The Danish royal family is the

dynastic A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. Historians ...

family of the

monarch of Denmark A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority a ...

. While some members of the Danish royal family hold the title of ''Prince(ss) of Denmark'', descendants of Margrethe II additionally bear the title '' Count(ess) of Monpezat''. Children of the monarch are accorded the style of ''His/Her Royal Highness''. The King and Queen are styled ''Majesty''. Through his mother, Margrethe II,

King Frederik X Frederik X (Frederik André Henrik Christian, ; born 26 May 1968) is King of Denmark. He acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2024. Frederik is the eldest son of Margrethe II and Prince Henrik. He was born during the ...

and his descendants belong to the

House of Glücksburg The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, also known by its short name as the House of Glücksburg, is the senior surviving branch of the German House of Oldenburg, one of Europe's oldest royal houses. Oldenburg house members hav ...

, which is a branch of the royal

House of Oldenburg The House of Oldenburg is a Germans, German dynasty whose members rule or have ruled in Danish Realm, Denmark, Kingdom of Iceland, Iceland, Kingdom of Greece, Greece, Norway, Russian Empire, Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom, the United Kingdom, King ...

. Margrethe II's children and male-line descendants also belong agnatically to the Laborde de Monpezat family, and were given the concurrent title ''Count/Countess of Monpezat'' by royal decree on 30 April 2008. The Danish royal family receives remarkably high approval ratings in Denmark, ranging between 82% and 92%.

Main members

The Danish royal family includes: *

and Queen Mary (the King and his wife) ** Crown Prince Christian (the King's son) ** Princess Isabella (the King's daughter) ** Prince Vincent (the King's son) ** Princess Josephine (the King's daughter) *

Queen Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until her abdication on 14 January 2024. Having reigned for exactly 5 ...

(the King's mother) ** Prince Joachim and Princess Marie (the King's brother and sister-in-law) *** Count Nikolai (the King's nephew) *** Count Felix (the King's nephew) *** Count Henrik (the King's nephew) *** Countess Athena (the King's niece) *

Princess Benedikte Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid, born 29 April 1944) is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second daughter and child of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid of ...

(the King's aunt) * Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes (the King's aunt)

Family tree of members

;Note * ''Extended members include the

Greek royal family The Greek royal family () was the ruling family of the Kingdom of Greece from 1863 to 1924 and again from 1935 to 1973. The Greek royal family is a branch of the Danish royal family, itself a cadet branch of the House of Glücksburg. The famil ...

Members of the extended royal family

Royal family of Greece

Most of the members of the deposed royal family of Greece hold the title of ''Prince'' or ''Princess of Greece and Denmark'' with the qualification of ''His'' or ''Her Highness'', pursuant to the Royal Cabinet Order of 1774 and as

agnatic Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

descendants of

George I of Greece George I ( Greek: Γεώργιος Α΄, romanized: ''Geórgios I''; 24 December 1845 – 18 March 1913) was King of Greece from 30 March 1863 until his assassination on 18 March 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was born in Copenhage ...

, who, as the son of the future

King Christian IX of Denmark Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 15 November 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently List of dukes of Schleswig, Duke of Schleswig, List of dukes of Holstein, Holstein and Saxe-Laue ...

, was (and remained) a "Prince of Denmark" prior to his accession to the throne of Greece in 1863. Until 1953, his dynastic male-line descendants remained in Denmark's order succession. However, no Danish act has revoked usage of the princely title for these descendants, neither for those living in 1953, nor for those born subsequently or who have since married into the dynasty. There are three members of the Greek royal family who are not known to bear the title of ''Prince/ss of Denmark'' with the qualification of ''His/Her Highness. * Marina, Princess Michael of Greece and Denmark * Princess Alexandra of Greece * The

Duchess of Aosta The Duchess of Aosta is the wife of the Duke of Aosta, a title created by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor in the 13th century. The Duchy of Aosta had already been ruled by the House of Savoy for some time; it is a corner of the Italian Alps no ...

The following, consorts of royal monarchs today, were born with the titles of Prince/Princess of Greece and Denmark, although they are not descended from King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie: *

Queen Sofía of Spain Sofía (Sophia Margaret Victoria Frederica; Μαργαρίτα Βικτώρια Φρειδερίκη, romanized: ''Sofía Margaríta Bictória Freideríki''; born 2 November 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who was Queen of Spai ...

(King Constantine's sister and Queen Anne-Marie's sister-in-law)

Norwegian royal family

The

Norwegian royal family Members of the Norwegian royal family are people related to King Harald V of Norway or former Norwegian monarchs who are royals and who hold royal titles. The term does not include non-royal relatives. The current family who holds the throne a ...

descends in the legitimate male line from

Frederick VIII of Denmark Frederik VIII (; 3 June 1843 – 14 May 1912) was King of Denmark from 29 January 1906 until his death in 1912. As the eldest son of Christian IX of Denmark, King Christian IX, nicknamed the ''Father-in-law of Europe'', Frederick was related ...

, Queen Margrethe II's great-grandfather.

Haakon VII of Norway Haakon VII (; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was King of Norway from 18 November 1905 until his death in 1957. The future Haakon VII was born in Copenhagen as Prince Carl of Denmark. He was the second son of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess ...

, who was born Prince Carl of Denmark as Frederik VIII's younger son, was, like his uncle, George I of Greece, invited to

reign A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., King of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia, List of Belgian monarchs, Belgium, Co-princes of Andorra, Andorra), of a people (e.g., List of Frankish kin ...

over another nation. As with the Greek branch's descendants, members of the Norwegian line no longer have succession rights to the Danish crown, but unlike the Greek dynasties, they discontinued use of Danish royal titles upon ascending to the Norwegian throne in 1905.

Counts and countesses of Monpezat

On 30 April 2008, the Queen of Denmark granted to her two sons, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, and their legitimate patrilineal descendants of both sexes the hereditary title "

Count of Monpezat Count of Monpezat (Danish language, Danish: ''Greve af Monpezat''), or Countess of Monpezat (Danish: ''Grevinde af Monpezat'') when the holder is female, is a hereditary title of Danish nobility. It was granted on 30 April 2008 by Margrethe II ...

". The title is based on the French title "Comte de Laborde de Monpezat" which was used by their father Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark. On 29 September 2022, it was announced that from 1 January 2023, the titles of Prince and Princess of Denmark, and style of ''

Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adjec ...

'' of the 4 children of

's younger son, Prince Joachim, would be discontinued. They will instead be titled "His/Her Excellency Count/Countess Nikolai/ Felix/

Henrik Henrik is a male given name of Germanic origin, primarily used in Scandinavia, Finland, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia. In Poland, the name is spelt Henryk but pronounced similarly. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Heiki (Estoni ...

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

of Monpezat". All four grandchildren maintain their places in the order of succession to the throne.

Counts and countesses of Rosenborg

Danish princes who marry without the consent of the Danish monarch lose their succession rights, as do their descendants. They are then usually accorded the

hereditary title Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are nobility titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families. Though both monarchs and nobles usually inherit their titles, the mechanisms often d ...

Count of Rosenborg Count of Rosenborg () is a Danish hereditary title of Danish nobility, nobility granted by the List of Danish monarchs, monarchs of Denmark to some men formerly titled as List of princes of Denmark, princes of Denmark and their descendants. Trad ...

". They are entitled to the

style Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

" His/Her Excellency". They and their legitimate male-line descendants are: * ''

Christian IX of Denmark Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 15 November 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg. A younger son of Frederick William, Duke of Schlesw ...

(1818–1906)'' ** ''

(1843–1912)'' *** ''

Christian X of Denmark Christian X (; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 until his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, holding the title as a result of the personal union between Denmark and independent Icel ...

(1870–1947)'' **** ''

Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark (Knud Christian Frederik Michael; 27 July 1900 – 14 June 1976) was a member of the Danish royal family, the younger son and child of Christian X of Denmark, King Christian X and Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Sch ...

(1900–1976)'' ***** Count Ingolf of Rosenborg ***** '' Count Christian of Rosenborg (1942–2013)'' ****** Countess Josephine of Rosenborg ****** Countess Camilla of Rosenborg ****** Countess Feodora of Rosenborg *** ''

Prince Harald of Denmark Prince Harald of Denmark (''Harald Christian Frederik''; 8 October 1876 – 30 March 1949) was a member of the Danish Royal Family. He was the third son and fourth child of Frederick VIII of Denmark and his wife, Lovisa of Sweden, and thus brothe ...

(1876–1949)'' **** '' Count Oluf of Rosenborg (1923–1990)'' ***** Count Ulrik of Rosenborg ****** Count Philip of Rosenborg ****** Countess Katharina of Rosenborg ***** Countess Charlotte of Rosenborg ** ''

Prince Valdemar of Denmark Prince Valdemar of Denmark (27 October 1858 – 14 January 1939) was a member of the Danish royal family. He was the third son and youngest child of Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. He had a lifelong naval career. Early l ...

(1858–1939)'' *** ''

Prince Axel of Denmark Prince Axel of Denmark, ( Danish: ''Prins Axel Christian Georg til Danmark''; 12 August 1888 – 14 July 1964) was a member of the Danish royal family, businessman and sports administrator. He was the second son of Prince Valdemar of Denmark an ...

(1888–1964)'' **** '' Count Flemming of Rosenborg (1922–2002)'' ***** Count Axel of Rosenborg ****** Countess Julie of Rosenborg ****** Count Carl Johan of Rosenborg ******* Countess Dagmar of Rosenborg ******* Count Valdemar of Rosenborg ****** Countess Désirée of Rosenborg ****** Count Alexander of Rosenborg **** Count Birger of Rosenborg ***** Countess Benedikte of Rosenborg **** Count Carl Johan of Rosenborg ***** Countess Caroline of Rosenborg ***** Countess Josefine of Rosenborg **** Countess Désirée of Rosenborg *** '' Prince Erik, Count of Rosenborg (1890–1950)'' **** ''Count Christian of Rosenborg (1932–1997)'' ***** Count Valdemar of Rosenborg ****** Count Nikolai of Rosenborg ****** Countess Marie of Rosenborg ***** Countess Marina of Rosenborg

Counts and countesses of Samsøe

The

Danneskiold-Samsøe The House of Danneskiold-Samsøe is a Denmark, Danish family of Danish nobility, high nobility who formerly held the island of Samsø as a fief. They represent an illegitimate branch of the House of Oldenburg, which means that they share ancestry ...

family are the descendants of the eldest son of

Christian V Christian V (15 April 1646 – 25 August 1699) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the de ...

and his mistress Sofie Amalie Moth, whom the king elevated to be the first Lensgrevinde til Samsø ("Countess of Samsø"). A descendant, Countess Frederikke Louise af Danneskiold-Samsøe (1699-1744) married her kinsman Christian August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. By royal statutory regulation, the Counts of Danneskiold-Samsøe and their male-line descendants are ranked as the second-highest nobles in Denmark, second only to the Counts of Rosenborg, whom also descend from the

Danish Kings This is a list of Monarchy of Denmark, Danish monarchs, that is, the kings and queen regnants of Denmark. This includes: * The Kingdom of Denmark (up to 1397) ** Personal union of Denmark and Norway (1380–1397) * The Kalmar Union (1397–1536) ...

. With a place in the 1st Class No. 13, they are entitled to the

" His/Her Excellency".

Line of succession

The first law governing the succession to the Danish throne as a hereditary monarchy was ''Kongeloven'' (''Lex Regia''), enacted on 14 November 1665, and published in 1709.Gråsten Palace
/ref> It declared that the crown of Denmark descends by heredity to the legitimate descendants of King Frederick III, and that the

order of succession An order, line or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated, such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.semi-Salic primogeniture, according to which the crown is inherited by an heir, with preference among the monarch's children to men over women; among siblings to the elder over the younger; and among Frederick III's remoter descendants by substitution, senior branches over junior branches. Female descendants were eligible to inherit the throne in the event there were no eligible surviving male dynasts born in the

male line Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

. As for the

duchies A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

and

Lauenburg Lauenburg (), or Lauenburg an der Elbe (; ), is a town in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the northern bank of the river Elbe, east of Hamburg. It is overall the southernmost town of Schleswig-Holstein and belongs to ...

where the King ruled as duke, these lands adhered to

Salic law The Salic law ( or ; ), also called the was the ancient Frankish Civil law (legal system), civil law code compiled around AD 500 by Clovis I, Clovis, the first Frankish King. The name may refer to the Salii, or "Salian Franks", but this is deba ...

(meaning that only men could inherit the ducal throne), and by mutual agreement, were permanently conjoined. The duchies of

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been di ...

(a Danish

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

), Holstein and Lauenburg (German fiefs) were joined in

personal union A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...

with the Kingdom of Denmark. This difference caused problems when

Frederick VII of Denmark Frederick VII (Frederik Carl Christian; 6 October 1808 – 15 November 1863) was King of Denmark from 1848 to 1863. He was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and the last monarch, king of Denmark to r ...

didn't produce any children, making a change in dynasty imminent, and causing the lines of succession for the duchies on one hand and for Denmark on the other to diverge. To ensure that future Kings of Denmark would continue also being Dukes of Schleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg, the line of succession to the duchies was modified in the London Protocol of 1852, which designated Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, as the new

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

, although he was, strictly, the heir neither to the Kingdom of Denmark nor to the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein, or Lauenburg by primogeniture. Originally, the Danish prime minister

Christian Albrecht Bluhme Christian Albrecht Bluhme (27 December 1794 – 6 November 1866) was a Danish lawyer and conservative politician who was the second Prime Minister of Denmark (first time from 1852 to 1853 with title of Prime Minister, second time from 1864 to ...

wanted to keep the separate hereditary principles, but in the end, the government decided on a uniform

agnatic primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit all or most of their parent's estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relat ...

, which was accepted by the Parliament. Even after the loss of the duchies in the

Second Schleswig War The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...

of 1864, the style of the Danish monarchs included references to the duchies until the style was shortened in 1972 on the accession of

Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until her abdication on 14 January 2024. Having reigned for exactly ...

. Problems emerged again when

Frederik IX Frederik IX (Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg; 11 March 1899 – 14 January 1972) was King of Denmark from 1947 to 1972. Frederik was born into the House of Glücksburg during the reign of his great-grandfather King Ch ...

became king in 1947. He had only daughters, and it seemed unlikely that he would have a son, leaving his brother Knud as

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...

. As part of the 1953 constitutional referendum, a new Act of Succession introduced

male-preference primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit all or most of their parent's estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relat ...

, allowing women with no brothers to inherit. In 2009, the succession law was amended after the Act of Succession referendum, this time to introduce

absolute primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit all or most of their parent's estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relat ...

. This had no immediate effect on the line of succession, and the first person affected by the 2009 amendment was Prince Vincent, who on his birth in 2011 would have otherwise been ahead of his older sister Princess Isabella in the succession. the line of succession is: * Simple silver crown

King Frederik IX Frederik IX (Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg; 11 March 1899 – 14 January 1972) was King of Denmark from 1947 to 1972. Frederik was born into the House of Glücksburg during the reign of his great-grandfather King Ch ...

(1899–1972)'' ** Simple silver crown

(born 1940) *** Royal Crown of Denmark

(born 1968) **** (1) Crown Prince Christian (born 2005) **** (2) Princess Isabella (born 2007) **** (3) Prince Vincent (born 2011) **** (4) Princess Josephine (born 2011) *** (5) Prince Joachim (born 1969) **** (6)

Count Nikolai of Monpezat Count Nikolai of Monpezat (born Prince Nikolai of Denmark; 28 August 1999) is a member of the Danish royal family. He is the eldest son of Prince Joachim and his first wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, the eldest grandchild of Queen ...

(born 1999) **** (7) Count Felix of Monpezat (born 2002) **** (8) Count Henrik of Monpezat (born 2009) **** (9) Countess Athena of Monpezat (born 2012) ** (10) Princess Benedikte, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (born 1944)

Privileges and restrictions

Following the transformation of Denmark's monarchy from elective (at least theoretically, although it had generally descended to the eldest son of the

since 1448) to hereditary in 1660, the so-called '' Kongelov'' () of 1665 established the reign "

by the grace of God By the Grace of God (, abbreviated D.G.) is a formulaic phrase used especially in Christian monarchies as an introductory part of the full styles of a monarch. In England and later the United Kingdom, the phrase was formally added to the royal sty ...

" of King Frederick III and his posterity. Of the articles of this law, all except Article 21 and Article 25 have been repealed by amendments to the Constitution in 1849, 1853, 1953, and 2009. Article 21 states "No Prince of the Blood, who resides here in the Realm and in Our territory, shall marry, or leave the Country, or take service under foreign Masters, unless he receives Permission from the King". Under this provision, princes of Denmark who permanently reside in other realms by express permission of the Danish Crown (i.e. members of the dynasties of Greece, Norway and the United Kingdom) do not thereby forfeit their royalty in Denmark, nor are they bound to obtain prior permission to travel abroad or to marry from its sovereign, although since 1953 those not descended in male-line from King Christian X are no longer in the line of succession to the Danish throne. However, those who do reside in Denmark or its territories require the monarch's prior permission to travel abroad and to marry. Article 25 stipulates, with respect to blood members of the Royal dynasty: "They should answer to no

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

Judges, but their first and last Judge shall be the King, or to whomsoever He decrees." The wording excludes those whose blood cannot be traced to a Danish monarch (e.g., the present Queen).

Notes

¹Princess Benedikte's children have no succession rights. This is because the marriage consent given to her had very specific provisions; if Benedikte ever became the heir presumptive, she and her husband would have to take permanent residence in Denmark and her children would have succession rights only if they had applied for naturalization upon reaching adulthood, and taken up residence in Denmark: (a) at the time of becoming the immediate heir to the throne, and (b) no later than when they reached the age of mandatory schooling under Danish law. Since the children continued to be educated in Germany well past the mandatory schooling age, they are deemed to no longer have succession rights. ²Queen Anne-Marie has no succession rights, and her descendants have none through her, because the permission granted for her marriage stipulated that she renounced her claim to the Danish throne upon becoming

queen consort of the Hellenes Consorts of the Kings of Greece were women married to the rulers of the Kingdom of Greece during their reign. All monarchs of modern Greece were male.The exception is King Otto, who was styled ''King of Greece''. Amalia, accordingly, is the only p ...

References

External links

Kongehuset.dk
Official site of the Danish Monarchy.

{{European Royal Families

Royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...

Culture of Denmark Danish royal houses