Denmark has a new king. Frederick X is the eldest son of recently abdicated Queen Margrethe II.
Her abdication, announced on New Year’s Eve, came as a surprise to many (and had previously said she would never abdicate, leading to much speculation about its timing). Yet today begins a new reign for King Frederick X and his wife Queen Mary (formerly Crown Princess Mary, aka Mary Donaldson of Australia). Their son, 18-year-old Prince Christian, is now the Crown Prince of Denmark. With all eyes on the Danish royal family, here’s a guide to their family tree.
Queen Margrethe II (born 1940)
Queen Margrethe in 2021.
queen margrethe ii She was born Princess Margrethe Alexandrine Thorhildur Ingrid on April 16, 1940, the eldest daughter. King Frederick IX (Born in 1899, died in 1972) queen ingrid (born 1910, died 2000) was the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark at the time, and was my grandfather. king christian x (Born in 1870, died in 1947), was on the throne. Margrethe comes from both royal families. Her father was naturally a member of the Danish royal family and her mother Ingrid was a member of the Swedish royal family and was the only daughter of the Swedish royal family. King Gustav VI Adolf (born 1882, died 1973). Margrethe has two younger sisters. princess benedict (born 1944) and princess annemarie (Born in 1946). Anne Marie ends up marrying the Queen of Greece. King Constantine II (born 1940, died 2023) and becomes Queen of Greece until the Greek monarchy is abolished.
In 1953, when Denmark’s constitution was amended to allow women to inherit the throne, Margrethe became heir presumptive at the age of 13. In 1967 she married a French diplomat. Henri de Laborde de Monpezat (Please refer to the following) and they had two sons, prince frederick (Please refer to the following) and prince joachim (Please refer to the following). In 2022 she celebrated her Golden Jubilee and in 2024 she abdicated her throne.
Prince Henrik (born 1934, died 2018)
Prince Margrethe and Prince Henrik in 1967.
Born June 11, 1934. Henri de Laborde de Monpezat was the son of Count Andre de Laborde de Montpezat (born 1907, died 1998) and his partner Countess of Montpezat (née René Yvonne d’Ursnot) (born 1908, died 2001). He was the second of nine children and grew up in Hanoi and then French Indonesia (now Vietnam).
He served in the French Army in the Algerian War and then worked in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While he was working at the French Embassy in London, he met then-Princess Margrethe, who was studying at the London School of Economics. They dated in secret for a year before marrying in June 1967. Upon marriage, he converted to Lutheranism and his name was Danicized to Henrik, making him Prince Henrik.
He briefly left the country in 2002 because he had long been dissatisfied with his role and felt “sidelined, degraded and humiliated”. “I was Denmark’s number two for many years,” he said at the time. “I’m happy with the role, but I don’t want to be relegated to third after so many years.”
In 2008, Margrethe announced that her descendants would also receive the title Count or Countess of Montpezat, in recognition of her husband’s family. Prince Henrik renounced her title as Prince Consort in 2016 and said in 2017 that he did not want to be buried next to Queen Margrethe. He died in 2018, survived by his queen, her sons, and eight grandchildren.
King Frederick X (born 1968)
In 2018, Frederick, then Crown Prince.
The eldest son of Margrethe and Henrik. king frederik x He was born on May 26, 1968, and four years later, his mother ascended the throne and became Crown Prince. He attended primary school in Denmark and attended a boarding school in France for a year before graduating. He attended Aarhus University and one year at Harvard University, becoming the first member of the Danish royal family to receive a university education.
Frederick and Mary and their children, Prince Vincent, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella and Princess Josephine, 2022.
He met Mary Donaldson at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. They married in 2004 and Frederick and Mary have her four children. prince christian (Born in 2005, Please refer to the following), princess isabella (born 2007), twins prince vincent and princess josephine (Born in 2011).
Queen Mary (born 1972)
In 2012, Mary, then Crown Princess of Denmark.
Birth of new Queen of Denmark mary elizabeth donaldson February 5, 1972, in Tasmania, Australia, daughter of Scottish parents. john donaldson (born 1941) and henrietta Donaldson (née Horne) (Born in 1942, died in 1997). After her mother died from complications from heart surgery, her father remarried. susan elizabeth horwood (born 1940), novelist. Mary is the youngest of four children.
She graduated from the University of Tasmania in 1994 and then worked in an advertising agency. She was working at a real estate company when she met Prince Frederick, and she moved to Denmark in December 2001. She acquired Danish citizenship upon her marriage to the Crown Prince in 2004, and she converted to Lutheranism. Mary is known for her stylish fashion and her advocacy work. As mentioned earlier, she and Frederick have four children.
crown prince christian
Prince Christian in 2022.
The new Crown Prince of Denmark prince christian (born 2005), eldest son of King Frederick X and Queen Mary. He was born on October 15, 2005, and celebrated his 18th birthday this fall with a glamorous gala in Copenhagen.
In June 2023, he announced that he would refuse royal allowances, but that is likely to change once his father ascends the throne and he becomes a full-time royal. “Prince Christian’s main priority for the coming year is the completion of his upper secondary education,” the royal family said in a statement at the time. “Continuing this, the Palace will provide information on further youth and education courses for Prince Christian at the appropriate time. It has therefore been agreed with the Prime Minister’s Office that support will only be sought in the following areas: ” [Danish Parliament] The purpose is to enact laws regarding pensions for the crown prince when he turns 21, or if there is a possibility of a change in the throne. ”
Prince Joachim (born 1969)
Count Felix, Princess Marie, Prince Joachim, Countess Athena, Count Henrik, Count Nikolai, 2022.
King Frederick’s younger brother prince joachimBorn on June 7, 1969. He served in the Danish army.
married in 1995 Alexandra Christina Manley (born 1964), Hong Kong-born sales executive. When she married, she became Princess Alexandra and had two sons. Count Nikolai (Born in 1999)Margrethe and Henrik’s first grandchild, and Count Felix (Born in 2002). In 2004, Alexandra and Joachim announced that they were divorcing. She remarried Martin Jorgensen in 2007, losing her princess title, but they divorced in 2015 after eight and a half years of marriage.She is currently known as Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.
Prince Joachim remarried Marie Cavalier (born 1976) in 2007, and is now known as Marie Cavallier. princess marie. they have two children, Count Henrik (born in 2009) and Countess Athena (Born in 2012). As of January 1, 2023, all four of Prince Joachim’s children no longer use the titles “Prince” or “Princess” but remain in line of succession to the throne.
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie moved to Washington, D.C. this fall as they accepted new positions at the Department of Defense as defense industry attachés at the Danish embassy in Washington, D.C.
Danish royal line of succession in 2024:
When King Frederik ascends the throne, his line of succession to the throne will be followed by his four children: his brother, his younger brother’s children, and his aunt Princess Benedicte. The order of succession to the Danish throne is as follows:
- crown prince christian
- princess isabella
- prince vincent
- princess josephine
- prince joachim
- Count Nikolai
- Count Felix
- Count Henrik
- Countess Athena
- princess benedict
Emily Black (she/her) is Town & Country’s senior news editor, covering entertainment, culture, the royal family and a variety of other topics. Before she joined T&C, she was an associate editor at the Jewish cultural site She Hey Alma. Follow her at @emburack twitter And Instagram.