IIt’s a historic week for the Danish royal family, with Queen Margrethe II becoming the first monarch in 900 years to formally abdicate the throne.
On January 14th, Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik (55) will ascend to the throne alongside his wife, Crown Princess Mary (51), and his appointment as the first Australian-born queen is also novel. Sunday’s succession will not see Frederick and Mary crowned in a lavish coronation ceremony. Instead, the new king will ride in a horse-drawn carriage amid gun salutes and balcony appearances.
Their successors were announced by Queen Margrethe, who said in her New Year’s Eve speech that it was time to “pass the responsibility to the next generation”.
Queen Margrethe said during the broadcast, “52 years after succeeding my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I will hand over the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.”
The announcement came as a surprise to global observers, as Marguete currently holds the title of Europe’s longest-reigning monarch. And as recently as 2016, he said he had no intention of ever abdicating the throne. “It’s always been that way. It’s here to stay as long as I live. That’s what my father and my predecessors did, and I think so too.”
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This has left many wondering what has changed about her state of mind, with local media reporting that the Queen gave notice of her abdication three days before the announcement and only told her sons that she was abdicating. But her New Year’s Eve speech said her recent back surgery had caused her to think about the future of the Danish monarchy. Meanwhile, Frederick, known as the party prince in the 1990s, was facing an image problem as a result of speculation over the security of his marriage.
As Denmark prepares for Succession Day, here’s what you need to know about the country’s new king and queen.
What you need to know about Frederick
Frederic was born in 1968 to Margrethe and her husband, French-born diplomat Prince Henrik. He is the older brother of Prince Joachim, who was born the following year.
Frederick was known as a rebel in his youth and was considered a party prince who enjoyed cars in the early 1990s. Gitte Redder, an expert on the Danish royal family, told AFP: “Strictly speaking he was not a rebel, but as a child and young man he was very uncomfortable with the media attention and the perception that he was going to be king. “I was there,” he said.
Frederick enrolled at Aarhus University and studied for a time at Harvard University under the alias Frederik Henriksen from 1992 to 1993. This name was taken from his father, who was called Henri de Monpezat before his marriage. The prince graduated in 1995, becoming the first Danish royal to earn a university degree.
He also worked at the Danish Mission to the United Nations in New York City in 1994, and then as Embassy First Secretary at the Royal Danish Embassy in Paris from 1998 to 1999.
Frederik trained in all three branches of the Danish Armed Forces, and in 1986 he trained with the Queen’s Lifeguard Regiment, after which he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Reserves. He completed his training with the Danish Navy Frogman Unit in 1995 and continued to earn further military accolades over the next ten years. In 2010 he was appointed Commander of the Navy, Army and Air Force.
He married Mary on May 14, 2004 in a ceremony at Copenhagen Cathedral, followed by a reception at Fredensborg Palace. The couple have four children: Prince Christian Valdemar-Henri Jean, Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe, and twins Prince Vincent-Frédéric Minik-Alexander and Princess Josephine Sofia Ivalo-Matilda.
In recent years, Frederick and Mary have built a reputation for leading the way in public health and women’s rights, as well as sustainability and environmental issues.
It also hosts a popular annual running event called the Royal Run, where thousands of Danes run through Copenhagen and other nearby areas. Frederick has completed six marathons and participated in his fourth dog sledding exhibition in northern Greenland.
What you need to know about Mary
Mary Elizabeth Donaldson was born in Hobart, Tasmania, in 1972 to Scottish academic John Dalgliesh and the late Henrietta Donaldson. She is the youngest of four siblings.
Mary studied Business and Law at the University of Tasmania, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in 1994. She met Frederic in a pub during the Sydney Olympics in 2000, where he introduced himself as Fred, and she is said to have been unaware of his title or status.
The couple began a long-distance relationship until they announced their relationship in 2001. The following year she moved to Denmark, where she became fluent in Danish and converted to the Lutheran Church.
The two became engaged in October 2003 and married in May 2004 in a high-profile wedding ceremony. Mary’s Scottish heritage was heavily incorporated into her wedding celebrations, and her official coat of arms included the Scottish and MacDonald clan coats of arms. Mary’s father also attended her wedding wearing a kilt and walked Mary down her aisle.
The couple welcomed their first child, Christian, in 2005, who assumed the title of crown prince and became heir apparent when Frederick ascended to the throne. The couple welcomed Isabella in 2007 and twins Vincent and Josephine in 2011.
What is the controversy surrounding the royal couple?
Queen Margrethe has announced that she will abdicate after rumors about Prince Frederik’s chastity. The prince was reportedly romantically linked to Mexican-born socialite Geneveva Casanova after he was photographed on a private trip to Madrid. Casanova denied her romantic relationship with Frederick.
For this reason, royal officials believe Margrethe’s move may be a way to quell such rumors and allow the royal couple to focus on their new duties.
“The Queen may have taken this action because she was afraid the marriage would break up and the royal family would lose Mary. That would have caused big problems. The Queen has always considered Mary an invaluable resource. Phil Dampier said. A reporter who has covered the Danish royal family extensively spoke to the Telegraph.
“In two weeks’ time the prince and princess will be on stage together as king and queen and they will have to deal with that,” Dampier added. “Maybe the Queen thinks that if they make up for their differences, they can save their marriage.”