ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Rob Schmitz. New year, new sovereign. That's what's happening in Denmark, at least, after Queen Margrethe II announced in a New Year's address that she's stepping down later this month. The queen's 52-year reign is the longest by a monarch in Danish history. But after recovering from back surgery last year, Margrethe said the time to pass the throne on to the next generation is now. She'll be succeeded by her son Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, on January 14.
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