On 14 January 2022, it has been 50 years since Frederik IX passed away and HM The Queen succeeded her father on the throne. Following the accession to the throne in 1972, one of the first things that occurred was a meeting of the Council of State, which is the constitutional procedure. The meeting took place at Christiansborg Palace on Saturday, 15 January 1972 at 14.00 immediately before the proclamation in which the then-prime minister Jens Otto Krag announced The Queen from the balcony at Christiansborg Palace.

The Council of State began with the prime minister offering condolences on behalf of the government for the loss of the king, after which The Queen called on the government – which was appointed by Frederik IX – to continue.

Afterwards, a number of important documents were presented to The Queen for signature. Among others, these included a proclamation of The Queen’s accession to the throne, a formal message to the Danish Parliament about the accession, a government order about the royal monogram as well as affirmation of privileges, prepared or confirmed during the reign of Frederik IX.

The next day, the documents were made public in The Danish Gazette, which was published on Sunday, 16 January 1972 in a special edition exclusively containing the notifications concerning the accession.