On Sunday, Crown Prince Frederik will become the new King of Denmark. Some close family members will not be there. Here you can find out who will be missing.
Queen Margrethe II abdicates after 52 years. She unexpectedly announced that she wanted to take this step in her New Year’s speech. Next Sunday, January 14, 2024, her son Frederik will take over the reins – you can see the program for the day here. Some close family members will not be present at the historic event in Copenhagen.
These are Frederik’s niece, his three nephews and his sister-in-law. As the Danish newspaper “Billed Bladet” reports, Frederik’s only brother, Prince Joachim, will come without his family. His wife, Princess Marie, and their two children, Count Henrik and Countess Athena, will remain in Washington, DC. The family has lived there since Joachim became defense attaché at the Danish embassy last September. According to the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, his two older sons, Count Nikolai and Count Felix from his first marriage, are not invited at all. It is said that the outgoing queen wants to celebrate the event with the smallest family circle.
As the palace explained, Prince Joachim is scheduled to fly back to the USA one day after the celebrations. This is reminiscent of Prince Harry, who only made a flying visit to the coronation of his father, Charles III, in May 2023 and came without his wife and two children.
Complicated relationships within the royal family
There were also tensions within the family in the Danish royal family. In 2022, Margrethe II decided to strip the titles of her younger son’s four children and to streamline the monarchy. Joachim spoke out against it and claimed that his children would be “damaged” by it. Margrethe apologized, but generally stood by the step. In an interview with the Danish news agency BT, her son complained that there was “a lack of communication” within the royal family. Joachim and wife Marie also said that their relationship with Frederik and Mary was “complicated.”
Queen Margrethe II announced her abdication in her New Year’s speech. One of the reasons that prompted her to resign was a back operation that she had to undergo in 2023. The procedure went well, but it made her think. In her New Year’s speech she said something like: “Time takes its toll and the number of ‘aches and pains’ increases. You can no longer do as much as you used to.” Margrethe had always emphasized that she wanted to stay on the throne until her death – and thus caused an absolute surprise.
