On 31 December 2023, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announced that she is abdicating in favour of her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, bringing the world’s spotlight on the members of the European royal family who are in the line of succession.
The Queen, who is 83 years old, is the longest-reigning monarch in Europe, following Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022. Queen Margrethe II is currently the only female monarch in the world. Her abdication means that it will be the first time in 70 years that the world won’t have a female sovereign.
She will step down on 14 January 2024. On the same day, her son will be proclaimed the new King of Denmark.
Why did Queen Margrethe II decide to abdicate?
Queen Margrethe II succeeded her father, Frederick IX, to the throne of Denmark upon the latter’s death on 14 January 1972.
In 1967, she married Prince Henrik of Denmark. The prince served as her royal consort till his death in 2018.
She announced her abdication in her New Year’s Eve address, during which she referred to the successful back operation she underwent earlier in 2023.
“The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future — whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,” she said about the operation, which was conducted in February.
“I have decided that now is the right time. On 14 January 2024 – 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father – I will step down as queen of Denmark,” she said, adding, “I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.”
Who are Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary?
Crown Prince Frederik, the first in line to the throne of Denmark, will succeed his mother on 14 January 2024. He was born on 26 May 1968 as the eldest child of the Queen.
Crown Prince Frederik created headlines around the world when he married Mary Elizabeth Donaldson on 14 May 2004. The Crown Princess, who will become the Queen Consort once Frederik takes the throne, was born in Tasmania in Australia and has no royal heritage.
Her commoner status and simplicity endeared Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth to the world. She is seen as one of the most popular royals to this day, primarily for her support for humanitarian causes through The Mary Foundation in 2007 and the LGBTQ+ community.
The royal residences of the Crown Prince Couple are Frederik VIII’s Palace at Amalienborg and the Chancellery House at Fredensborg Palace.
The Crown Prince acts as the regent when the Queen is out of the country. He is an active member of the Danish armed forces and has held the rank of commander in the navy and colonel in the army and the air force since 2010.
In November 2023, there were reports that the Crown Prince was having an affair with Mexican-born socialite Geneveva Casanova. The reports started doing the rounds after they were photographed together during the Crown Prince’s private trip to the Spanish capital Madrid.
However, Casanova denied the allegations. On the other hand, the Crown Prince couple hosted King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain in a move that showed that they were united.
Will there be a coronation of the new King of Denmark?
Unlike the pomp and show with which a British monarch accedes to the throne, the new Danish king will be formally announced to the world with a proclamation made from Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen.
Therefore, there will be no coronation ceremony like the one seen in 2023 when King Charles III took to the throne. The proclamation system was introduced when Denmark became a constitutional monarchy in 1849 with the adoption of the Danish Constitution, one of the oldest constitutions in the world. King Christian VIII, who was crowned in 1840 thus remains the last crowned King of Denmark.
When Queen Margrethe II was proclaimed the monarch a day after her father’s death, there was no fanfare even though thousands gathered outside the Christiansborg Palace.
Following the proclamation of Crown Prince Frederik as the new monarch of Denmark, the royal standard will be lowered at Christian IX’s Palace and re-raised at Frederik VIII’s Palace, Amalienborg. The new King and Queen Consort will then ride in a carriage, escorted by the Guard Hussar Regiment’s mounted squadron, from Christiansborg Palace to Frederik VIII’s Palace.
The Danish Royal House announced that those who wish to celebrate can download and use the official portraits of the Queen, Crown Prince, the Crown Prince Couple and Prince Christian as well as the royal crown from 8 January until 21 January 2024.
Denmark’s royal family members and the line of succession
Denmark is Europe’s oldest monarchy. The country has been ruled by monarchs for over 1,000 years. Queen Margrethe II traces her lineage all the way back to King Gorm the Old, believed to be born around 900 AD, and his son, Harald Bluetooth, who was born around 940 AD.
The current Denmark royal family is known as the House of Glücksburg. It has been on the Danish throne for close to 160 years, starting with King Christian IX in 1863. The House of Glücksburg also includes some other prominent reigning monarchs and royal families of Europe, most significantly King Charles III who is a member of the house through his father, the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Since 2008, the sons and grandchildren of Queen Margrethe II have been conferred with the title of Count of Monpezat as a title of nobility.
Prince Christian
Prince Christian Valdemar Henri Jean was born on 15 October 2005. He is the oldest child of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark. He was named in the royal Danish tradition in which the first-born son of a monarch is alternately named Frederik and Christian.
He is expected to be the heir apparent once his father accedes to the Danish throne, which means that he will be the first in line to the throne and the next Crown Prince.
The prince was christened in Christiansborg Palace Chapel on 21 January 2006 and was confirmed in Fredensborg Palace Chapel on 15 May 2021. He began his primary schooling at Tranegårdskolen on 12 August 2011 and enrolled at Ordrup Gymnasium in Gentofte for secondary school education on 8 August 2022.
He was for a brief period enrolled at the gymnasium at Herlufsholm in Næstved but was withdrawn after the school got embroiled in allegations of bullying and sexual abuse.
According to PEOPLE, the Crown Prince couple said that they were “deeply shaken” by the findings released by the National Agency for Education and Quality regarding the school, adding that the information “directs a particularly harsh critique from a state authority against Herlufsholm and places demands on the school at several levels, not least the leadership level” — which was unacceptable.
Prince Christian is increasingly seen at royal events. To mark his 18th birthday, a new stamp was issued in honour of the Prince in the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland.
Princess Isabella
Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe, the second child of the Crown Prince couple, was born on 21 April 2007. She followed her older brother to Tranegårdskolen, where her schooling began on 3 August 2013.
She started her 9th form at Ingrid Jespersens Gymnasieskole in Copenhagen on 8 August 2022 and followed it up with higher school level at Øregård Gymnasium in Hellerup on 9 August 2023.
Her first official engagement was the baptism of the M/F Prinsesse Isabella ferry on 6 June 2015. Named in her honour, the ferry operates between Jutland and Samsø.
Prince Vincent
Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander and Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda are twins born on 8 January 2011.
Both turned 13 on 8 January 2024, on the occasion of which the palace shared a new official photo of the siblings taken by Dennis Stenild.
According to PEOPLE magazine, the picture appeared to have been taken on the 18th birthday of Prince Christian in October when members of the Denmark royal family appeared on the balcony at Amalienborg Palace.
Prince Vincent began schooling at Tranegårdskolen on 15 August 2017.
Princess Josephine
Princess Josephine was christened with her twin, Prince Vincent, in Holmen’s Church on 14 April 2011. Since Prince Vincent is older, the princess will be the fourth in line in the Denmark royal family line of succession once her father becomes the monarch.
The princess began her primary education at Tranegårdskolen on 15 August 2017 and started 6th grade at Kildegård Privatskole on 16 August 2023.
She started a planned 12-week stay at the international school Lemania-Verbier in Switzerland on 6 January 2020, along with her siblings. However, all of them had to terminate their stay ahead of time due to the pandemic.
Along with her siblings, the princess resides with their parents at the royal residences of Frederik VIII’s Palace at Amalienborg and the Chancellery House at Fredensborg Palace.
Prince Joachim
Prince Joachim Holger Waldemar Christian is a senior member of the royal family and will be the fifth in line to the throne of Denmark after his brother, Crown Prince Frederik, becomes the King. He is the younger of the two children of Queen Margrethe II.
He was born on 7 June 1969 and is authorised to act as regent when the Queen and the Crown Prince are abroad. He was christened in the Århus Cathedral on 15 July 1969.
The prince married Hong Kong-born Alexandra Christina Manley on 18 November 1995. They had two children, sons Count Nikolai and Count Felix, before their divorce in 2005.
Prince Joachim then married Marie Agathe Odile Cavallier, on 24 May 2008. Following the marriage, Marie Agathe was styled Princess Marie of Denmark. They have two children, a son, Count Henrik, and a daughter, Countess Athena.
The prince served in the Danish military, starting as a recruit in the Queen’s Own Regiment in 1987. He climbed through the ranks and was eventually granted the permanent rank of brigadier general following his appointment as military attaché at the Danish Embassy in the city of Paris, France, in September 2020.
The prince has been serving as the military industry attaché at the Danish Embassy in Washington since 1 September 2023.
He also has broad business experience, having worked for A.P. Møller Maersk Group in Hong Kong and France, respectively, from 1993 to 1995. He owns and operates farming and forestry operations, the former of which is leased to Schackenborg Fonden.
Count Nikolai
Count Nikolai William Alexander Frederik is the oldest child of Prince Joachim from his first wife Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg. He was born as the Prince of Denmark on 28 August 1999. At the time of his birth, he was third in line to the throne after his uncle and father.
This, technically, makes him older than Prince Christian, who will be the first in line to the throne and the Crown Prince after his father becomes the monarch. Count Nikolai will be the sixth in line to the throne after his uncle becomes the Danish king.
Count Nikolai was christened in Fredensborg Palace Chapel on 6 November 1999.
According to the royal family’s official website, the count graduated from Herlufsholm School in Næstved on 26 June 2018 and started his Business Administration and Service Management education at Copenhagen Business School in 2019.
Outside of his royal image, the Count is also a famous fashion model. The 182.8-cm-tall royal made his runway debut for luxury fashion brand Burberry at London Fashion Week in 2018.
According to The Sun, he later signed as a model for Elite Model World and Sight Management Studio under the name Count Nikolai of Monpezat.
Along with all the children of Prince Joachim, Count Nikolai was stripped of his royal title by Queen Margrethe II in September 2022. This led to the end of his use of ‘Prince’ before his name.
At the time of the decision, Queen Margrethe II admitted that it was “a consideration I have had for quite a long time” while adding that it would be “good for them in their future”.
Count Nikolai, however, said that he was both “shocked and confused” at his grandmother’s decision. Nevertheless, the Count and his three siblings are among the royal family members who are in the line of succession to the throne of Denmark.
Count Felix
Count Felix Henrik Valdemar Christian was born on 22 July 2002 as the second son of Prince Joachim and Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg. He, too, is older than his cousin Prince Christian.
Count Felix was christened in Møgeltønder Church on 4 October 2002. He graduated from Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium on 23 June 2021 and started his education in International Shipping and Trade at Copenhagen Business School the following year.
In late 2022, he followed his older brother’s footsteps into the world of modelling when he made his debut with Danish luxury jeweller Georg Jensen. The jeweller holds a royal warrant and has a storied history with the royal family of Denmark.
Both Count Nikolai and Count Felix live with the royal family in Copenhagen.
Count Henrik
Count Henrik Carl Joachim Alain is the son of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie. He was born Prince of Denmark on 4 May 2009 and was christened in Møgeltønder Church on 26 July 2009.
He started school at The Sisters of St. Joseph School in Ordrup in August 2015. When his father moved to France for official duties, the Count began attending a school in Paris. He is currently enrolled at a school in Washington, where Prince Joachim is posted as the military industry attaché.
As such, unlike his older half-brothers, Count Henrik resides with his family and younger sister in the American capital.
Countess Athena
Countess Athena Marguerite Françoise Marie is the only daughter of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie. She was born Princess of Denmark on 24 January 2012 and christened in Møgeltønder Church on 20 May 2012.
She began school at The Sisters of St. Joseph School in Ordrup on 11 August 2017 before moving to Paris and subsequently to Washington with her family because of her father’s official roles.
Princess Benedikte
Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid, Princess of Denmark, is the younger sister of Queen Margrethe II and the older sister of Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, the latter of whom was the queen consort of Greece till the abolition of the Greek monarchy in 1973. Queen Anne-Marie renounced her rights to the Danish throne upon her marriage to King Constantine of Greece.
Princess Benedikte was born in Amalienborg on 29 April 1944. She will be 10th in the line of succession among members of the royal family of Denmark once her nephew, Crown Prince Frederik, becomes the king. She is authorised to act as the regent if the Queen and the Crown Prince are abroad.
Princess Benedikte married Prince Richard zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg on 3 February 1968. Her husband passed away in 2017.
The princess has three children — Gustav, Prince zu-Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg; Alexandra, Princess zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg; and Nathalie, Princess zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.
None of her children are in the line of succession because they were not raised in Denmark during their mandatory education years, as the Council of State warranted for them to be included among the members of the royal family who are in the line of succession.
Denmark royal family: A look at their net worth
The royal family of Denmark is believed to have a net worth of around USD 40 million. According to The Sun, the main source of the Danish royals’ income is their appanages, which are royal provisions earmarked from the state budget.
The Danish Parliament grants appanages to the royal family every year, which is used by the royal family of Denmark to meet yearly expenses, including payments for employees.
The amount that the royal family receives is reportedly around USD 12 million.
(Hero and Featured images: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– How many members are there in the Danish royal family?
There are 10 members in the royal family of Denmark after Queen Margrethe II and Crown Prince Christian who are in the line of succession to the Danish throne.
– Who is the princess of Denmark?
Mary Elizabeth is the Crown Princess of Denmark. Her daughters, Isabella and Josephine, are also princesses. Queen Margrethe II’s sister Benedikte is also styled Princess.
– Where does the Royal family of Denmark reside?
The royal family of Denmark resides in the royal residences in the country. These include Amalienborg Palace, Christiansborg Palace, Fredensborg Palace, Gråsten Palace and Marselisborg Palace.