After the surprise announcement of the abdication of Queen Margrethe II on December 31, the Danes will witness the proclamation of their new king this Sunday: Frederik X. At 55, he embodies a monarchy often presented as relaxed.
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He is a king in the image of society who is preparing to ascend the throne of Denmark after the abdication of Margrethe II. Frederik, born in 1968 and father of four children aged between 11 and 18, represents a certain modernity in European monarchies.
This son of a French diplomat, Henri de Monpezat, who became Prince Consort Hendrik, was not popular with the public when he was younger. A restive teenager, who criticized his parents for having neglected him, he was able to win the hearts of the Danes, first of all by following a normal and complete university course, then by joining the army where he was able to gain maturity. A sportsman, for example, in 2000 he participated in a four-month, 3,500-kilometer ski expedition in Greenland. He is also the creator of the Royal Run, a walking race across Denmark.
His normality was also reflected in his marriage to Princess Mary, an Australian commoner he met in 2000 in a bar during the Sydney Olympics. For example, the couple chose to enroll their children in public schools. Their youngest son, Prince Christian, who is expected to become the next heir to the throne, was the first to attend a nursery.
In 2022, during the celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of his mother’s throne, Frederik assured: “ When the time comes, I will lead the ship “. That moment has now arrived.
Margrethe II was until this Sunday the only head of state in Europe and the only queen regnant since the death of Elizabeth II.
For the journalist and historian Jean des Cars, Margrethe II “will leave an exceptional memory”