There’s nothing quite like a meddling mother-in-law – and it appears even a Queen isn’t above trying to interfere with her son and daughter-in-law’s relationship if it arguably means it will save the future of her country’s monarchy.

Or at least, that’s how Queen Margrethe II’s abdication in favour of her scandal-hit son Frederik, now King of Denmark, may seem to some onlookers.

For royal reporter Kenth G. Madsen, the former monarch’s decision to step back from her role on January 14, when her eldest became ruler following his accession to the throne, and her daughter-in-law Mary, became Queen, was ‘damage control’.

Margrethe’s shock abdication was announced in her New Year’s Eve speech – and came after the monarchy was rocked by pictures of the King enjoying a night out with Genoveva Casanova in Madrid in November.

The Mexican socialite, 47, was forced to deny ‘malicious’ rumours about her friendship with the then Crown Prince – and Queen Mary has remained tight-lipped.

But Mr Madsen suggested that to secure the monarchy amid the ‘affair’ rumours, Margrethe was left with ‘no other choice’ but to abdicate to ‘remove the focus’ from the speculation and ‘at the same time give Mary the status of Queen’ to perhaps avoid ‘a royal divorce scandal’.

Speaking to FEMAIL, the royal reporter claimed: ‘It can be difficult to forgive alleged infidelity in a relationship unless the price for turning a blind eye is suitably high.

‘Against the background of the disclosure of Frederik’s visit to Madrid and the documentation of the meeting with Genoveva Casanova, it is reasonable to believe that Queen Margrethe found the time to throw out a lifeline, before the relationship between the Crown Prince couple completely cracked due to the scandal.

‘The Queen actually had no other choice: in a strategic move, the monarch succeeded in removing the focus from the affair rumours, and at the same time giving Mary the hyper rare status of queen.

‘A royal divorce scandal of that magnitude could break the strongest royal house forever.

‘The risk that the popularity and reputation the Queen has built up during her 52 years as monarch could be destroyed forever if she had not done damage control on the matter.’

Potential tensions possibly still in Frederik and Mary’s marriage were revealed after they shared an awkward public kiss on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace after becoming King and Queen on January 14. 

Body language expert Adrianne Carter told FEMAIL: ‘When Mary joins Frederik we initially see quite a distance between the two of them as they hold hands, he moves closer which she accepts. A literal distance can often mean a distance in a relationship.

‘When the children join them, they all move in together. Mary encompasses her children showing that’s her important focus.’

However, when the King pulls Mary close as the children leave the balcony – the Queen is ‘the first to pull away’. 

Giving her interpretation of the footage, she continued: ‘Frederik pulls her in for a kiss, which he tries to do a few times before it actually happens. This is something he has planned, rather than something spontaneous.’

Adrianne also noted that when Frederik tries to kiss Mary on the side of the forehead, she ‘doesn’t react in any way; she just accepts’.

The body language expert mused whether Frederik is ‘still in the dog house’ after rumours of an alleged affair with Mexican socialite Genoveva.

Adrianne said: ‘We see Frederik pull in Mary and plant a kiss on the side of her forehead. She doesn’t react in any way; she just accepts. Is Frederik still in the dog house I wonder?’

Margrethe shocked the nation and many royal watchers around the world when she used her annual New Year’s Eve speech to announce live on television that she was stepping down as Queen after 52 years. 

But timing of her abdication has raised questions, as it comes months after her son Frederik hit the headlines for his night out with Genoveva, who has since denied any suggestion of an ‘affair’ between the two. 

In her address the 83-year-old said she had taken stock after undergoing back surgery last year and had decided it was it was time ‘to leave the responsibility to the next generation’ – namely her eldest son.

But speculation has continued to mount that the decision was made to keep Frederik’s wife of 19 years, Mary, who is extremely popular with the public, on side.

Australian-born Mary has won over the Danish public with her dedication to royal duty and her fluency in the language, with a recent poll finding 85 per cent of Danes have a positive opinion of the 51-year-old. 

Her husband is also similarly popular, having turned his public image around from being a rebel tearaway and party boy during his youth to becoming a ‘woke’ family man.

The abdication means Mary, who first met Frederik at a pub in Sydney, has now become the world’s first Australian-born queen.

She was working as an advertising executive when she first met Frederik in a packed city pub 23 years ago and had no idea the handsome European tourist she had been chatting to for hours was actually the future king of Denmark.

Now, married for 19 years and proud parents to four children, Mary has won her adopted country over by her dedication to royal duty and her fluency in the language.

And despite speculation about the state of the royal couple’s marriage over the years, there is nothing concrete to suggest they are anything but happily married.

The pair was most recently rocked by rumours after photographs emerged of Frederik, 55, apparently enjoying a night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in Madrid in October.

But despite allegations of an ‘affair’, Frederik and Mary have continued to put on a show of unity at various recent events. 

The abdication may not come as a total shock to all: according to one source from 2021, stepping down has been on Margrethe’s mind for quite some time now.

Speaking to Woman’s Day, the insider explained that the royal had been slowly but surely guiding her daughter-in-law for the duties over the years.

And for several reasons, the timing for stepping down seemed appropriate.

For example, in February, Margrethe underwent a successful back surgery. ‘The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future – whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,’ she said in her speech.

In addition, the timing of the move has raised questions, as it comes just weeks after Frederik hit the headlines when he was pictured on a night out in Madrid with a Mexican socialite, sparking rumours of an alleged ‘affair’.

Speculation is mounting that the decision was made to keep Frederik’s wife of 19 years Princess Mary, who is extremely popular with the public, on side.

Princess Mary, who is set to become the nation’s first Australian-born queen in a number of weeks, has won over the Danish public with her dedication to royal duty and her fluency in the language.

Her husband is also similarly popular, having turned his public image around from being a rebel tearaway and party boy during his youth to becoming a family man.

However, their relationship came under scrutiny last year when Frederik was spotted on a night out with Mexican reality star Genoveva Casanova in October.

While the Royal Household refused to comment on photos of the pair together, Genoveva issued a public statement denying any kind of romantic relationship and called the rumours ‘malicious’.

Thanks to Mary’s reported closeness to her mother-in-law, and her taking on advice and guidance, according to royal reporter Kenth G. Madsen, Mary will ‘play a very prominent role’ and ‘will not be an invisible queen’.

However, he also explained she may, to avoiding straying into political territory, need to be careful with initiatives around women’s and children’s rights abroad.

She and Frederik may also need to encompass causes Margrethe was passionate about, to expand their repertoire – ‘so that it is not just the more modern topics’.

One of the trickier aspects Mary may find about being Queen is living so far from her native Australia.

While she has spent more than two decades in Denmark, her new responsibilities may mean she has less opportunity to visit home.  

It is possible that Mary’s new duties will affect how often she is able to visit her home in Australia. 

And the royal appeared very emotional as she wrapped up her pre-Christmas break Down Under earlier this month.

Departing from Queenstown Airport in New Zealand after a four-day trip amid a visit to her native Australia, Mary appeared to wipe away a tear as she said goodbye to friends and prepared to make the journey back to Denmark. 

She also shared a post about loneliness and the need for positive human connection during the festive period.

In the letter posted on the Mary Foundation website, the future queen reflected on the past year – and said she felt it was shorter than previous years.

‘And at the same time, so much has happened that it is impossible to put it all into words,’ she continued.

An excerpt shared on the official Instagram account for the Danish Royal House had some speculating the princess was using her foundation to hint at the affair rumours.

‘We need each other if we are to succeed. And that’s not only true in the working world and for those of us who are working to combat social isolation,’ it read. ‘This is true for all of us. Humans need humans.’

The touching words were shared alongside a stunning picture of the royal in the snow. She wore a purple jacket beneath a warm wool wrap and gave a soft smile towards the camera.

‘The Danish royal family are lucky to have you. I hope your husband realises he has embarrassed you and his children immeasurably. You will make a fine queen,’ one fan commented.

Another wrote: ‘I think this is a sad year for Mary, her husband’s (alleged) betrayal and it’s public. What a brave woman, she can handle anything. I just adore her.’ 

The Danish King and his wife first met in her native Australia during the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

After an encounter at the Slip Inn, then 32-year-old Fred asked Mary, then 28, for her phone number and a romance blossomed.

‘The first time we met we shook hands. I didn’t know he was the prince of Denmark. Half an hour later someone came up to me and said, “Do you know who these people are”?’ Mary revealed in an interview about meeting the heir to the Danish throne.

They maintained a long-distance relationship for a year, with Frederik making secret trips Down Under before Mary moved to Denmark to study Danish language at Copenhagen’s Studieskolen in 2001.

In early 2003, Frederik’s mother Queen Margrethe publicly acknowledged the relationship and the couple announced their engagement at Amalienborg Castle later that year on October 8.

However, at least for now it looks like they are planning to continue living in their current residence.

Currently, Mary and her family reside in Frederik VIII’s Palace at Amalienborg.

She and Frederik took over the property from the State in 2010 – when a full refurbishment and restoration was completed after six years. 

Today, it is their private residence with administrative and ceremonial functions. 

They also reside at the Chancellery House at Fredensborg Palace. According to royal reporter Kenth G. Madsen, the couple will live in their current accommodation and have no plans to relocate.

By Eirian Jane Prosser

Published: 03:07 EST, 14 January 2024 | Updated: 09:32 EST, 14 January 2024

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Today Denmark prepares to welcome Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Crown Princess Mary as its new King and Queen.

And it also says goodbye to Queen Margrethe – who shocked the nation when she announced her abdication after 52 years on the throne during a traditional New Year’s Eve speech.

The monarch, famed for her chain-smoking as well as her flamboyant sense of style, will be succeeded by her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik.

The 83-year-old queen, who took over the throne in 1972, is the longest-serving monarch in Europe following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

In February, she underwent a successful back surgery.

‘The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future – whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,’ she said in her speech.

‘I have decided that now is the right time. On January 14, 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark.

‘I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.’

Preparations for today’s festivities  have already kicked off in Copenhagen as Denmark gets ready to make Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary their new King and Queen.  

A live broadcast from regional channel DR1 shows soldiers marching up and down the streets as excited crowds have lined up, donning plastic crowds, Danish flag and various regalia to celebrate the low-key ceremony.

Photos from the event also show security making checks at the balcony of Christiansborg Castle, with only hours to go before the royal transferrence of power.

Stable keepers have also been readying the horses in the royal stables of Christiansborg Palace this morning and earlier today, soldiers from the Danish Guard Hussar regiment appeared to be rehearsing for today’s events.

Born in 1940, Margrethe has throughout her life enjoyed broad support from Danes, who are fond of her tactful and yet creative personality.

The monarch hit the headlines last year when she removed royal titles from the four children of her younger son Prince Joachim. 

She enjoyed a close relationship with her third cousin Queen Elizabeth II, both descendants of Queen Victoria, having bonded during several state visits to each other’s countries down the decades – most recently in 2000, when Margrethe was received at Windsor.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed the decision in a news release that paid tribute to the 83-year-old monarch, offering a ‘heartfelt thank you to Her Majesty the Queen for her lifelong dedication and tireless efforts for the Kingdom’.

Margrethe is the ‘epitome of Denmark’ Ms Frederiksen’s statement read, and ‘throughout the years has put words and feelings into who we are as a people and as a nation’.

The six-feet-tall Margrethe has been one of the most popular public figures in Denmark. She often walked the streets of Copenhagen virtually unescorted and won the admiration of Danes for her warm manners and for her talents as a linguist and designer.

A keen skier, she was a member of a Danish women’s air force unit as a princess, taking part in judo courses and endurance tests in the snow.

In 2011, at age 70, she visited Danish troops in southern Afghanistan wearing a military jumpsuit.

As monarch, she crisscrossed the country and regularly visited Greenland and the Faeroe Islands, the two semi-independent territories which are part of the Danish Realm, and was met everywhere by cheering crowds.

Denmark has Europe’s oldest ruling monarchy, which traces its line back to the Viking king Gorm the Old, who died in 958. Although Margrethe is head of state, the Danish Constitution strictly ruled out her involvement in party politics.

Margrethe was born on April 16, 1940, a week after Nazi Germany had invaded Denmark. The occupation meant that the little princess became a symbol of hope for the Danes. 

She ascended the throne on January 15, 1972, after the death of her father. 

But, although she was his eldest child, she did not become heir presumptive until 1953, when Denmark’s constitution was amended to allow women to inherit the throne. 

That followed a referendum in which more than 85 per cent of participants voted to allow female succession.

She was married in 1967 to a Frenchman, Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat, later styled as Prince Henrik. They had two sons, Prince Frederick and Prince Joachim.

Despite enjoying a long marriage of 50 years, her relationship with Henrik was plagued with controversy. Henrik stunned Danes by saying he felt he had been pushed aside in his own home by his wife.

Prince Henrik died in 2018 aged 83. 

On the day she became monarch, she appeared on the balcony of Denmark’s Christiansborg Palace and pledged her allegiance to the nation.

Wearing a black veil and gown adorned with the regalia of the Order of the Elephant and her father King Frederick IX’s Family Order attached to her gown, the 31-year-old monarch stated: ‘My beloved father, our King, is dead.

‘The task that my father had carried for nearly 25 years is now resting on my shoulders. I pray to God to give me help and strength to carry the heavy heritage. May the trust that was given to my father also be granted to me.’

Becoming the first queen of Denmark since Margrethe I in the early 15th-century, the monarch blazed a trail that continues to this day.

A popular queen, she is known as the ‘people’s monarch’ thanks to the fact that, as well as doing her own shopping, she has a flourishing career as an illustrator and designer and, until 2015, defied convention by lighting up in public.

In 2021, it was announced she was hired as the set designer for a Netflix film based on an adaptation of a romantic fantasy novel by Out of Africa author Karen Blixen, one of Denmark’s most internationally recognised women writers. 

Margrethe has also studied at five universities and is a committed anglophile.

She spent a year at North Foreland Lodge boarding school in Hampshire, and went on to study prehistoric archaeology at Girton College, Cambridge.  

The then princess also studied at the London School of Economics in 1965.  

Speaking in an interview to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last June, Margrethe told how the Queen had made an ‘enormous impression’ on her, because of the way she has ‘faced her duties, the way she is dedicated but also that she does it with a smile.’

The pair are said to have used nicknames for each other, with the Queen calling her Danish counterpart ‘Daisy’ and Margrethe using ‘Lilibet’ – the name used by her closest family. 

Margrethe is known as ‘Daisy’ or ‘aunt Daisy’ because the flower of the same name is known as ‘marguerite’ in both Sweden and Denmark.

Both monarchs also shared a love of dogs, with the Queen being famous for her love of corgis – having had more than 30 in her life – and Margrethe favouring Dachshunds.

Queen Margrethe was related to Her Late Majesty through Queen Victoria, whose third son Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, was Margrethe’s great-grandfather and Her Majesty’s great-uncle.

Margrethe’s House of Glücksburg and the House of Windsor are also linked by Margrethe’s great-great-grandfather, Christian IX. 

His daughter, Alexandra, married Edward VII, the eldest son of Queen Victoria.

He was the Queen’s great-grandfather and King Charles III’s great-great-grandfather. 

Her Majesty visited Denmark for the first time in 1957, when Margrethe’s parents – King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid were on the throne. 

Her second trip in 1979 is remembered for the awkward moment when a Danish soldier was thrown from his horse during the parade in Copenhagen – and Her Majesty broke into a smile. 

Margrethe clapped her hand to her mouth in embarrassment, but could not help betraying a smile too. 

Another hussar then had trouble controlling his steed and it galloped up from the rear of the troupe before prancing around the royal coach. 

Thankfully, the rest of the visit passed without any further drama. 

When Margrethe visited Britain in 1974, the Queen greeted her with a joke, saying: ‘There once was a time when news of Danes arriving on our east coast was anything but good news.’

Elizabeth II was more than a fellow head of state to Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. She was a friend, a cousin, and a role model.

The late queen’s devotion to duty was an inspiration to Margrethe, who once admitted: ‘She is a good deal more experienced than I am.’

Elizabeth taught her ‘that I must somehow understand that I must dedicate my life to my nation like she has done, and in that way she has been very important to me.’

Elizabeth also made it clear to Margrethe that the monarchy is ‘a task you have handed down to you and that you keep as long as you live.’

This shared belief that being sovereign is a job for life, made this week’s abdication announcement – which came out of the blue – all the more surprising.

Having said that, Margrethe may well had had the late queen in mind since her priority is for a smooth transition of her throne to Crown Prince Frederick.

Elizabeth II, as an anointed sovereign, would never have abdicated but in February 2022 she memorably asked the country to give Charles and Camilla ‘the same support that you have given me’ and endorsed Camilla as her son’s queen consort.

Which is to say, there seems to have been a strong threat of planning and preparation for the future in the late Queen’s final years.

Similarly, Margrethe would have taken on board the no-nonsense way that Elizabeth stripped Harry and Meghan of their HRH status, their royal patronages and the prince’s honorary military titles once they had decided to step down as working royals in 2020.

In a similar move – and one provoking controversy at home – the Danish queen removed the titles prince and princess from the four children of her younger son Prince Joaquim.

As with Elizabeth II, it hurt her to do so but Margrethe thought it a necessary measure, commenting that ‘difficulties and disagreements can arise in any family, including mine.’

Elizabeth and Margrethe were not only friends, they were also third cousins.

Both are great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria and also of Denmark’s King Christian IX, whose daughter was Elizabeth’s great-grandmother, Queen Alexandra (Queen Consort of Edward VII).

Prince Philip had an even closer tie to Margarethe.

He was born Prince Philippos of Greece, but the Greek royal family were in fact Danish.

Philip’s grandfather was Prince William of Denmark, who agreed to take on the vacant throne of Greece, serving as King George I.

While Elizabeth and Margrethe addressed each other in public as ‘Your Majesty’, in private Margrethe was known to her cousin as ‘Daisy’.

This was the Danish queen had been named after her British-born grandmother Princess Margaret (‘Daisy’) of Connaught, one of Victoria’s many granddaughters.

Elizabeth was known to Margrethe by her family of ‘Lilibet’ as her cousin once explained:

‘That’s the way we have known each other always. That is what we call each other when we see and speak to one another. We are definitely affectionate, but I don’t want to splash it all over the place!’

Margrethe was 31 when she became queen.

Fourteen years younger than Elizabeth, she had watched on as Lilibet succeeded her father aged just 25.

‘When I was growing up, I hoped I wouldn’t be as young as that when my father died,’ Margrethe said decades later.

‘It made an enormous impression on me. The fact that she was dedicating her life. I understood what that meant. This is for life. That is the whole point of my life. And I know she sees that too.’

‘When I was growing up, my mother and father said to me, look at what they do in England, and I could see that it could be done and it was worthwhile and you could live a very full life with it, even with a heavy schedule and demanding job.

‘Both she and I see it as a dedication, but also a job.’

When she became queen in 1972 Margrethe soon realised ‘one has a position which is in some ways alone, but one depends on all sorts of people…. It’s important to know that you are not alone.’

Sharing the burden, were their two consorts. Both women married before succeeding to the throne, and both married foreigners – Philip was a Greek prince and the French-born Prince Henrik had been a diplomat.

The two men were both outspoken, controversial characters, who modernised the two royal courts and were impatient with bureaucracy. Margrethe once said, ‘my husband has found it difficult I know.’

The onset of dementia made it worse. Henrik once went on strike until he had an increase in his allowance from the state and he was incensed when his son, Crown Prince Frederick was placed above him in the order of precedence.

Much sadness was caused when he refused to attend Margrethe’s 75th birthday celebrations and also announced that he did not wish to be buried alongside her.

Beside admiring Elizabeth’s sense of duty, Margrethe loved her sense of humour.

She was in the royal box for the opening of the London Olympic Games in 2012 and like all the other guests was taken in by Elizabeth’s involvement in the James Bond spoof.

‘There was the queen sitting with her back to the camera and I thought “Is that somebody being very clever impersonating her, and she got up and it was her! What a good sport.”

Afterwards, she continued, ‘I told her how much I admired that she had taken part and told her that we all thought it was absolutely wonderful.’

According to Daisy, Elizabeth ‘enjoyed the surprise – apparently she hadn’t even told her children.’

Margrethe was the head of state the late Queen saw most of.

Protocol dictates that a Queen Regnant such as Margrethe should only make one state visit to a country during the reign of a fellow monarch.

The Danish queen was, however, invited twice, first in 1974 and again in 2000.

Elizabeth bestowed the Royal Victorian Chain on her cousin in 1972 – a rare honour, with less than a dozen living recipients.

She was also made only the seventh Lady of the Garter since Queen Alexandra became the first in 1901.

Elizabeth and Philip both received Denmark’s highest order of chivalry, the Order of the Elephant, as a wedding present in 1947, though rather than in a formal presentation ceremony, Margrethe’s father, King Frederick sent it in the ordinary post.

Elizabeth also made Daisy Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment in 1997 the year after Princess Diana renounced the role following her divorce.

Margrethe and the other members of the ‘Trade Union of Kings’ as Edward VII dubbed his fellow monarchs often gathered to mark significant state occasions in Britain including three of Elizabeth’s four jubilees, and her silver and golden and wedding anniversaries.

In addition, Margrethe has a house in Belgravia just behind Buckingham Palace and once said Elizabeth ‘always invites me for lunch when I am in London – when we talk about family, how things are going in this country and that country and what the children are up to.’

Elizabeth’s death in September 2022 coincided with the celebrations in Denmark marking Margrethe’s golden jubilee.

Many events were cancelled as a mark of respect.

One that went ahead was a gala at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen. Before it began, Margrethe called for a minute of silence to honour Elizabeth.

Daisy travelled to London for the funeral in September 2022.

As she attended the late queen’s Lying in State at Westminster Hall, she was photographed clearly tearful and looking rather desolate.

On the news of Elizabeth’s death, her cousin sent a special letter to King Charles III that read:

‘Deeply moved by the sad news of your beloved mother’s death, I send you and Camilla my warmest thoughts and prayers.

‘Your mother was very important to me and my family. She was a towering figure among the European monarchs and a great inspiration to us all. We shall miss her terribly.’

• Ian Lloyd is the author of The Queen: 70 Chapters in the Life of Elizabeth II, (The History Press)

When Danish Queen Margrethe II announced she would abdicate on January 14, it was the country’s first abdication in 500 years.

It also marked a joint step to protect the Danish monarchy. By promoting her son, Crown Prince Frederik, the Queen hopes to strengthen not only the Crown but also, crucially, the marriage of Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, which was recently rocked by allegations about Frederik’s close ties to a Mexican socialite .

Often called the Danish royal family’s “greatest asset,” Mary, a 51-year-old Australian, is loved by her queen and her adopted country, where her cheerful attitude, tireless work ethic and impeccable style have earned her endless praise.

It reminds us all quite a bit of another princess: our own Princess of Wales. Like Mary, Kate is a “common man” who married an heir to the throne. Like Mary, Kate transitioned into her role as royal wife and mother with grace and dedication.

But these parallels are not nearly as striking as those between their wardrobes. They may live 800 miles apart, but their styles are so similar that it’s tempting to imagine them sharing a closet. Even the late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld once called them “royal sisters.”

At 41, Kate may be ten years younger than Mary, but both women are brunettes and have slim, athletic builds to match similar colors, prints and styles. Just how similar it is is nothing short of incredible.

Of the millions of dresses in the world, it seems amazing that they choose identical dresses for so many occasions. During a visit to Norfolk in 2020, Kate wore the same £572 blue dress from British brand Beulah that Mary had worn in Indonesia a year earlier.

Then, in June 2021, Kate wore a £720 pale pink button-down dress from Beulah to Wimbledon, following Mary, who had worn the same design in cream to open an art exhibition last year.

These are not the only cases of twinning. In 2018, Kate wore a £1,350 lilac Emilia Wickstead dress to a mental health summit in London, three years after Mary wore the blue version in Japan.

While Mary may have worn this style first, Kate has it in cobalt, olive green and teal, and Wickstead has now named her design ‘The Kate’ in her honour.

If Mary has noticed these stylistic dupes, she hasn’t let them affect her easy camaraderie with Kate, as was evident when the latter visited Copenhagen in February 2022. Both women seemed as eager to share a joke as they were to share a love for drop earrings. .

Rather than deliberately copying, it’s more likely that the two women are aware of which outfits work well in their public roles, favoring slim-fit tailoring and bold prints.

Like tartan: when Kate visited Liverpool with Prince William in January 2023, she wore a tartan coat from Holland Cooper that was reminiscent of Mary’s Baum und Pferdgarten coat, worn in 2019.

The two princesses also own a black lace dress: Mary’s Jesper Hovring (£1,000) and Kate’s Alexander McQueen (£4,000) are examples.

As for what 2024 will bring them, one thing is certain: both will set the standard for what a queen should look like in the 21st century.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark shocked royal watchers around the world as she rang in the new year by announcing her abdication following 52 years on the throne. 

By stepping down, Margrethe, 83, has made way for her son Frederik to take over as king, and his wife Mary as Queen. 

It is a decision that has shocked the people of Denmark, as the incumbent Queen has previously ruled out any suggestion of abdicating. During an interview in 2016, she said: ‘It’s always been: you stay as long as you live. That’s what my father did and my predecessors. And the way I see it too.’

As European monarchies are rocked by Queen Margrethe’s shock decision, a royal expert has suggested the Danish monarch has broken an ‘invisible pact’ between heads of state in the Scandinavian countries that none would step down from the throne.

Roger Lundberg told STV that, after Denmark’s changeover, there is a chance King Harald of Norway, 86, and King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, 79, might follow suit and step down to allow their eldest children to take the throne.

After the Danish royal family spent the last two years grappling with various scandals including the Queen’s surprise decision to strip her grandchildren of their princely titles and rumours of an ‘affair’ after Crown Prince Frederik was spotted out in Madrid with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova, the monarch’s decision to retire may provide a much-needed fresh start.

But Denmark is not the only monarchy in the Scandinavian nations to have had a bumpy few years – with Norway’s royal family experiencing its very own ‘Megxit’. Although the Swedish royals have enjoyed a relatively comfortable few years, the heir apparent Crown Princess Victoria has stepped in for her father on several occasions. 

The Danish head of state shocked the nation and many royal watchers around the world when she used her annual New Year’s Eve speech to announce live on television that she was stepping down as Queen after 52 years.

In her address the 83-year-old said she had taken stock after undergoing back surgery last year and had decided it was it was time ‘to leave the responsibility to the next generation’ – namely her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik.

In February, Margrethe underwent a successful back surgery. ‘The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future – whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,’ she said in her speech.

However, the timing of the move has raised questions, as it comes just weeks after Frederik hit the headlines when he was pictured on a night out in Madrid with a Mexican socialite, sparking rumours of an alleged ‘affair’.

Speculation is mounting that the decision was made to keep Frederik’s wife of 19 years Princess Mary, who is extremely popular with the public, on side.

Princess Mary, who is set to become the nation’s first Australian-born queen in a number of weeks, has won over the Danish public with her dedication to royal duty and her fluency in the language.

Her husband is also similarly popular, having turned his public image around from being a rebel tearaway and party boy during his youth to becoming a family man.

However, their relationship came under scrutiny last year when Frederik was spotted on a night out with Mexican reality star Genoveva Casanova in October.

While the Royal Household refused to comment on photos of the pair together, Genoveva issued a public statement denying any kind of romantic relationship and called the rumours ‘malicious’.

And in 2022, Margrethe stripped her younger son Prince Joachim’s children Athena, 11, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, Prince Nikolai, 23, of their prince and princess titles. 

Margrethe said at the time she hoped the move would allow the siblings to ‘shape their own lives without being limited by the special considerations and duties’ that a formal affiliation with the Danish Royal Family involves.

She said she thought that it was better for her to take action than then leave the burden to Frederik as the future King.

The decision split the family and caused a deep rift, with Prince Joachim, who was living in Paris with his family at the time, hitting out at his mother in an impromptu television interview.

He said the queen’s decision had ‘punished’ his children and claimed he had only been told the news five days before it was made public – despite the Royal Household insisting the move  had been ‘a long time coming’. 

After weeks of a deepening crisis within the Danish royal family, Queen Margrethe called her sons together for peace talks at the palace and, after issuing an unprecedented public apology for the way in which she announced the decision, she appeared to smooth things over with Joachim.

Denmark is not the only Scandinavian monarchy to have grappled with adversity over the last few years, with Norway also experiencing turmoil at the heart of its royal family when King Harald and Queen Sonja’s only daughter Princess Märtha Louise, who was fourth in line to the throne, stepped down as a working royal in 2019.

It was announced in 2022 that the mother-of-three would no longer represent the Royal household in any form following her engagement to an American Shamanic healer who had been criticised for his controversial views. 

King Harald said that Martha would not be allowed to use her royal title any future commercial partnerships with her partner Durek Verrett, 47. 

Shortly after the mother-of-three announced her engagement to Verrett, a Norweigan publishing house dropped his book ‘Spirit Hacking’ over pseudoscientific claims, including ‘children can get cancer from being unhappy’.

Among his other claims, Durek says he once came back from the dead, recovering from a month-long coma, by letting his soul ‘burn’ and he has also spoken of having to undergo a kidney transplant from his sister as a child.

Following Martha Louise’s decision to step down, King Harald stressed that his daughter has remained a princess at his request, saying: ‘She is our daughter, and she will continue to be. So she is Princess Märtha Louise.’ 

The princess was previously married to Ari Behn, whom she wed in 2002 and had three children together Maud Angelica, 19, Leah Isadora, 17, and Emma Tallulah, 14. They split in 2016, and Ari took his own life on Christmas Day in 2019. 

Crown Prince Haakon, Martha-Louise’s older brother, is Norway’s heir apparent – and the future King has already had a taste of what it will be like to ascend the throne after stepping in for his father on several occasions over the past few years.

Like Queen Margrethe, King Harald has taken sick leave in the past year after being hospitalised. He suffered an infection last may and remained on sick leave for some time – during which his son stepped in to perform royal duties. 

King Carl Gustaf XVI of Sweden has also relied on his heir apparent, Crown Princess Victoria, to step in for him in recent years to carry out royal duties.

The King, 77, is the first king in the Swedish monarchy’s more than 1,000-year history to reach 50 years on the throne.

The Crown Princess, now 45 years old, began to assist her parents King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia with their work after turning 18 in 1995.

But this came at a cost, she has explained. Being first in line to the Swedish throne meant she put intense pressure on herself to the detriment of her health.

She met her now-husband, Prince Daniel, 49, who was her former personal trainer following doctor-ordered sessions as she recovered from an eating disorder. 

When she is crowned, Victoria will become the first reigning queen in the royal family of Sweden since 1818 following the parliamentary change to the Act of Succession that introduced absolute primogeniture.

However in 2017, the king made it clear he had no plans to abdicate. 

Asked when he thought he would be ready to hand over power to his daughter, he said the question was ‘a matter for God’.

‘I will ask God when I die,’ he said, before saying he would try to remain king for as long as phsyically possible.

After Queen Margrethe of Denmark announced her shock abdication in a New Year’s Eve address to the nation, she marked the end of an era as Europe’s longest-serving monarch.

But as Margrethe’s son Crown Prince Frederik, 54, steps up to take the throne on January 14, it marks another huge change among the major monarchies of Europe – as they will all have male heads of state. 

Although the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the abdication of Queen Margrethe signalled a shift in power from stalwart female figures to male monarchs, the future of the European royal households is female, as almost every heir apparent is now a woman.

From Princess Leonor of Spain to Princess Elisabeth of Belgium and Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, the next generation of royals is decidedly female.

A photo from Prince Christian of Denmark’s 18th birthday showed the young princesses ready to step into the shoes of their parents one day to reign over their nations.

The birthday boy, who is now Denmark’s heir apparent, was flanked by Princess Estelle of Sweden, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium. 

Here, FEMAIL takes a look at the princesses of Europe who will represent the changing face of the continent’s monarchies in the years to come… 

Princess Leonor of Spain

King Felipe VI of Spain, 55, has entered his tenth year on the throne. The royal entered the role under similar circumstances as Prince Frederik – following the abdication of his father. 

Felipe’s scandal-hit father Juan Carlos announced his surprise decision to abdicate on June 2 2014, saying he was stepping aside, which then allowed his son to step into his shoes. 

While Felipe remains in his prime, Princess Leonor is shaping up as a monarch-in-waiting with solo engagements, speeches, and military training, already under her belt. 

The future queen of Spain, 18, has been making solo appearances and training at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza to ensure she’s ready for her future in the monarchy. 

On Leonor’s 18th birthday, she received the symbolic Collar of the Order of Charles III from her father. 

The Collar is an historic gift, created by Carlos III in 1771, and represents the possibility that Princess Leonor will one day assume the crown.

King Felipe VI received the Collar of the Order of Charles III on his 18th birthday in January 1986.

Princess Leonor was given it in a ceremony attended by the royal family, senators and elected representatives. 

On top of royal duties, Leonor undergoing military training at Zaragoza Military Academy. 

In September last year the Spanish palace also announced that Princess Leonor will go to university to study law once her three years of military training have been completed. 

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

In Sweden, King Carl Gustaf XVI, who recently celebrated his 50th jubilee, reigns. 

King Carl ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, in September 1973. 

At the age of 75, Carl is the longest reigning monarch in Swedish history, having taken the throne in 1973. Following the abdication of Queen Margrethe, he will also now assume the title of Europe’s longest-reigning monarch.

He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Carl married Silvia Sommerlath in 1976, three years after his accession. 

The royal couple share three children – Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, 46, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Duke of Värmland, 44, and Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, 41.

Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden is heir to the throne – adding another female heir to the mix. 

The heir apparent will welcome the role with her husband Prince Daniel, 50. 

Victoria and Daniel, who share two children, Princess Estelle, 11, and Prince Oscar, seven, celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary this year.

Previously a gym owner, Daniel, who was born Olof Daniel Westling, met Victoria at a training session before the pair began dating in 2002.

The couple announced their highly-anticipated engagement in 2009 and tied the knot a year later.

As heir to the throne, the mother-of-two is said to be preparing for her future role of Head of State with the King to obtain a deeper understanding of the position and its responsibilities. 

After Victoria’s reign, her daughter Princess Estelle, 11, is expected to take over the crown – making her one of Europe’s youngest heirs. 

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium 

In Belgium, King Philippe, 63, has reigned since 2013 after taking on the role from his father King Albert II. 

Philippe’s father abdicated in July 2013, and no more than an hour later, King Philippe was sworn in as King. 

And in doing so, his eldest child, Princess Elisabeth became his heir apparent. 

Destined to be the first queen of her young nation, she has been directly affected by a legal change, made in 1991. In earlier times, her younger brother Gabriel would have been the monarch.

Born on October 25, 2001, Princess Elisabeth is the eldest of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium’s four children.

When her father became King in 2013, Elisabeth became the heir to the throne and Duchess of Brabant.

Elisabeth began attending royal engagements from a young age and was just nine when she delivered a speech at the opening of the Princess Elisabeth Children’s Hospital.

Like a number of other European royals, including Princess Leonor of Spain and Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, Elisabeth attended Atlantic College in Wales before moving on to Oxford.

Elisabeth enrolled on a £67,000, two-year course to study for her International Baccalaureate diploma at the school, which she has now completed.

Before her two-year course in Wales, she attended the Dutch-speaking secondary school Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege in Brussels.

The Princess also went to the Yale Young Global Scholars Program at Yale University.

She then completed a one-year course in social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy which is said to teach in-depth about the four components of Belgian defence: Army, Air Force, Navy and Medical.

An accomplished 22-year-old by any measure, the official royal website says Elisabeth enjoys walking in nature, reading and playing the piano – although like ‘all youngsters her age’, writes the palace, ‘her taste in music is varied.’ 

Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands 

The oldest daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, Princess Catharina-Amalia became the apparent heir when her grandmother Queen Beatrix abdicated in 2013.

She will take over the role from her father Willem-Alexander, who acceded the throne following his mother’s abdication in 2013. 

While she is still at university – and has rejected her right to a 1.6 million euros (£1.36 million) annual income – she has been increasingly stepping into the limelight, but often stays by her parents and sister’s sides at royal events due to security fears.

The 19-year-old, who started a degree in politics, psychology, law, and economics at the University of Amsterdam last year, moved out of her student accommodation and returned to her home in The Hague in October.

She later opened up about ‘missing normal life’ after she was forced to leave university accommodation over a gangster plot to kidnap her. 

Asides from royal duties,  she is a keen jockey with a horse named Mojito and she was nicknamed the Cocktail Queen after working a summer at a beach bar in Scheveningen.

She recently took part in her first international tour, joining her parents on a lengthy visit to the Dutch Caribbean Islands.

Princess Ingrid-Alexandra of Norway 

Second in line to the throne after her father, Princess Ingrid is the daughter of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and granddaughter of current ruler, King Harald V of Norway.

Ingrid Alexandra will become Norway’s second female monarch after her father secured her place in the line of succession by changing the law to allow first-born daughters to ascend the throne over their younger male siblings.

The last Norwegian queen was 600 years ago: Queen Margaret reigned over Norway, Denmark, and Sweden from the late 1380s until her death in 1412.

Born in 2004 in Oslo, Princess Ingrid Alexandra attended the same local primary school as her half-brother, Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship.

Her parents chose the school because they wanted her to have as ordinary a childhood as possible.

Ingrid Alexandra is an avid skier, boxer and surfer. She won a gold medal in the Norwegian surfing championship for juniors in October 2020.

She has taken part in a handful of public engagements, including opening a public sculpture park in her name in 2016.

In the next few years, she will increase her public profile and take on more responsibilities on behalf of the royal family but will continue to focus on her education, the palace said in a statement on her 18th birthday. 

 

Australia’s Crown Princess Mary will become Queen of Denmark on January 14 – and there were some subtle signs that the popular royal was about to become Australia’s first-ever monarch.

Queen Margarethe II used her annual New Year’s Eve speech on Sunday to announce that she would abdicate the throne, making Prince Frederik (55) her successor and Mary (51) the queen consort.

The 83-year-old monarch, famous for her chain-smoking and flamboyant sense of style, was the longest-serving monarch in Europe after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

This may have been the reason that Mary took her family on a quiet and almost secret holiday to Australia and New Zealand in early December.

On December 6, Mary landed in Australia with her twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, both 12, before climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge together.

The trip was also used to signal that Mary and Frederick were very much united, after rumors of the prince’s alleged ‘affair’ with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova rocked the royal family.

Princess Mary then jetted off to Queensland, where she reunited with Frederik and Princess Isabella, 16, for a much-needed escape from the spotlight.

Frederik attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, where he attended the opening of the SIDS: A Just and Equitable Energy Transition Towards a Climate-Resilient Future Conference, spoke at How to Decarbonize the Hard-to-abate Sectors, and attended the conference at a Danish reception.

Mary’s previous visit Down Under was in 2023 for her first official engagement in a decade.

This time, however, the Tasmania-born royal kept things personal and made sure he caught up with family and friends away from prying eyes.

Mary was snapped shedding a tear as she said goodbye to friends on the Queenstown airport tarmac

The personal visit was her last bit of peace before she ascended the throne in two weeks.

On December 20, after returning to Denmark, Mary shared a post on the Mary Foundation website and Instagram page hinting at her future “success” and big things to come.

The letter touched on loneliness and the need for positive human connection during the holidays, but offered hints at something bigger.

She added, “And at the same time, so much has happened that it’s impossible to put it all into words.”

‘We will soon end 2023 and go on Christmas vacation with gratitude for everything we humans can do when we do it together. We need each other if we want to succeed.’

In addition to the powerful message, a beautiful photo of the royal family in the snow was posted.

She wore a purple jacket under a warm woolen shawl and smiled softly at the camera.

In November, rumors swirled about an alleged ‘affair’ between Prince Frederik and Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova after they were photographed on a night out in Spain.

Although the accusations could have been enough to end many relationships, Mary and Frederick adopted a “business as normal” attitude during their royal engagements.

The couple maintained a united front to emerge as strong contenders for the future king and queen.

On Christmas Eve, Mary and Frederik were seen holding hands as they entered Aarhus Cathedral for a Christmas Eve church service.

The royal couple were all smiles as they stepped out alongside Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, before celebrating Christmas Day at Marselisborg Castle with Queen Margrethe.

The Danish royal family was shocked by photos published in October showing Prince Frederik enjoying an evening in Madrid with the 47-year-old socialite.

While Spanish magazine Lecturas published the photos and claimed the couple had spent the evening at a bodega in the Spanish capital, where they watched flamenco dancing and dined until the early hours, Genoveva hit back at ‘malicious’ rumors that she was in a relationship with the heir to the Spanish capital. the Danish throne.

Since the photos emerged, Princess Mary has remained tight-lipped about her husband’s dinner with the socialite.

Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II shocked the world tonight announcing her abdication from the throne in her traditional New Year’s Eve speech.

The longest reigning head of state in Europe will abdicate on January 14 after dedicating her life to 52 years of service.

Since 1972, however, the Queen has managed to keep a some-what normal life, becoming known for her chain-smoking habits and being so ‘normal’ that has been spotted shopping in the supermarket.

The Queen of many talents even was hired as a set designer in 2021 for a romantic fantasy novel by Out of Africa’s Karen Blixen, one of Denmark’s most internationally recognised female authors, for a Netflix film.

Last year the monarch hit the headlines when she decided to remove royal titles from the four children of her son Prince Joachim.  

She outstripped all other royals in terms of the longevity of her reign when her third cousin Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 last September, after 70 years as monarch.

The pair enjoyed a close relationship, having bonded during several state visits to each other’s countries down the decades – most recently in 2000, when Margrethe was received at Windsor.

Margrethe, now 83, attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth but underwent major back surgery in February and was unable to be at the Coronation. 

Margrethe was born on April 16, 1940, a week after Nazi Germany had invaded Denmark.

The occupation meant that the little princess became a symbol of hope for the Danes.

She ascended the throne on January 15, 1972, after the death of her father.

But, although she was his eldest child, she did not become heir presumptive until 1953, when Denmark’s constitution was amended to allow women to inherit the throne.

That followed a referendum in which more than 85 per cent of participants voted to allow female succession.

On the day she became monarch, she appeared on the balcony of Denmark’s Christiansborg Palace and pledged her allegiance to the nation.

Wearing a black veil and gown adorned with the regalia of the Order of the Elephant and her father King Frederick IX’s Family Order attached to her gown, the 31-year-old monarch stated: ‘My beloved father, our King, is dead.

‘The task that my father had carried for nearly 25 years is now resting on my shoulders. I pray to God to give me help and strength to carry the heavy heritage. May the trust that was given to my father also be granted to me.’

Becoming the first queen of Denmark since Margrethe I in the early 15th-century, the monarch blazed a trail that continues to this day.

A popular queen, she is known as the ‘people’s monarch’ thanks to the fact that, as well as doing her own shopping, she has a flourishing career as an illustrator and designer and, until 2015, defied convention by lighting up in public.

Margrethe has also studied at five universities and is a committed anglophile.

She spent a year at North Foreland Lodge boarding school in Hampshire, and went on to study prehistoric archaeology at Girton College, Cambridge.  

The then princess also studied at the London School of Economics in 1965. 

Speaking in an interview to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last June, Margrethe told how the Queen had made an ‘enormous impression’ on her, because of the way she has ‘faced her duties, the way she is dedicated but also that she does it with a smile.’

The pair are said to have used nicknames for each other, with the Queen calling her Danish counterpart ‘Daisy’ and Margrethe using ‘Lilibet’ – the name used by her closest family. 

Margrethe is known as ‘Daisy’ or ‘aunt Daisy’ because the flower of the same name is known as ‘marguerite’ in both Sweden and Denmark.

Both monarchs also shared a love of dogs, with the Queen being famous for her love of corgis – having had more than 30 in her life – and Margrethe favouring Dachshunds.

Queen Margrethe was related to Her Late Majesty through Queen Victoria, whose third son Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, was Margrethe’s great-grandfather and Her Majesty’s great-uncle.

Margrethe’s House of Glücksburg and the House of Windsor are also linked by Margrethe’s great-great-grandfather, Christian IX. 

His daughter, Alexandra, married Edward VII, the eldest son of Queen Victoria.

He was the Queen’s great-grandfather and King Charles III’s great-great-grandfather. 

Her Majesty visited Denmark for the first time in 1957, when Margrethe’s parents – King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid were on the throne. 

Her second trip in 1979 is remembered for the awkward moment when a Danish soldier was thrown from his horse during the parade in Copenhagen – and Her Majesty broke into a smile. 

Margrethe clapped her hand to her mouth in embarrassment, but could not help betraying a smile too. 

Another hussar then had trouble controlling his steed and it galloped up from the rear of the troupe before prancing around the royal coach. 

Thankfully, the rest of the visit passed without any further drama. 

When Margrethe visited Britain in 1974, the Queen greeted her with a joke, saying: ‘There once was a time when news of Danes arriving on our east coast was anything but good news.’

On her second visit in 2000, she spoke of her ‘sympathy’ for the young British royals, saying: ‘It is much easier to be a Prince of Denmark than a Prince of Wales. Our youngsters have been left alone more than the young Royal Family members in Britain.’

Margarethe issued a touching tribute to the Queen when she died last September, before coming to Britain for her funeral. 

She was also close to the Duke of Edinburgh and expressed her sadness at his death aged 99 in April 2021. 

But, despite her popularity at home and abroad, Margrethe’s 52 years on the throne have not been without controversy.

Margrethe raised eyebrows when she said that living in Denmark did not ‘make you Danish’. 

Her husband, Henrik, who died aged 83 in 2018, insisted that he did not want to be buried alongside his wife, with his secretary saying the decision was the ‘natural consequence of not having been treated equally to his spouse’. 

His wishes were honoured when he passed away and his ashes were scattered in Danish waters and in the gardens at Fredonsborg Palace. 

The Royal Danish House’s director of communications said at the time: ‘It is no secret that the prince for many years has been unhappy with his role and the title he has been awarded in the Danish monarchy.

‘For the prince, the decision not to be buried beside the queen is the natural consequence of not having been treated equally to his spouse – by not having the title and role he has desired.’

The pair had endured a tumultuous union, with Henrik at one point leaving his country for several weeks after a bust-up. 

The couple met met in London during Margrethe’s time as a student there.

They married in 1967 and welcomed their first son Frederik – the current heir to the throne – the following year. Prince Joachim then arrived in 1969. 

Earlier this year she explained her shock decision to strip Joachim’s children – Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 11 – from his first marriage of their prince and princess titles, which provoked an unseemly family row. 

In October 2022,  she did apologise for the fact that she had ‘underestimated’ the extent that Joachim and his family felt ‘affected’ by her decision. 

Margrethe wants to slim down the Danish monarchy and reduce the number of working royals and she said she thought it was better for her to take action rather than leaving the burden to her eldest son when he becomes king.

In an interview in February with Danish publication Ekstra Bladet she said: ‘It’s been important to me that this should never be Frederik’s lot to make that kind of decision.

‘It’s better that I did. Because then it’s the old lady that made the decision. I am not keen to get into it to be honest.

‘I could mention some things, but you shouldn’t have to tell everything. But it is still a little bit too private to talk about.’

The children are now counts and countesses and referred to as Their Excellencies. 

Margrethe had also insisted that the move will be ‘good for them in their future’ and would allow the children – who have maintained their positions in the line of succession – to ‘shape their own lives without being limited by the special considerations and duties’ that a formal affiliation with the Danish Royal Family involves. 

However, Prince Joachim publicly spoke out against his mother’s decision in the days that followed – claiming that his children from his marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, along with Henrik and Athena, had been ‘harmed’ in the process. 

In a televised address to mark 2023, Margrethe referred to the ‘difficulties’ in Prince Joachim’s current marriage, to second wife Princess Marie, saying the fact ‘hurts me’.

‘Difficulties and disagreements can arise in any family, including mine. The whole country has witnessed this.’

She added that she was ‘sure that the family can enter the new year together with confidence, understanding and new courage’.

But Alexandra also spoke out, saying that her sons, Nikolai and Felix, had been left feeling ‘ostracised’ from the institution and the decision had come like a ‘bolt out of the blue’.

The Royal Household released a further statement, saying: ‘As the Queen stated yesterday, the decision has been a long time coming.

‘We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the Queen’s wish to future-proof the Royal Household will be respected.’

However, despite the family tensions, Queen Margrethe has proven her commitment to duty in the past 50 years.  

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Margrethe became the only living Queen in the world. 

She is also now the second longest-serving living monarch in the world, second only to Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei.

And Margrethe is the longest-serving head of state, because the Sultan only became head of state in 1984, despite acceding to his throne in 1967, when Brunei gained independence from Britain. 

At the beginning of March, the Queen left hospital in Copenhagen after her back surgery. 

Whilst the operation was said to have gone well, a royal statement said she would need ‘a lengthy rehabilitation process’ which could last months.