Denmark has a new king: King Frederik X, the eldest son of the just-abdicated Queen Margrethe II.
Her abdication, announced on New Year's Eve, came as a surprise to many (and led to much speculation around the timing, as she previously said she would never abdicate). Still, today kicks off a new reign, that of King Frederik X and his wife, Queen Mary (formerly Crown Princess Mary, a.k.a. Mary Donaldson of Australia). Their son, 18-year-old Prince Christian, is now the Crown Prince of Denmark. With all eyes on the Danish royal family, here, a guide to their family tree.
Queen Margrethe II (b. 1940)
Queen Margrethe II was born Princess Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid on April 16, 1940, the eldest daughter of King Frederick IX (b. 1899, d. 1972) and Queen Ingrid (b. 1910, d. 2000), who were then the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark, as her grandfather, King Christian X (b. 1870, d. 1947), was on the throne. Margrethe comes from royalty on both sides of her family: Her father, obviously, is a member of the Danish royal family, and her mother, Ingrid, was a member of the Swedish royal family—the only daughter of Sweden's King Gustaf VI Adolf (b. 1882, d. 1973). Margrethe has two younger sisters: Princess Benedikte (b. 1944) and Princess Anne-Marie (b. 1946). Anne-Marie would go on to marry Greece's King Constantine II (b. 1940, d. 2023), and she would be Queen of Greece until the abolishment of the Greek monarchy.
In 1953, when she was 13 years old, Margrethe became heir presumptive after a Danish constitutional amendment allowed women to inherit the throne. In 1967, she married a French diplomat named Henri de Laborde de Monpezat (see below), and they had two sons, Prince Frederik (see below) and Prince Joachim (see below). In 2022, she celebrated her Golden Jubilee, and in 2024, she abdicated the throne.
Prince Henrik (b. 1934, d. 2018)
Born on June 11, 1934, Henri de Laborde de Monpezat was the son of Count André de Laborde de Monpezat (b. 1907, d. 1998) and his partner Countess de Monpezat (née Renée-Yvonne Doursenot) (b. 1908, d. 2001). He was the second of nine children, and grew up in Hanoi, then French Indonesia (now Vietnam).
He served in the French Army in the Algerian War, and then worked in the French Foreign Ministry. While working at the French embassy in London, he met then-Princess Margrethe, who was studying at the London School of Economics. They dated in secret for a year, before marrying in June 1967. Upon their marriage, he converted to Lutheranism, his name was Daniciszed to Henrik, and he became Prince Henrik.
Over the years, he was frustrated with his role, leaving the country for a short period in 2002 because he felt "pushed aside, degraded and humiliated." "For many years I have been Denmark's number two," he said at the time. "I've been satisfied with that role, but I don't want to be relegated to number three after so many years."
In 2008, Margrethe announced that her descendants would also have the title Count or Countess of Monpezat, to recognize her husband's family. In 2016, Prince Henrik renounced the title of Prince Consort, and in 2017, said he did not wish to be buried next to Queen Margrethe. He passed away in 2018, survived by the Queen, his sons, and eight grandchildren.
King Frederik X (b. 1968)
The eldest son of Margrethe and Henrik, King Frederik X was born on May 26, 1968, and four years later, became Crown Prince when his mother ascended to the throne. He attended primary school in Denmark, boarding school in France for a year, and then graduated from Øregård Gymnasium in 1986. He attended college at Aarhus University, with a year at Harvard, making him the first member of the Danish royal family to receive a university education.
At the Sydney Olympics in 2000, he met Mary Donaldson. They married in 2004, and Frederik and Mary have four children: Prince Christian (b. 2005, see below), Princess Isabella (b. 2007), and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine (b. 2011).
Queen Mary (b. 1972)
The new queen of Denmark was born Mary Elizabeth Donaldson in Tasmania, Australia, on February 5, 1972, the daughter of Scottish parents John Donaldson (b. 1941) and Henrietta Donaldson (née Horne) (b. 1942, d. 1997). After her mother's death following complications from heart surgery, her father remarried to Susan Elizabeth Horwood (b. 1940), a novelist. Mary is the youngest of four children.
She graduated from the University of Tasmania in 1994, and then worked for advertising agencies. When she met Prince Frederik, she was working for a real estate firm, and she moved to Denmark in December 2001. Upon her marriage to the Crown Prince in 2004, she received Danish citizenship, and converted to Lutheranism. Mary is known for her stylish fashion, and her advocacy work. As mentioned, she and Frederik have four children.
Crown Prince Christian
The new Crown Prince of Denmark is Prince Christian (b. 2005), the eldest son of King Frederik X and Queen Mary. He was born on October 15, 2005, and this fall, he celebrated his 18th birthday in a glamorous gala in Copenhagen.
In June 2023, he announced he would be turning down his royal allowance, but that will likely change upon his father's accession, and when he becomes a full-time royal. "Prince Christian's main priority in the coming year will be the completion of the Prince's upper secondary education," the Royal House said in a statement at the time. "In continuation of this, the Royal Palace will provide information on Prince Christian's further youth and education courses when the time is right. It has thus been agreed with the Prime Minister's Office that support will only be sought in the [Danish Parliament] for a law on annuities when the Prince turns 21 or upon a possible change of throne, if it takes place before that."
Prince Joachim (b. 1969)
The younger brother of King Frederik, Prince Joachim, was born on June 7, 1969. He served in the Danish military.
In 1995, he married Alexandra Christina Manley (b. 1964), a Hong Kong-born sales executive. Upon their marriage, she became Princess Alexandra, and they had two sons, Count Nikolai (b. 1999), the first grandson of Margrethe and Henrik, and Count Felix (b. 2002). In 2004, Alexandra and Joachim announced they would be divorcing. She remarried in 2007 to Martin Jørgensen, losing her Princess title, but they divorced in 2015 after eight and a half years of marriage. She is now known as Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.
Prince Joachim remarried in 2007, to Marie Cavallier (b. 1976), who is now known as Princess Marie. They have two children, Count Henrik (b. 2009) and Countess Athena (b. 2012). As of January 1, 2023, all four of Prince Joachim's children no longer use the title "prince" or "princess," but retain their place in the line of succession.
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie moved to Washington, D.C. this fall, as he began a new position under the Ministry of Defense as defense industry attaché at the Danish Embassy in Washington D.C.
The Danish Royal Family Line of Succession in 2024:
As King Frederik takes the throne, he's followed in the line of succession by his four children, his brother, his brother's children, then his aunt, Princess Benedikte. The line of succession to the Danish throne is as follows:
- Crown Prince Christian
- Princess Isabella
- Prince Vincent
- Princess Josephine
- Prince Joachim
- Count Nikolai
- Count Felix
- Count Henrik
- Countess Athena
- Princess Benedikte
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
