Crown Princess Mary’s new official royal title revealed after Queen Margrethe abdicates
The Danish Palace has revealed the new royal titles that the Australian-born Princess Mary and her husband will receive when they are crowned.
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The Danish Palace has revealed the new royal titles that Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary will receive when they are crowned.
It has been confirmed the royals will officially be known as His and Her Majesty King Frederik and Queen Mary when they ascend the throne on January 14.
The Palace also revealed the new title for the pair’s firstborn son and future king, Prince Christian.
“On Sunday 14 January 2024, HRH the Crown Prince will take over the Danish throne as HM King Frederik 10. HRH the Crown Princess will from the same date be HM Queen Mary,” the palace announced in a statement.
“The royal couple will henceforth bear the title of King and Queen of Denmark.
“HRH Prince Christian will be heir to the throne and henceforth will be referred to as HRH Crown Prince Christian.
“After the succession to the throne, HM The Queen will continue to be Majesty and bear the title HM Queen Margrethe,” the statement concluded.
MARY STUNS AFTER ABDICATION SHOCK
Crown Princess Mary has taken centre stage in her first public appearance with her husband after it was announced that they would become the new rulers of Denmark.
The Australian-born royal looked stunningly regal in a maroon velvet gown, ornate tiara and priceless jewels at the annual New Year’s Banquet, held at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen.
Offering a glimpse of the type of spectacular and historic jewellery she could possibly don for her proclamation ceremony on January 14, Crown Princess Mary beamed as she joined senior royals for the traditional lavish dinner.
Demonstrating a passion for fashion sustainability, the soon-to-be Queen of Denmark wore a gown by Danish designer Birgit Hallstein that she has donned on six previous occasions.
Her sparkling and elaborate tiara, made to look like diamond leaves with ruby berries, was originally commissioned by no less than Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804 for the Queen of Sweden, whose daughter later married into the Danish royal family.
Around her neck, she wore a gold chain collar featuring the Order of the Elephant, Denmark’s highest honour.
Crown Princess Mary also paid tribute to her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe, whose shock abdication at the age of 83 has elevated the Tasmanian-born Princess and her husband to the Danish throne.
Mary’s brooch featured a diamond-framed portrait of Queen Margrethe, which was pinned to her chest by a white and red ribbon bow, the national colours of Denmark.
Crown Prince Frederik, who will be known as King Frederik X when he is crowned, smiled proudly in full regal dress as he stood beside his wife while she waved to the crowds.
Dressed in a long red gown, Queen Margrethe smiled widely as she entered the palace for what will be one of her final official events as reigning monarch.
The royal couple will be proclaimed King and Queen in a low-key ceremony on January 14 that will be worlds apart from the taxpayer-funded extravaganzas of the British royal family.
The surprise abdication comes after a tumultuous period for the Danish monarchy, which just weeks ago was rocked by allegations of a cheating scandal involving Crown Prince Frederik.
Photos of Frederik spending time in Madrid with Genoveva Casanova prompted the Mexican socialite to threaten legal action as she denied any romantic relationship between herself and Princess Mary’s husband.
The Danish royals were also hit with allegations of bitter family rows and infighting in late 2022 after Queen Margrethe abruptly stripped her youngest son Prince Joachim’s four children of the titles they had held since birth.
ABDICATION A ‘SHREWD MOVE’
Queen Margrethe’s shock decision to abdicate so her son Crown Prince Frederik could ascend to the Danish throne was a “shrewd” bid to “save” the Danish monarchy, royal experts have claimed.
The world’s longest-serving monarch since the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022 is said to have wanted to avert the “disaster” of her son’s marriage to Australian-born Crown Princess Mary disintegrating amid rumours of an affair.
Queen Margrethe announced in her annual New Year’s Eve speech that she would step down on January 14 - the first abdication in the Nordic state for 500 years.
Royal commentators said that the Danish monarch “deliberately” dropped a “massive bombshell” at the right time to secure the future of the Danish Royal Family, and its “greatest asset”, Australia’s Crown Princess Mary, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
The abdication has come amid a tumultuous time for the Danish monarchy, which just weeks ago was rocked by allegations of a cheating scandal involving Crown Prince Frederik.
Photos of the soon-to-be king spending time in Madrid with Genoveva Casanova prompted the Mexican socialite to threaten legal action as she denied any romantic relationship between herself and Princess Mary’s husband.
The Danish Royal House has not commented on the allegations and the royal couple ploughed on with duties and several high-profile appearances as preparations were made for their transition to the top job.
“I think Margrethe may have worried that their marriage was in trouble and therefore she had to act,” British royal author Phil Dampier, also an expert on European monarchies, told the Daily Mail.
“The Queen always thought Mary was a fantastic asset to the royal family and if she thought she might leave it would have been a disaster. She will now hope that Frederik and Mary patch up any differences and work together as the new King and Queen.”
Indeed, Princess Mary will be crowned Queen of Denmark in less than a fortnight in a low-key ceremony that will end with a family appearance on the royal balcony at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen.
The first Australian-born monarch will make history as she waves to adoring royal fans after a brief proclamation ceremony where she and husband, who will take the title King Frederik X, will accept their new duties.
Their eldest son and heir to the throne, Prince Christian, also made the first step towards his eventual ascent to the throne when he formally declared his allegiance to the Danish constitution last November.
Queen Margrethe’s decision to step down was a surprise move that defied generations of Danish tradition, which dictates that the reigning monarch cannot abdicate and must remain in office until death.
The 83-year-old is still recovering from back surgery performed last February and said her rehabilitation had prompted her to rethink her future.
“The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future – whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,” Queen Margrethe said in her annual New Year’s speech.
“I have decided that now is the right time. On January 14, 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.”
Princess Mary will be crowned Queen on January 14 alongside her husband in an accession ceremony at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, the centre of power where the royals hold state banquets and receptions.
The event is set to be a simple affair compared to King Charles’s lavish extravaganza when he was crowned in England last May.
Unlike Britain’s House of Windsor, the Danish royal family scrapped its elaborate coronations in the 1800s in favour of a simple proclamation at Christiansborg.
Like Queen Margrethe before them, Princess Mary and Prince Frederik will be joined by Denmark’s Prime Minister where they will accept their new duties.
The royal couple are then set to make an appearance on the balcony of Amalienborg, their official residence, with their four children, Crown Prince Christian, Princess Isabella and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
A form of celebration will likely follow later that evening, such as a gala banquet or ball, to mark the historic occasion.
Born in 1940, Margrethe has throughout her life enjoyed broad support from Danes, who are fond of her tactful and personable character, dubbing her the people’s Queen.
The monarch made the headlines last year when she removed royal titles from the four children of her second son Joachim, a move for which she later apologised.
She enjoyed a close relationship with her cousin Queen Elizabeth II, having bonded during several state visits to each other’s countries down the decades - most recently in 2000, when Margrethe was received at Windsor.
Margrethe was born on April 16, 1940, a week after Nazi Germany had invaded Denmark.
The occupation meant that the little princess became a symbol of hope for the Danes.
She ascended the throne on January 14, 1972, after the death of her father.
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