Aarhus, Denmark –
The Danish royal family took part in a special “celebration service” at Aarhus Cathedral on Sunday, with new King Frederick X accompanied by his wife Queen Mary and mother Queen Margrethe outside the 12th-century building, Denmark’s tallest church. He waved to the assembled crowd. Country.
The royal family drove 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) through Denmark’s second-largest city, Aarhus, from their royal residence, Marcelisborg Castle, to Aarhus Cathedral.
The service came just a week after Frederic, 55, was declared king after his 83-year-old mother, Margrethe, signed his abdication papers at a meeting with the government.
Aarhus resident Christina Elmström said she hoped Frederick and Queen Mary would change the Danish monarchy “in their own way.” She took her children to experience the “big, big event.”
“So it was an opportunity to go and meet the new king, so the kids are really looking forward to it,” she said.
Henrik Wypoulsen, bishop of the Aarhus diocese, told The Associated Press that he had only a few weeks to plan the service and that Frederick was involved in the planning.
“Usually this project takes three months, but we took two and a half weeks, so we were very busy,” he said. “I have selected some hymns to sing, and the King said that I would like to sing these hymns.”
The hour-long service marked Frederick’s first official visit as king outside Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen.
Police estimated that about 70,000 people would line up on the main road.
“I think he will be the people’s king,” said Charlotte Homan, a resident of Aarhus. “He will embrace the people… There will be a different way of governing. I don’t think it will be so top-down, but he will embrace the people, different kinds of people. And also there will be somewhere on this high pedestal. I’m not doing it.”