Denmark's Prince Christian is now Europe's most eligible bachelor: Future King is the continent's only crown prince after Italian princess denied engagement rumors

After his parents became King and Queen of Denmark, Prince Christian has taken on a new role that has made him one of the most eligible bachelors in Europe.

The eldest son of Australian-born Queen Mary is now next in line to the Danish throne after his father, King Frederick X, replaced Queen Magrethe II as monarch yesterday following her shock abdication.

The 18-year-old, who holds the title of Crown Prince of Denmark, is considered the only royal with the prestigious status in all of Europe, meaning he has become a major asset in high society.

He was last romantically involved with 19-year-old Princess Maria Chiara di Borbone delle Due Sicilie – until the Italian heiress denied the engagement rumors and insisted: 'Prince Christian and I share a close friendship.'

However, it appears the Crown Prince will have no problem with the attention he is receiving thanks to his new role, after he gave a confident performance at his father's enthronement on Sunday.

Dressed in a formal navy blue suit, paired with a white shirt, he looked confident and at ease as he stepped onto the balcony of Christiansborg Palace with his parents.

The new Crown Prince grinned and waved to the adoring crowd and looked completely natural in his role as he joined his siblings, Princess Isabella, 16, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, both 13, and the King and Queen of Denmark.

In recent months, Prince Christian has been linked to Princess Chiara, the daughter of Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro – who lays claim to the now-defunct throne of the former House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies – and Princess Camilla, Duchess of Castro.

Rumors that Chiara and Christian were close started when the two were pictured together at the Monaco Grand Prix last year.

Ultimately, Chiara took to Instagram and seemed to dismiss the speculation, saying, “While we all enjoy dreaming fairy tales, reality is all that really matters.” Meanwhile, the Danish royal family remained quiet about the speculation.

Chiara told Italian newspaper Corriere: 'We have known each other since we were little, my father Carlo is godfather to his younger sister.'

But it was her hint that she “hoped to meet Queen Margrethe soon” that accelerated the engagement rumors.

Her father Prince Carlo lays claim to the now-defunct throne of the former House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the Spanish royal family. While her mother, Duchess Camilla, is the daughter of Italian industry magnate Camilla Crociani.

Further proof of Christian's status as an eligible bachelor came after his lavish 18th birthday party in October.

The future king celebrated the milestone with a glitzy gala dinner at Christiansborg Palace – and the guests included dazzling future queens from across Europe.

But one glamorous partygoer wasn't stopped from catching the prince's eye and in a true Cinderella moment, Danish student Anne-Sofie Tornso Olesen, 18, left her gold stiletto heel behind for the royal family to find. .

When the staff cleaned up after the lavish festivities, they discovered the shoe. But instead of going from house to house looking for the owner, the prince asked the palace to post a photo of the heel on social media.

Actress Anne-Sofie, who appeared in the Danish TV series BaseBoys, claimed the shoe as her own, she told the Danish outlet See Og Hør: 'It was meant to be a fairytale ending à la Cinderella.'

In an attempt to return the shoe to its rightful owner, the Danish Royal Household revealed that 'Cinderella' had somehow left the shoe at Christiansborg Palace.

The caption read: 'When the guests at Her Majesty The Queen's gala table had gone home yesterday, this lone stiletto shoe was left behind at Christiansborg Castle. The owner may contact us to get it back.'

Anne-Sofie was invited to the party to represent the area where she lives outside the Danish capital. “I won the invitation to a raffle,” she told the Daily Mail's Richard Eden.

It is unclear whether Denmark, now first in line for the throne, personally returned the shoe to Anne-Sofie, whose father is a wine merchant.

Despite the attention surrounding him, it seems that Prince Christian prefers to keep his private life quiet and has even said that he would not receive a royal pension when he turns 18.

At the time of the shock announcement, it was revealed that he will only receive money from the royal grant if his father takes the throne, and that he will be restricted from his royal duties until he turns 21.

A statement on the Royal Household's Instagram page said: “Prince Christian's main priority for the coming year will be the completion of the Prince's upper secondary education.”

'It has therefore been agreed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that support will only be sought in the Danish parliament for a law on the annual pension when the prince turns 21, or in the event of a possible change of throne, whichever occurs earlier.'

The statement ended by saying that Christian will stay away from the spotlight, but will one day return to public appearances in an official capacity.

“Only after this is it expected that His Royal Highness will participate to a greater extent in official contexts,” the report said.

'However, it depends on where the Prince is at this point in his training. Until then, Prince Christian will, just like today, participate only to a limited extent in official contexts.'

Although he makes many public appearances with his parents and siblings, Christian is not yet a full-time working royal.

At the time of the announcement, Christian was in his penultimate year of school at Ordrup Gymnasium, a public school in Copenhagen.