Danish Queen Margrethe abdicates the throne on January 14. Her place is taken by her 55-year-old son Frederik. Who is he and how does he want to fulfill his role as king?
“When the moment comes, I will steer the ship,” Frederik said in 2022. The then crown prince will give a speech that year because his mother Margrethe has been on the throne for half a century. “I’m going to succeed you, just like you succeeded your father.”
That moment comes sooner than expected. Frederik will ascend the throne in two weeks. Like most heirs to the throne, Frederik is perfectly prepared for this. After high school, he studied political science, which he completed at the prestigious American university Harvard. Outside of studying, Frederik likes to party. He doesn’t like press attention, he prefers to drive around in fast cars.
That changes when he starts working. After his studies, Frederik became secretary at the Danish embassy in Paris and held various positions in the army. Such a serious job requires a different image. The prince is no longer in the pub until the early hours.
Frederik during his wedding in 2004, with his mother Margrethe next to him. Photo: Getty Images
Adventurous nature causes accidents
The crown prince can also channel his energy into his favorite hobby: sports. He sails and runs fast and has regularly won prizes for this. Frederik is quite a daredevil. In 2000 he took part in a four-month, 2,800 kilometer sleigh ride through Greenland.
His sporting adventures have already led to several accidents. For example, he had to have shoulder surgery after a skiing accident and he broke a cervical vertebra while jumping on a trampoline.
As a sports fan, Frederik is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In 2000, just after his major expedition in Greenland, he visited the Olympic Games in Sydney. There he meets the Australian lawyer Mary Elizabeth Donaldson in a pub. She has no idea that she is face to face with a prince.
The spark ignites and Frederik and Mary Elizabeth begin a long-distance relationship. They married in 2004 and a year later their first son Christian was born. Daughter Isabella followed in 2007 and in 2011 the twins Vincent and Josephine were born.
Frederik with his family: Prince Vincent, Prince Christian, himself, Princess Josephine, Mary Elizabeth and Princess Isabella. Photo: Getty Images
Modern and woke royal couple
Frederik is quite popular in his home country. His sporting nature undoubtedly contributes to this. Since 2018 he has organized the Royal Run, an annual running competition in Denmark. There, Frederik and his family ‘just run’ among the other participants and it is also possible to meet the royals.
“I don’t want to lock myself in a fortress,” says Frederik about his future kingship. “I want to be myself, and that’s an ordinary, normal person.”
In addition to sports, Frederik is also interested in sustainability and climate change. These are certainly topics that he, as king, will be passionate about. He regularly attends climate conferences and is even co-writing a book on global warming. With his Kronprins Frederiks Fond foundation, of which he is a patron, he supports scientific projects that combat climate change.
According to Danish royalty expert Sebastian Olden-Jørgensen, Frederik and Mary Elizabeth are “modern and woke”. “They will slowly bring the Danish royal family into the modern era.”
The time has come on January 14: Queen Margrethe will say goodbye to the throne after 52 years. There will be no grand ceremony: according to various Danish media, the change of throne will take place behind closed doors. In keeping with Frederik’s down-to-earth style, only a press release will be sent out that day.
2024-01-01 16:25:46
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