Crown Prince Frederik, who has transformed from a rebellious teenager to a popular family man, becomes King of Denmark shortly after Queen Margrethe II suddenly abdicates.
advertisementAs Queen Margrethe II of Denmark makes the historic announcement that she will abdicate after a glorious 52-year reign, all eyes are on her poised successor to the throne, Crown Prince Frederik.
Europe’s longest-reigning monarch revealed in his New Year’s speech that he plans to hand over the throne to his son on January 14, the anniversary of his rise to power at the age of 31.
Frederic Andre Henrik Christian has been the heir to the Danish throne since his birth on May 26, 1968.
But what more do we know about the soon-to-be King of Denmark?
1) Royal family relations
Prince Frederic is the eldest son of Queen Margrethe and her late French-born husband Prince Henrik, who passed away in February 2018.
Frederick, 55, was born at a time when his maternal grandfather, Frederick IX (hence his name), ruled the Danish throne and his maternal great-grandfather, Gustav VI Adolf, held the Swedish throne. He shares his legacy with his younger brother. brother, Prince Joachim;
2) From party prince to academic great
In 1995, he achieved the milestone of becoming the first Danish royal to receive a master’s degree.
Frederick, who in the early 1990s was considered a rebellious “party prince” with a penchant for fast cars, graduated from Aarhus University with a master’s degree in political science, including a year abroad at Harvard University. As a result, his reputation changed completely.
His final paper analyzed the foreign policy of the Baltic states, a subject he had investigated firsthand during his multiple visits to the region.
3) Naval “Pingo”
Frederick has completed extensive military study and training in all three services (Navy, Army, and Air Force), and specifically completed training as a frogman in the Navy’s elite special operations unit Fromandskorpset.
Here he was affectionately nicknamed “Pingo” (Penguin) after an incident in which his wetsuit filled with water and he had to waddle like a penguin.
Crown Prince Frederik continues to play an active role in the country’s defense forces.
4) When the prince meets the consultant
In 2003, Queen Margrethe agreed to marry Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, an Australian marketing consultant whom he met during the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The royal wedding took place on May 14, 2004 at Copenhagen Cathedral and was attended by Christian (born October 15, 2005), Isabella (born April 21, 2007), and twins Vincent and Josephine (born October 2005). This was the start of a family that included four children (born on the 15th). January 8, 2011).
But in 2023, tabloids reported Frederic’s affair with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova.
Photos of the pair spending the night together in Madrid fueled the controversy, with Casanova issuing a statement denying any romantic relationship and denying the rumors as “malicious”.
The royal family declined to comment on the matter.
5) Marathon Monarch
An avid runner, Prince Frederik has completed marathons in Copenhagen, New York and Paris.
advertisementRemarkably, he became the first royal to complete Ironman in 2013.
To celebrate his 50th birthday on May 21, 2018, he launched the Royal Run, a public running event that spans Denmark’s five largest cities.
With more than 70,000 participants in its first year, including Frederik and his family, the event was a hit with the Danish public and is now an annual tradition.
6) Frederick the Fearless
Prince Frederick is known for his adventurous spirit, as evidenced by his participation in several expeditions as a film photographer, including the 1986 expedition to Mongolia and the Sirius 2000 expedition to Greenland.
Besides expeditions, Frederic also takes up cross-country skiing and has even competed in the world’s largest cross-country ski race, Vasaloppet, with Crown Prince Haakon of Norway.
advertisement7) Environmental activist
Frederick has a keen interest in climate change and sustainability and actively participates in expeditions, forums and environmental events.
This determination echoes the sentiments her mother gave in her New Year’s Eve speech last year to emphasize the urgency of tackling climate change.
“We need to deal with climate change. Its effects are not just in the future. Climate change is already here, and its effects are extreme. Difficult for some to fully understand. “Even though most Danish citizens are well aware of this, we must now find the hope and determination to do something together,” she said.