Royal highlights in 2024
Change of throne, throne jubilee and a wedding
Märtha Louise of Norway, Frederik of Denmark (center) and Prince Harry: These royal family members will cause a stir this year.
© [M] imago/TT / imago/Chris Emil Janßen / imago/ZUMA Wire
A new king, a throne jubilee and a few milestone birthdays are on the royal calendar for 2024. These are the highlights.
The royal year has begun and it has lots of highlights in store again. Weddings, births and anniversaries are coming up. It starts with a change of throne in the far north.
Change of throne in Denmark
The royal year started with a bang when Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (83) in their traditional New Year’s speech announced her abdication. This will now take place on Sunday afternoon (January 14th) at Christiansborg Palace. Prince Frederik (55) and his wife Princess Mary (51) will then be declared King and Queen of Denmark.
They will appear on the balcony around 3 p.m. Acting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (46) and Mary and Frederik’s eldest son Prince Christian (18), the new Crown Prince, will play a crucial role in the ceremony. The conclusion of this part of the change of throne is a salute and a carriage ride by the new royal couple to Amalienborg. A big fireworks display is planned for the evening in Copenhagen.
On Monday (January 15th) there will be a reception in Parliament for Frederik, Mary and their family. Finally, on January 21st there will be a solemn service in Aarhus.
Jubilee of the throne in Spain
While some are just taking office, King Felipe VI. (55) has already come a long way since he became King of Spain and thus also the country’s head of state on June 19, 2014. This year he celebrates his tenth anniversary on the throne. In addition to his wife Queen Letizia (51), the couple’s first-born, Crown Princess Leonor of Spain (18), is increasingly coming to the fore.
Wedding in Norway
How pompous this wedding will be is still up in the air, but it will definitely cause a stir. After all, on August 31, 2024, the sister of the future King of Norway, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (52), will marry her fiancé, the US shaman Durek Verrett (49).
The Norwegian royal family announced the date in September. With the announcement, King Harald V. (86) and his wife Sonja of Norway (86) congratulated them: “The Queen and I are pleased that Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verret have announced their wedding plans today. We are pleased, “We welcome Durek Verrett to the family and we look forward to celebrating the big day with them. We wish Märtha and Durek all the best.”
Wedding anniversary in Denmark
When it comes to the beautiful topic of wedding anniversaries, royal fans are also looking to Scandinavia and even Denmark again this year. The current crown prince couple, Mary and Frederik, are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary on May 14th.
A few days later, on May 22nd, the Spanish royal couple will also celebrate the same milestone. They also tied the knot in 2004 and will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in 2024. However, this is topped by the Belgian royal couple: King Philippe (63) and Queen Mathilde (50) have been married for 25 years on December 4th.
Round birthdays
In 2024, some royal birthday children can also look forward to special cradle celebrations. Among other things, these important birthdays are coming up:
Ernst August of Hanover turns 70 (February 26th), Prince Edward turns 60 (March 10th), the former King Albert II of Belgium celebrates his 90th birthday (June 6th), Christopher O’Neill celebrates his 50th (June 27th). June), Prince Harry turns 40 (September 15), Japan’s former Empress Michiko turns 90 (October 20) and Princess Sofia of Sweden celebrates her 40th birthday (December 6).