King Frederik beams as he kicks off the three-day visit to Poland – on his first overseas trip since the abdication of Margrethe II

Denmark's King Frederick

The newly ascended royal, 55, smiled this morning during a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw.

The pair appeared to enjoy each other's company as they chatted during an official welcome ceremony at the country's presidential palace.

Frederik wrapped up warm with a winter coat worn over a light puffer, combined with black leather gloves.

Photos of him from that day also showed him wearing a black suit and blue shirt, along with a purple tie.

It is the king's first trip abroad since his mother abdicated after 52 years on the throne.

His goals for the three-day visit are energy efficiency and climate-friendly agriculture.

Frederik will also lead a Danish business delegation with 38 participating companies in Poland.

After the welcome ceremony at the palace, he and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen took part in a conversation with President Duda, followed by an official lunch.

Next on the agenda is a wreath-laying ceremony at a grave in memory of unknown soldiers, erected after the First World War; visits to the Sejm (the lower house of the Polish government) and the Senate; and a roundtable discussion on energy efficiency.

The evening ends with a grand dinner in the Kubicki Arcades of the Royal Palace in Warsaw.

It comes as Fredrik unveiled his new signature last week – and it shares a key detail with that of King Charles.

The official Instagram account of the Danish royal family posted a photo of a 100th birthday card signed by the new king.

They captioned the post: 'In a small town in North Jutland, a 100-year-old birthday boy today is the first to receive a congratulations from His Majesty the King.'

The post went on to explain how Frederik has decided to continue this tradition of sending cards to the public celebrating their 100th, 105th and 110th birthdays.

Moreover, the King also reiterated how he will send his congratulations to couples celebrating their 60th, 65th, 70th and 75th wedding anniversary.

In addition, the Danish royal family posted a photo of the birthday card, which was printed on white paper and featured their code.

Under the printed congratulatory message, King Frederick made his first debut since becoming the official monarch.

Like King Charles, the monarch signed his name with an 'R' for 'Rex', which is Latin for king.

Although Queen Mary's new signature has not yet been revealed, she will likely also use 'R', just like Queen Camilla.

In September 2023, King Charles and Queen Camilla signed birthday cards for Britain's oldest living man and woman. John celebrated his 111th birthday this summer while Ethel turned 114.

Shortly after the Queen's death in September 2022, Buckingham Palace unveiled the new Royal Code – which features the initials of the King's name Charles and the King's title Rex, as well as the Roman numeral III.

Earlier this month, the Danish royal family shared an intimate and telling behind-the-scenes look at King Frederick's proclamation.

Queen Margrethe 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.