- Written by Daniela Relf
- Royal correspondent in Copenhagen
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Crowds of 100,000 lined the streets of Copenhagen to celebrate the new king
Britain had not had a new monarch for 70 years. It was the first time in Denmark in 52 years. However, I attended two “coronations” in the space of eight months.
Last May I went to Westminster Abbey for the coronation of Charles III, and on Sunday I attended the proclamation of Frederick X at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen.
In England, the centerpiece of the coronation was the anointing of the monarch and the placing of a crown on his head, a highly religious ceremony steeped in ancient tradition.
In Denmark, the abdication declaration was signed during a government meeting, and the prime minister proclaimed the new king from the balcony of his palace.
The choreography was different. In Denmark, rituals were less complex and extravagant. But what surprised him was that the two events seemed uncannily similar.
I joined over 100,000 people on the streets of Copenhagen over the weekend to witness the first change of sovereignty since 1972. Everyone was telling me it was going to be pretty low-key.
“There’s nothing like you Brits would do for a new monarch,” said one.
I was gearing up for an event that smelled of Scandinavian coolness, an event where the Danes casually handed over royal power on a chilly Sunday afternoon. That was not the case at all.
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Our correspondent expected it to be a low-key affair, but that wasn’t the case
The Queen’s abdication and the declaration of the new King brought the entire city center to a standstill for several hours. Media coverage was wall to wall.
The BBC installed a camera in front of the balcony of Christiansborg Palace. To my left was German TV, and to my right was Norwegian TV.
The Norwegian presenter arrived with a large bag, from which he assembled the table and chairs himself, literally creating his own set. She decorated the tablecloths in colors that matched the TV station’s branding, decorated with Danish and Norwegian flags.
On reflection, early signs of public involvement in this declaration were clear.
Crowds poured in from the subway, many wearing handmade crowns. I found someone who came dressed as Queen Margrethe. It is the ultimate tribute to the outgoing monarch.
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Margrethe cake (L) and Frederick
The patisserie replaced its Margrethe cakes with the new Frédéric range, and official portraits of the next king and queen were displayed in the shop window.
One interviewee said the coronation in Britain last May was so “buzzing” that they were “drowned in nostalgia”. Denmark’s approach would be very different, I was promised.
On several levels, the two monarchies are clearly different. The British royal family is grander, more formal, but still a little further away. It maintains an untouchable atmosphere.
The British Royal Family is larger and more expensive than its smaller, more compact Danish counterpart. The royal children attend state schools, and the new king and queen can go to the cinema and eat out in Copenhagen without worrying.
But the two events had a lot in common.
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King Frederick and Queen Mary waved to the crowd from the balcony of Christiansborg Castle
Like Elizabeth II, Margrethe II was the only queen an entire generation of Danes had ever known.
Both women were very popular celebrities. And there was the desire of tens of thousands of people to take part in an event that the majority had never witnessed before.
“It’s cold, but we’re so happy to be here,” one person in the crowd said to me. “It’s very special.” They said they didn’t want to call themselves royalists.
“I have something unique to share,” said another, who managed to keep his balance in a woolen hat and paper crown despite the freezing temperatures.
In a world where so much is available and easily accessible, Britain’s coronation and Denmark’s proclamation were truly new experiences for a wide range of people in both countries.
The shock felt by Danes when the Queen abdicated on New Year’s Eve really set the tone for the weekend.
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All it took was the stroke of a pen to transfer the throne from Queen Margrethe to her son, Crown Prince Frederick.
In Denmark, as in Britain, a royal change usually means the death of the monarch. Queen Margrethe wore her black on her own proclamation in 1972, while still grieving the death of her father.
But her decision to step down created a different atmosphere. There is no period of mourning, no funeral planned, no family to grieve.
The coronation ceremony, which took place in Britain last May, was designed to celebrate the birth of a new king and queen.
I interviewed dozens of guests arriving at Westminster Abbey. They were friends, charity workers and community representatives. Even during the conversation about the new monarch, there was still a sense of introspection.
It had been several months since Queen Elizabeth’s death, but she was still on people’s minds that day.
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Charles III and Prince Frederick at the Buckingham Palace reception before last year’s coronation.
The succession to the Danish throne did not take place against a background of sadness.
A final carriage journey through Copenhagen allowed Queen Margrethe to say goodbye.
The balcony moment, which brought tears to the eyes of the new king and his family, gave Danes the opportunity to formally welcome and publicly celebrate a new king for the first time in 52 years.
What unites both Charles III and Frederick I mean, are you doing it?
That’s where it gets difficult.