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Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary brave the rain.Credit:Sipa

The pair smiled and wished journalists a happy new year,but Frederik,who will be officially crowned on January 14,did not want to answer questions from the press about his mother’s decision. Danish newspapers reported only a handful within the royal house knew of her plans.

Before the pair entered Christian VII’s Palace,they turned in the doorway and waved to loud applause from those gathered – confirmation of the findings of a newly released poll that put their approval ratings at stratospheric levels. They were followed by the outgoing queen,who wore a pink dress and a grey-brown fur coat. Both she and Mary wore tiaras.

The queen,shielded from the rain by an umbrella,smiled broadly as she walked from the royal car into the palace,where courtiers greeted her.

Despite the rain,locals and tourists turned up in large numbers at Amalienborg earlier in the day as the country came to grips with the end of Margrethe’s 52-year reign.

Tourists with selfie sticks,young couples with small children and elderly people with umbrellas stood to get a glimpse of a royal arrival and the earlier changing of the guard.

Laerke Jarvig,a 17-year-old from Copenhagen arrived with her family outside the palace to toast the new year and a soon-to-be king and queen with a glass of champagne.

“I think it is something special that the queen passes the throne on to Frederik. She shows respect and faith that he can take on the task,” she said.

Klaus Korno Rasmussen,who visited the palace with his daughter,Nore,said he was in high school when Margrethe became queen.

“Back then I was a happy hippie and did not support the royal house,” he said. “But I really thought it was a shame for her to stand on the balcony the day after her father’s death. She stood there and was completely devastated.”

Nore said the queen’s decision to pass the baton was in line with her modern approach to the monarchy.

“She does it at a time when she still has the overview and can decide how it should happen. I think that is quite nice,” she said.

The royal pair’s ascension to the throne comes after a difficult year in the 1150-year history of the Danish monarchy after the queen decided to remove royal titles from the children of Prince Joachim,her second child. She did this as part of efforts to slim the monarchy and give her grandchildren more normal lives,but it led to unprecedented public criticism from her own family.

In recent weeks,there had also been speculation around a late-night appearance Frederik made with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova. Casanova has dismissed speculation of any romantic links as rubbish.

A poll,commissioned for Denmark’s public radio station,DR,and published at the weekend,reported approval ratings for the crown prince and crown princess at 84 and 85 per cent – on par with Queen Margrethe.

The survey,conducted by Epinion,asked 1038 representatively selected Danes aged 18 and over their opinion of the senior royals. Only 5 per cent responded that they had a negative opinion of Mary,while 6 per cent frowned upon Frederik.

“These are really good numbers and bear witness to a royal house that is ready for a change of throne when the time is right,” DR’s royal house correspondent Cecilie Nielsen said.

“I think most politicians would give their right arm for that kind of figure.”

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