australian-born Mary is the first commoner to become queen in Denmark.

“It’s just exciting that an ordinary person like us becomes a queen. It’s very exciting!” said Judy Langtree, a retiree waiting outside Christiansborg who flew with her granddaughter from Brisbane, Australia to watch the succession.

Despite the freezing winter weather, huge crowds had gathered along the procession route and outside Christiansborg, bundled up in warm parkas and some wrapped in Danish flags to catch a glimpse of the new sovereign.

Copenhagen police had predicted a turnout of more than 100,000 people in the streets.

This is only the second time a Danish sovereign has stepped down — the last one was Erik III, almost nine centuries ago in 1146. There was a heavy police presence in the capital, which was decked out in red-and-white flags for the occasion.

Aske Julius, a 27-year-old Copenhagen resident, called Margrethe “the embodiment of Denmark... the soul of the nation.” “More than half of the Danish population has never known anything else but the queen,” he said. Portraits and banners around the capital thanked the queen for her years of service, with cheeky signs in the metro declaring “Thanks for the Ride, Margrethe”.

Others read “Long Live the King”.

Apart from the abdication, the protocol was largely similar to previous royal successions in Denmark.