King Frederik’s most personal revelations from new book: Danish monarch glosses over affair rumours by revealing he’s reached ‘stable point’ with Queen Mary and delves into complicated relationship with ‘patriarchal’ father Prince Henrik

Just three days after ascending the throne, King Frederik of Denmark stunned royal watchers by releasing a new book outlining his vision for the monarchy. 

The royal, 55, worked with author Jens Andersen – who wrote his 2017 biography – on the 110-page book The King’s Word. 

The book – which is already a bestseller in Denmark – delves into Frederik’s childhood and his complicated relationship with his late father Prince Henrik, who passed away in 2018.

Looking back on his childhood and adolescence, the father-of-four criticises Prince Henrik for not being a more supportive figure in his life.

On top of this, the monarch also gives insight into his marriage to Queen Mary and their ‘stable life’ together.

In one excerpt, Frederik reveals that his wife of 20 years calls him out on what he learned from his ‘patriarchal’ father growing up.

In painting the picture of his happy marriage, Frederik glosses over the recent affair rumours that have been swirling after pictures emerged of him enjoying an evening out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova on a night out in Madrid. 

Author Jens Andersen confirmed to local media that he spent 18 months working with King Frederik on the book.

The final draft was then sent to publishers on New Year’s Eve, which is the day Queen Margrethe announced her plans to abdicate after 52 years.

Here FEMAIL delves into the most revelations King Frederik makes in his new book.

Complicated relationship with father

In the opening chapter of the book, King Frederik discusses his childhood and his relationship with his father.

Although the royal says he has no memories of his grandfather King Frederik IX, who died in 1972, he does describe happy memories of nannies who used to take him and his younger brother Prince Joachim on ‘many trips to town’.

Before delving into the subject of his father, who became a controversial figure in Denmark towards the end of his life, Frederik said: ‘So much time has passed since his death that today I can better return to the memories.’ 

The King remembers how his father – who grew up in France – loved cheese and felt he had to lie about enjoying Danish offerings.

Frederik fondly recalls: ‘He pretended they tasted heavenly when he was involved in some export promotion, even though he thought: “God bless you, this has never been further from a cheese!”‘

Born on June 11, 1934, in southwestern France to parents with the noble titles of count and countess, Henri Marie Jean Andre de Laborde de Monpezat married Denmark’s future queen in 1967.

Henri became Henrik and converted to Denmark’s state Lutheran Church. However, he found it difficult to fit in with Denmark’s egalitarian lifestyle.

In his book, Frederik says his father could have been more outwardly supportive in helping prepare him for the role of King one day.

He writes: ‘In that way, you can say that he supported me in that process, even though he would never in any way admit it or say it directly to me. 

‘As a father, you shouldn’t do that in his eyes.’

Without his father’s steadfast support, Frederik said that he considered his 18th birthday as the ‘end of the world’ – as it meant he was the official heir to the throne. 

Elsewhere in the book, Frederik recalls how his father had a ‘very patriarchal’ mindset and struggled in the role of Prince Consort.

In the mid-1980s, Henrik publicly said he wanted a pay cheque instead of relying on the queen, who gets annual allowances. 

The law was eventually changed to give him roughly 10 percent of the annual allocation Parliament makes to royals each year. 

Towards the end of his life, Prince Henrik renounced the title of Prince Consort and spent much of his time living in a chateau in the South of France.

In 2017, he said he was unhappy that he was not known as King Consort and wasn’t recognised as his wife’s equal. 

In an interview with weekly magazine Se og Hor, he accused the Queen of ‘making a fool of me.’ 

The late royal added: ‘My wife has decided that she wants to be Queen, and I’m very happy about that.

‘But as a human being she needs to know that if a man and wife are married, they are equal.’

He says in the video that he loved the Queen, but added: ‘My wife does not give me the respect a normal wife must give her spouse.’ 

Reaching a ‘stable point’ with Queen Mary 

Elsewhere in the book, King Frederik gives insight into his marriage with Queen Mary.

The pair met in the Slip Inn pub in Sydney in 2000 when the royal, then 32, travelled to Australia to support Denmark’s sailing team in the Olympics.

Speaking with Jens Hendersen, Frederik revealed that his wife – who he describes as a ‘woman of the times’ – isn’t afraid to challenge him.

He explained: ‘As previously mentioned, my father was very patriarchal, and he tried to pass that pattern on to his two sons. 

‘Here, however, I have learned a lot from having a wife who, from time to time, reminds me that of course I am not always right, and that my words are not automatically believed, just because I am the man of the house.’

Frederik said Mary is his ‘partner and wing woman’ with whom he has a ‘super dynamic’. 

Appearing to shut down the infidelity rumours, Frederik says him and Mary have reached a ‘stable point’ in their lives together.

He said: ‘I love marriage, my wife, our children and the whole happy base that arises for the people who manage to stay together and persevere.’ 

Delving into their roles as King and Queen, Frederik admitted that they ‘will approach many things differently’ from his mother.

He added: ‘Mary and I are children of our time.’

In November 2023, pictures of Crown Prince Frederick enjoying an evening out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casnova sent shockwaves through Denmark.

The heir to the Danish throne and the reality TV star were seen strolling in a park, going to an art exhibition and having a meal while watching flamenco. 

In the photos, first published by Spanish magazine Lecturas last week, the royal and the former daughter-in-law of the billionaire Duchess of Alba are seen spending hours together, walking through the city before heading to her apartment building, changing clothes and heading out again for the evening. 

The publication of the photos caused shockwaves in Spain and Denmark and led to Genoveva, 47, to issue a statement denying any kind of romantic relationship between herself and the future King.

In a legal letter posted on Instagram, she slammed the ‘malicious’ rumours suggesting the pair were romantically involved.

Nightly ritual with children  

Later in the book, Frederik reveals the nightly routine he had with his four children growing up.

King Frederik and Queen Mary share Crown Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 16, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, both 13. 

He explains how he and Mary ‘always said an evening prayer together with our children’.

What’s more, the father-of-four reveals that their two youngest children still ask him to say the Lord’s Prayer with them before turning off the lights each night.

He explained: ‘The prayer is a small but living expression of our faith.’ 

Over the past few years, criticism that had been levelled at Frederik questioned his relationship with Christianity, and whether he had strayed from religion. 

Tense moments with Queen Margrethe 

Leading on from this, King Frederik explained how he felt ‘overstimulated’ by how regularly he had to go to church growing up. 

The monarch recalled how he didn’t enjoy saying prayers as a teenager.

He then playfully criticised his mother insisting that Frederik and Joachim always attend.

King Frederick said: ‘Taking one’s hot-tempered boys to church Sunday after Sunday was perhaps not the very best solution.’ 

A spokeswoman for Saxo told Danish media that 25 copies of the £29 book have sold each minute.

Last week, the royal household’s official Instagram account announced the release of Frederik’s novel.

Alongside an image of Kongeord, they wrote: ”United, bound, to the Kingdom of Denmark’.

They continued: ‘His Majesty the King presented his language of choice – or royal words, as His Majesty likes to call it, on Sunday.’

‘Today, the book ‘Kongeord’ is released, where His Majesty shares his thoughts and considerations about the monarchy, as well as what the King himself puts into the words: Connected, obligated for the Kingdom of Denmark.’

The royal house also shared a selection of quotes from the book. One read: ‘I am now the person I am. I will also do my best to fulfil that as king of Denmark.’

‘The strength of faith does not lie in whether God is mentioned in a royal word, but in the fact that we, as people, feel connected to each other through our Christian faith,’ read another.