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Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark

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For other people called Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark, see Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark (disambiguation).
For other people called Prince Christian, see Prince Christian (disambiguation).

Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat RE (Christian Valdemar Henri John; born 15 October 2005), is the heir apparent to the Danish throne. He is the eldest child of King Frederik X and Queen Mary. He was born during the reign of his paternal grandmother, Queen Margrethe II. He became Crown Prince of Denmark following his grandmother's abdication and his father's subsequent ascension to the Danish throne on 14 January 2024.

Christian
Prince Christian in 2021
Born (2005-10-15) 15 October 2005 (age 19)
Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
Names
Christian Valdemar Henri John
FatherFrederik X
MotherMary Donaldson
Education

Birth

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Prince Christian was born on 15 October 2005 at 1:57 am CET at Rigshospitalet, the Copenhagen University Hospital, in Copenhagen.[1] At noon on the day of his birth, a 21-gun salute were fired from the Sixtus Battery at Holmen Naval Base in the Port of Copenhagen and at Kronborg Castle in Elsinore to mark the birth of a royal child.[2] At the same time, public buses and official buildings flew the Danish flag, the Dannebrog.[2] At sunset on the same day beacon bonfires were lit all across Denmark, while Naval Home Guard vessels lit their searchlights and directed them towards the capital.[3]

Christian was baptized on 21 January 2006 in Christiansborg Palace Chapel by the Bishop of Copenhagen Erik Norman Svendsen.[4] He was baptised at the royal baptismal font which has been used for the baptism of royal children in Denmark since 1671, and wore the royal christening gown which was made for his great-great-grandfather, King Christian X, in 1870.[5] Christian's godparents are his paternal uncle, Prince Joachim of Denmark; his maternal aunt, Jane Stephens; his father's first cousin, the Crown Prince of Greece; the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway; the Crown Princess of Sweden; and two friends of the couple, Jeppe Handwerk and Hamish Campbell.[6] He was named Christian Valdemar Henri John, continuing the Danish royal tradition of alternating between the names Christian and Frederik in direct line.[citation needed] He received a number of presents on the occasion of his christening, including a pony called Flikflak from the Folketing, Denmark's national parliament.[7]

On 11 September 2006, Per Stig Møller, Denmark's Minister for Foreign Affairs, formally wrote and signed a hand-written document confirming Prince Christian's place in the line of succession. The prince's full name, his dates of birth and baptism, and the names of his godparents were recorded as dictated by the Royal Law of 1799.[8][9]

Education

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Prince Christian of Denmark escorted by his parents on his first day of school in August 2011

Christian was the first member of the Danish royal family to attend nursery school. He initially attended nursery school at Queen Louise's Asylum Kindergarten in Fredensborg before transferred to Garrison Church's Congregational Kindergarten at Sankt Annæ Plads.[10] At the same age, his father had a nanny at the Palace to teach him rudimentary lessons. He is also the first member of the royal family to attend a public state school, Tranegård School in Hellerup.[11] The Danish court announced in October 2019 that Christian and his three younger siblings would undertake a 12-week school stay at Lemania-Verbier International School in Verbier, Switzerland, in the beginning of 2020.[12] The stay was cut short and the siblings returned home in March due to the intensification of the COVID-19 situation in Denmark.[13] In April 2021, it was announced that Christian would undertake his secondary education at the Danish boarding school Herlufsholm, starting in August 2021.[14] In June 2022, shortly after finishing the first year of his upper secondary education, it was announced that Christian would no longer attend the school, after recurring allegations of bullying, violence and sexual abuse at the institution surfaced in a documentary.[15] Instead, he transferred to the public gymnasium, Ordrup Gymnasium.[16] He graduated in June 2024.[17]

Activities

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Christian undertook his first official engagement when he attended the opening of a new elephant house at the Copenhagen Zoo with his grandfather, Prince Henrik in 2008. Christian opened the elephant house by pressing a button on an interactive console. The elephants were a gift from the King and Queen of Thailand to the Queen and Prince Consort of Denmark on their visit to Thailand.[18][19] In 2010, Christian and his grandfather revealed a portrait of Prince Ulrik at the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle, and in 2012, also at the Museum of National History, he and Queen Margrethe II revealed the first ever portrait of him (with his father and grandmother), commissioned for the Queen's Ruby Jubilee.[20] He and his siblings accompanied their parents on an official visit to Greenland on 1–8 August 2014, where Christian partook in several official engagements.[citation needed] Likewise, he accompanied his parents on most of their engagements during the family's official visit to the Faroe Islands on 23–26 August 2018.

Christian was confirmed on 15 May 2021 in the Royal Chapel of Fredensborg Palace.[21] On 13 June 2021, Christian accompanied his grandmother and father at the COVID-19 postponed centenary of the reunification of Denmark and Northern Schleswig, following the route his great-great-grandfather Christian X rode on 15 July 1920 over the old border between Denmark and Germany.[22] Accompanying his father, Christian attended a memorial for the victims of the 2022 Copenhagen mall shooting on 5 July 2022.[23]

For the 18th birthday of Prince Christian, which marked the beginning of his royal duties, Margrethe II hosted a banquet at Christianborg Palace. In attendance were members of the Danish royal family, including Christian's parents, siblings, cousins and Princess Benedikte, and 200 members of the Danish public youth who had distinguished themselves in sport, art and culture. Additionally, Margrethe II invited eleven members of foreign royal families – Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Greece, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, the Crown Princess of Sweden, the Duke of Västergötland, the Duchess of Östergötland, the Princess of Orange and the Duchess of Brabant.[24] A photo was captured on the night that contained the future monarchs of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.[24] The official Danish royal family's Instagram account posted the following day a photo of a single sparkling shoe that was left in the palace and wrote, "Is it Cinderella who forgot her shoe last night?"[25]

Crown Prince of Denmark

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Christian is first in line to the Danish throne and eldest child of King Frederik X. Since the 16th century, first-born sons of Danish monarchs have traditionally been alternately named Frederik and Christian.[26]

Christian's grandmother, Queen Margrethe II, announced her pending abdication on live television in her New Year's Eve address on 31 December 2023.[27] On 14 January 2024, Prince Christian, the Queen, and Crown Prince Frederik participated in a meeting of the Council of State, with the cabinet ministers and the council of state secretary in attendance. The moment the Queen signed a declaration of her abdication, Crown Prince Frederik acceded to the Danish throne as King Frederik X.[28][29] Christian, who became the heir apparent, is referred to as "HRH Crown Prince Christian".[30]

In January 2024, Christian became a regent for the first time during his father's three day state visit to Poland.[31] He signed his first law at Amalienborg Palace on 31 January 2024.[32] He became the regent during his parents' state visit to Sweden and Norway in May 2024.[33][34]

Personal life

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Christian was made the godfather of his second cousin, Prince Gustav Albrecht, the son of Gustav, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.[35]

Titles, styles, and honours

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Royal monogram

Titles

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  • 15 October 2005 – 29 April 2008: His Royal Highness Prince Christian of Denmark
  • 29 April 2008 – 14 January 2024: His Royal Highness Prince Christian of Denmark, Count of Monpezat[36]
  • 14 January 2024 – present: His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat[37]

Honours

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See also: List of honours of the Danish Royal Family by country

National honours

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Orders and appointments
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Medals and decorations
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  •   11 June 2009: Prince Henrik's 75th Birthday Medal[39]
  •   16 April 2010: Queen Margrethe II's 70th Birthday Medal[40]
  •   14 January 2012: Queen Margrethe II's Ruby Jubilee Medal[40]
  •   16 April 2015: Queen Margrethe II's 75th Birthday Medal[40]
  •   10 June 2017: Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik's Golden Wedding Anniversary Medal[40]
  •   11 June 2018: Prince Henrik's Memorial Medal[41]
  •   16 April 2020: Queen Margrethe II's 80th Birthday Medal[40]
  •   14 January 2022: Queen Margrethe II's Golden Jubilee Medal[42]

Foreign honours

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Other honours

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In 2006 Scandinavian Airlines System was in the process of purchasing new Airbus A319 aircraft and in Christian's honour the first of these, delivered on 8 August 2006, was named Christian Valdemar Viking.[44]

Ancestry

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See also: Family tree of Danish monarchs

References

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  1. ^ Hindø, Lone; Boelskifte, Else (2007). Kongelig Dåb. Fjorten generationer ved Rosenborg-døbefonten [Royal Baptisms. Fourteen generations at the Rosenborg baptismal font] (in Danish). Forlaget Hovedland. p. 127. ISBN 978-87-7070-014-6.
  2. ^ a b Petersen, Preben (8 January 2011). "Så store var prins Christian og prinsesse Isabella ved fødslen" [That's how big Prince Christian and Princess Isabella were at birth]. Billed Bladet (in Danish).
  3. ^ Hindø & Boelskifte 2007, p. 127-128.
  4. ^ "TRH The Crown Prince Couple: The Christening ceremony". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  5. ^ Hindø & Boelskifte 2007, p. 130-131.
  6. ^ "TRH The Crown Prince Couple: Godfathers and godmothers to the little Prince". Archived from the original on 15 August 2007.
  7. ^ "Dåbsgave: En glad pony". Jyllands-Posten (in Danish).
  8. ^ TV2 (11 September 2006). "Prince Christian is Now the Successor". TV2 (in Danish). Retrieved 31 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)[permanent dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Succession is Secure" (in Danish). Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  10. ^ Skipper, Jon Bloch (20 March 2011). "Hvor går Christian og Isabella i børnehave?" [Where do Christian and Isabella go to kindergarten?]. Billed Bladet (in Danish). Aller Media A/S. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  11. ^ Horswill, Ian. "Crown Princess Mary's son Prince Christian turns eight years of age". Courier Mail Brisbane - 16 October 2013. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2017. Prince Christian, the eldest of four children - Princess Isabella, aged six; and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, two - is the first member of the Danish Royal Family to attend a public state school.
  12. ^ "Kronprinsparrets børn begynder i skole i Schweiz efter nytår" (in Danish). TV 2. 30 December 2019. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  13. ^ "The Crown Prince Family returns home". Danish royal family. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  14. ^ "HRH Prince Christian will attend the gymnasium at Herlufsholm". Danish royal family. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  15. ^ "How Denmark's incoming Crown Prince Christian brings teenage energy to monarchy". The Local. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  16. ^ "Prins Christian og prinsesse Isabella har fundet nye skoler". Berlingske (in Danish). 7 August 2022. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  17. ^ Hubbard, Lauren (25 June 2024). "Crown Prince Christian of Denmark Celebrates His High School Graduation". Town & Country. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  18. ^ (in Danish) Prins Christian og farfar så elefanterne Archived 4 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ (in Danish) Prins Henrik: Flere børnebørn, tak Archived 29 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ "Se stolt prins Christian afsløre kongeligt portrætmaleri" (in Danish). Billed Bladet. 11 January 2012. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  21. ^ "HRH Prince Christian's confirmation". Danish royal family. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Dronningen til genforeningsfejring: Vi overlader nu grænsen til unge" (in Danish). Sjællandske Medier. 13 June 2021. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Ofrene i Field's-skyderi blev mindet under højtidelighed: Se de vigtigste øjeblikke her" (in Danish). DR. 5 July 2022. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  24. ^ a b Hubbard, Lauren (16 October 2023). "The Heirs to the Thrones of Europe Gathered for Prince Christian of Denmark's Glitzy Birthday Celebration". Town & Country. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  25. ^ Petit, Stephanie (16 October 2023). "The Search for a Real-Life Cinderella! Someone Left Their Shoe at the Castle After Prince Christian's Birthday". People. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  26. ^ Skipper, Jon Bloch (14 January 2011). "Can Prince Christian Choose to be Call King Valdemar?". Billed Bladet (in Danish). Aller Media A/S. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  27. ^ "Read HM The Queen's New Year Address 2023". kongehuset.dk. 31 December 2023. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024.
  28. ^ "Background on succession to the throne". kongehuset.dk. 3 January 2024. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024.
  29. ^ "Statsråd". kongehuset.dk. 12 January 2024. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024.
  30. ^ "Changes in the titles of The Royal Family". kongehuset.dk. 2 January 2024. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  31. ^ "Kongehuset bekræfter: Kronprins Christian får vigtig funktion i kong Frederiks fravær" [The Royal House confirms: Crown Prince Christian will have an important function in King Frederik's absence]. Billed Bladet (in Danish). Aller Media A/S. 30 January 2024. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  32. ^ "Kronprins Christian har underskrevet sin første lov" [Crown Prince Christian has signed his first law]. Billed Bladet (in Danish). Aller Media A/S. 2 February 2024. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  33. ^ "H.K.H. Kronprinsen er regent". Danish royal family. 6 May 2024. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  34. ^ "H.K.H. Kronprinsen er regent". Danish royal family. 14 May 2024. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  35. ^ "Det var uventet: Prins Christian står fadder ved prins Gustav og prinsesse Carinas søns dåb" (in Danish). Billed Bladet. 26 August 2023. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  36. ^ "The Crown Prince". Official website of the Danish Monarchy. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  37. ^ "HRH The Crown Prince". kongehuset.dk. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  38. ^ "H.K.H. Prins Christian tildeles Elefantordenen" [HRH Prince Christian is bestowed the Order of The Elephant]. Kongehuset.dk (in Danish). 15 October 2023. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  39. ^ "Lille prins Christian fik medalje" [Little Prince Christian got a medal]. Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). 19 July 2009. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  40. ^ a b c d e "H.K.H. Prins Christian — Dekorationer" [HRH Prince Christian — Decoration]. Kongehuset.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  41. ^ "Mindemedaille for Prins Henrik" [Prince Henrik's Memorial Medal]. Kongehuset.dk (in Danish). 11 June 2018. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023. Hendes Majestæt Dronningen har i dag den 11. juni 2018 tildelt en mindemedaille for Prins Henrik til den kongelige familie, hoffets medarbejdere og personer, der har bistået på særlig vis ved Prinsens sygdom, død og bisættelse. [Her Majesty the Queen has today, 11 June 2018, awarded Prince Henrik's Memorial Medal to the royal family, court employees and persons who have assisted in a special way during the Prince's illness, death and funeral.]
  42. ^ "Commemorative medal in connection with the 50th anniversary of HM The Queen's accession to the throne". Kongehuset.dk. 14 January 2022. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023. ... the Royal Family, the Court's employees and other individuals have received the Commemorative Medal in connection with the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen's accession to the throne.
  43. ^ "Tildelinger av ordener og medaljer" [Awards of orders and medals]. Det Norske Kongheus (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  44. ^ "SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES TAKES OFF FROM HEATHROW TERMINAL 2". Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
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Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark
Born: 15 October 2005
Danish royalty
Preceded by Crown Prince of Denmark
2024–present 		Incumbent
Lines of succession
First
 Succession to the Danish throne
1st position 		Followed by
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