Behind the scenes of King Frederick's proclamation: Danish royal family shares intimate and VERY telling glimpses – from Queen Mary clinging to Princess Josephine to lonely Joachim watching an emotional balcony scene unfold

The Danish royal family has shared some touching behind-the-scenes moments from yesterday's announcement.

King Frederik, 55, officially ascended the throne yesterday afternoon after Queen Margrethe, 83, abdicated following her 52-year reign.

The former monarch signed her historic abdication papers alongside her son and grandson Prince Christian, 18, present at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen.

The Queen's last words before leaving the Council of State were: 'God save the King.'

After this, the new king addressed the crowd that had gathered outside the royal palace from the balcony.

Harrowing behind-the-scenes footage on the Danish royal family's Instagram page shows the moment Frederik nervously approached the balcony to make his first public appearance since becoming king.

The father of four – wearing his military regalia – took a deep breath as he looked to an aide for permission to walk onto the balcony.

From the palace you can see Queen Mary, who was dressed for the occasion in an elegant white dress by Soeren Le Schmidt, clinging to her daughter Princess Josephine.

The 13-year-old looked suitably smart in a black jacket with gold buttons and her hair half up, half down and secured with a bow.

As Prince Christian stood behind his mother and siblings, 16-year-old Princess Isabella – who wore a red coat – lovingly placed her hands on the shoulders of her younger brother, Prince Vincent.

The footage then jumps to Queen Mary walking out to the balcony to wave to the crowd of royal fans with her husband.

The couple appeared overcome with emotion as they shared a loving look before being joined by their four children.

From the palace, King Frederick's younger brother Prince Joachim – whose four children were stripped of their royal titles in January 2023 – thoughtfully took in the scene unfolding on the balcony.

The royal, 54, attended the ceremony without the support of his wife Princess Marie and their two children, Count Henrik, 14, and Countess Athena of Monpezat, 11.

After Queen Margrethe stripped her grandchildren of their royal titles, Joachim and his second wife moved with their children to Washington DC – where the royal family works as a defense industry attaché at the Danish embassy.

Tensions first arose in the Danish royal family after the monarch decided to strip four of her grandchildren of their HRH titles in 2022. She subsequently apologized for the timing of the announcement, but stood by the measure.

Joachim had spoken out against his mother's decision in the days that followed – claiming that his two children, Counts Nikolai, 24, and Felix, 21 – born from his first marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg – and Henrik and Athena , 'damaged thereby'.

Months later, the sixth in line to the throne said there was a “lack of communication” within the royal family ahead of the shock announcement.

Joachim told Danish tabloid BT: 'There is a lot to work on. Communication was what was missing. Now we have met and we are on the right track.'

Ahead of the proclamation, a palace spokesperson said: “Prince Joachim will be present, but the children will go to school, there is no special reason.”

They then added that Queen Margrethe's youngest son will leave Denmark the next day to return to his home in the US.

The behind-the-scenes footage of the proclamation racked up more than 260,000 likes on Instagram – with the Royal Household captioning the clip: 'Long live the King!'

Queen Margrethe yesterday became the first Danish monarch to abdicate as monarch in 900 years.

On Saturday evening, the Royal – who announced she would step down on New Year's Eve – listened to the crowd sing for her on the eve of her abdication.

Danish royalists took to the streets of Copenhagen this weekend, waving red and white flags in honor of their beloved Queen Margrethe.

In a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, last night the crowd was seen singing to Margrethe outside Amalienborg, Margrethe's winter residence.

One of the windows of the palace was wide open so that she could hear those who came to sing to her.

The queen, known for her chain-smoking and flamboyant style, was seen in the clip walking around her home and peering out at the crowds.

Margrethe, who had said in the past that she would remain on the throne for life, did not give an exact reason for her decision to step down.

However, she said a major back operation she underwent in February last year had made her rethink her future.

“The operation obviously gave rise to reflection on the future – whether it was time to pass the responsibility to the next generation,” she said in her speech.

“I've decided this 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.”