Danish Act of Succession

The Danish Act of Succession of March 27, 1953 was accepted after a 1953 referendum in Denmark and dictates the rules governing the Line of succession to the Danish Throne. The 1953 referendum changed the act so that it became possible for a woman to inherit the throne in the event that she has no older or younger brothers, a system known as male preference primogeniture. As the reigning King Frederick IX had three daughters and no sons, this meant that Princess Margrethe became the Heir Presumptive instead of her uncle Prince Knud. As Frederick IX's wife Queen Ingrid was not expected to (and in fact did not) have any more children, this effectively ensured that Princess Margrethe would become Queen of Denmark, which she did.

A referendum is expected to be held on June 7th, 2009 on changing the Act of Succession so that primogeniture no longer puts males over females. In other words, the first-born daughter would become heir to the throne even if she has younger brothers, which is not the case today.

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