“On January 14, 2024, fifty-two years after succeeding my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I will leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.” This shock announcement was made by Queen Margrethe II during her vows. A surprising departure, but which comes after a year 2023 marked by great discretion linked to health problems, the 83-year-old sovereign having undergone a major back procedure last February. After half a century of reign, the Danes will have to get used to a new face. They have two weeks left to get to know Frederik. The 55-year-old should embody the image of a “relaxed monarchy”according to the Belgian media The Free, who painted his portrait. The character would have already won over the public who trust him since his popularity rating would reach 80%. But why is it so attractive?
Initially, on paper, during his adolescence, it was not a given. “He wasn’t strictly speaking a rebel, but as a child and young man he was very uncomfortable with the media attention and knowing he was going to be king. He gained confidence in his mid-twenties“, confided Gitte Redder, specialist on the Danish royal family quoted by the Belgian press. This athlete who swims, skis and runs has a reputation as a daredevil. “He’s a sportsman, he attends concerts, football matches, which makes him even more available than his mother“, analyzed the specialist already cited previously. His military training would have allowed him to acquire the necessary maturity. His image has changed. He went from a fan of beautiful cars, speed and nightclubs to a defender of ecology. A philosophy of life totally in tune with the times that he can communicate in several languages.
⋙ PHOTOS – Margrethe II of Denmark: her appearance all smiles for a very special occasion, in the midst of controversy
Married, four children: a father almost like any other
Polyglot, the political science graduate from Aarhus University masters English and German, but also speaks French, a language he learned thanks to his father, the French diplomat Henri de Monpezat, now called prince consort Henrik. Heart side, Frederik is Princess Mary’s husbandan Australian lawyer met in a bar in Sydney during the 2000 Olympic Games. The beginning of a lovely fairy tale for those who had many children: four to be precise, aged 11 to 18. All educated in the public system. The watchword is normality. Thus, their eldest son, Prince Christian, 18 years old, is the first of the heirs to the crown to have gone to nursery.
Article written in collaboration with 6Medias
Photo credits: Backgrid USA / Bestimage