Monarchy: Denmark’s casual crown prince: Frederik turns 55

It could hardly be better for Crown Prince Frederik on his 55th birthday. The Danish heir to the throne is popular with his compatriots, he and his wife Crown Princess Mary are a well-established dream team, and Queen Margrethe II sees him as a worthy successor.

“I think he feels really comfortable in his role as the crown prince today,” says royal house expert Marianne Singer from the magazine “Billed-Bladet”. Only the relationship with his brother Prince Joachim got a crack last year. Even Singer, who is familiar with the royal family, does not know whether he will be arriving for Frederik’s birthday on Friday (May 26).

break between the brothers

The break between the brothers came when Queen Margrethe II stripped Joachim’s children – their grandchildren – of the titles of prince and princess at New Year’s. Prince Joachim and his ex-wife, Countess Alexandra, then publicly displayed their hurt feelings, forcing the queen and crown prince to react. “That was emotionally very difficult for Frederik, especially since he has a close relationship with his brother. The two usually have good chemistry,” says Singer.

The matter does not develop into a real scandal. That would also be atypical for the otherwise rather inconspicuous and down-to-earth Danish royal family. “Crown Prince Frederik is the kind of person you might encounter surprisingly at a music festival or a sports event – or earlier, when he takes his children to kindergarten on a cargo bike,” says “Billed Bladet” journalist Singer. “We Danes feel like he’s one of us.”

Not standing out in the crowd, meeting people at eye level – that’s Frederik. The heir to the throne, on the other hand, has never been a great speaker, despite his many public appearances. For this he had to take a lot of criticism from the Danish media in his younger years. Until the Australian marketing expert Mary came into his life in 2000, bewitched the Danes and apparently gave the crown prince more and more self-confidence. Frederik has four children with her: Christian (17), Isabella (16) and the twins Vincent and Josephine (12).

When raising them, the future Danish king Frederik X does not want to repeat the mistakes he accused his own father, Prince Henrik, who died in 2018. Frederik has also spoken publicly on several occasions about how the patriarchal upbringing style of his French father shaped him and how little his parents were there for him during his childhood.

Scandals, flirts and a penchant for fast cars

Maybe that’s why he often danced out of line as a young man. Little scandals, flirtations and a penchant for fast cars: this is not how the Danes imagined their future king. On the other hand, she has always been enthusiastic about his sporting zeal. Frederik ran various marathons, completed an Ironman and has already taken part in the Swedish cross-country skiing classic Wasalauf over 90 kilometers several times. In the military, in his mid-20s, he underwent rigorous training to become a marine combat swimmer. The crown prince also earned respect when he drove almost 2800 kilometers through Greenland on an expedition on dog sleds in the freezing cold.

Frederik has shared his passion for sport with his compatriots since his 50th birthday: that was when he created the Royal Run, a running event in which he started himself and which has since been attended by tens of thousands of Danes every year in different cities. He also invites you to the sporting event for the half-round birthday. “It’s already a tradition for many Danes,” says royal house expert Singer. And for them also a sign that Frederik is good for a good king: “He brings people together.”