He will become King Frederick X, and will be flanked by Queen Mary, 51, an Australian-born former marketing and advertising director.
The couple will take the throne at a time when Denmark is experiencing tremendous public support for and enthusiasm for the monarchy, according to recent opinion polls.
Queen Margrethe’s resourceful traditional manners and interest in history and art earned her a strong following.
Meanwhile, Frederick and Mary, like modern-day influencers, used their fame and goodwill to modernize the monarchy.
But their fight for environmental issues, sustainability, public health, and the rights of girls and women around the world has also paid off in Denmark.
“In many ways they are a modern, equal power couple,” says Danish monarchy commentator Jakob Steen Olsen. “I would say they are more active and using their status to make the world a little bit better place.”
Couples have been spotted on the streets of Copenhagen taking their children to school on cargo bikes, a popular mode of transport for climate-conscious Danes.
In contrast to his mother, who has been a heavy smoker for most of her life, Frederick is an advocate of an active and healthy lifestyle. He hosts his very popular running event, the Royal Run, every year, where he and his family join thousands of Danes running through the streets of Copenhagen and other cities across the country.
“This is their way of modernizing the monarchy and passing it on to future generations,” Olsen said.
The two met through a mutual friend at a party in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics. Mary later recalled in an interview that she didn’t know he was part of the Danish royal family when they first met.
“Maybe after about 30 minutes, someone came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who these people are?'” she said.
The couple married four years later in a lavish ceremony in Copenhagen. The couple have four children: Prince Christian (18), heir to the throne, Princess Isabel (16), and twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent (both 13).
In his youth, Frederick was a rebellious teenager, often feeling uncomfortable in his role as heir. After graduating from university, he became known as an adventurer and became interested in sports.
He is a special forces frogman in the Danish Navy, and his training is one of the toughest in the world. He has run six marathons. And he took part in a four-month, 2,795km (1,737 mile) dog sledding expedition in northern Greenland, a sovereign territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
In 2018, he appeared on stage at a music festival with one of Denmark’s most popular rock bands.
“I believe that you can talk to anyone and that we can all contribute and learn from each other,” Mary said in a speech on her husband’s 50th birthday.
Princess Mary, born Mary Elizabeth Donaldson in Hobart, Tasmania, is probably even more popular than her husband. She was praised for mastering the Danish language just a few months after arriving in Denmark.
She said she wanted to add a “little Australian twist” to her role as a princess. She has worked as a patron of many organizations that promote issues close to her heart, such as children’s and women’s rights and sustainability in fashion.
The latest poll, conducted after the Queen announced her abdication, found that 82% of Danes expect Frederick to do well in his new role, while 86% said the same about Mary.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Additional reporting by Johannes Birkebaek; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
Disclaimer: This report was auto-generated from Reuters News Service. ThePrint assumes no responsibility for its content.
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