From parties to ballrooms, the life of Prince Frederik the future monarch of Denmark,

Copenhagen: The Queen of Denmark Queen Margrethe II started her new year by announcing that she would be abdicating her throne in January. The proclamation from the Danish queen came during her New Year’s speech from the Christian IX’s Palace at Amalienborg. While the announcement left the whole country in utter shock, it paved the way for Crown Prince Frederik to take over the throne. The queen is touted as the most popular and influential European royalty in the world. His son, on the other hand, is believed to be bringing a “relaxed” and liberal side of the monarchy.

“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. I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik,” the Danish queen said in her annual New Year’s speech. During her address, she mentioned that her back surgery made her “reassess” if she was fit for the position. “Time is running out, and the ills are increasing. You can no longer overcome the same things as you once could,” she said. Following the announcement, the  Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, thanked the queen for her service. “On behalf of the entire population, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Her Majesty the Queen for her lifelong dedication and tireless efforts for the kingdom,” she said. “Many of us have never known another regent. Queen Margrethe is the epitome of Denmark and throughout the years has put words and feelings into who we are as a people and as a nation,” she added.

While the Queen will be stepping down from her throne, the attention of the world soon went towards her son, Crown Prince Frederik. The 55-year-old prince is now considered a well-respected family man. However, during his younger days, he was known as the “rebel” and a “party prince”. Here’s a look at the colourful life of the Danish Prince.

From ‘party prince’ to a warm royalty.

“When the time comes, I will guide the ship,” the crowned Prince Frederik said in his speech celebrating his mother’s half-century on the throne in 2022. “I will follow you, as you followed your father in leading the 1,000-year-old institution, he added. Frederik André Henrik Christian, Prince of Denmark, Crown Prince, Count of Monpezat, was born on 26 May 1968. During his younger years, it was believed that Frederik resented his parents for neglecting him and only focusing on fulfilling royal obligations. In the early 1990s, he gained a reputation of being a party prince after he south solace in “fast cars and fast living,” The Guardian reported. However, things began to change after he graduated from Aarhus University in 1995. The Danish Prince became the country’s first royalty to complete a university education. The Crown Prince studied political science at Harvard University from 1992 to 1993. However, at that time he was enrolled under the pseudonym Frederik Henriksen which was a nod to his father the French diplomat Henri de Monpezat who became Prince Consort Henrik when he married the Danish queen.

Time in the military

The Danish Prince’s military education began in 1986 in the Queen’s Life Guard Regiment. In 1988, His Royal Highness was appointed as a lieutenant of the reserve. After obtaining that rank, The Crown Prince became a platoon commander in the Royal Danish Hussar Guard Regiment in 1988. While serving in the Navy’s Frogman Corps he was nicknamed “Pingo” (Penguin). In 2000, he took part in a four-month, 3,500km (2,175-mile) ski expedition across Greenland. However, his expedition landed him in hospital after sledging and scooter accidents. In 2010, the Crown Prince was appointed as a commander in the navy and colonel in the army and the air force and he remains active in the defence.

The marriage that changed the prince

Prince Frederik met his wife, Mary Donaldson, an Australian lawyer, in a Sydney bar during the 2000 Olympic Games. Over the next 12 months of their courtship, the Danish prince used to travel back and forth to meet Mary in secret, which eventually did not last for long. In 2001, Mary moved to Denmark and in 2003, the couple got engaged. On 14 May 2004, The Crown Prince married Miss Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, who in connection with the marriage became HRH Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark. The wedding ceremony took place in Copenhagen Cathedral, and the wedding festivities were held at Fredensborg Palace. The couple has four children named HRH Prince Christian Valdemar Henri Jean, born on 15 October 2005, HRH Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe, born on 21 April 2007, HRH Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander and HRH Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda, twins born on 8 January 2011. The couple who have a rock-solid marriage of two decades is known for having a “modern” and “woke" outlook towards life.