Prince Christian Of Denmark
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Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat (Christian Valdemar Henri John; born 15 October 2005), is the
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 ...
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 in 2024.


Early life

Prince Christian was born on 15 October 2005 at 1:57 am CET at Rigshospitalet, the Copenhagen University Hospital, in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
. At noon on the day of his birth, a 21-gun salute was fired from the Sixtus Battery at Holmen Naval Base in the
Port of Copenhagen The Port of Copenhagen () is the largest Denmark, Danish seaport and one of the largest ports in the Baltic Sea basin. It extends from Svanemølle Beach in the north to Hvidovre in the south. Along with Malmö harbour, Copenhagen Port is operate ...
and at
Kronborg Castle Kronborg is a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalised as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was inscribed ...
in Elsinore to mark the birth of a royal child. At the same time, public buses and official buildings flew the Danish flag, the Dannebrog. 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. Christian was
baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...
on 21 January 2006 in Christiansborg Palace Chapel by the Bishop of Copenhagen Erik Norman Svendsen. 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. Christian's godparents are his paternal uncle,
Prince Joachim of Denmark Prince Joachim of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, (; Joachim Holger Waldemar Christian; born 7 June 1969) is a member of the Danish royal family. The younger son of Queen Margrethe II, he is fifth in the line of succession to the Danish throne, ...
; his maternal aunt, Jane Stephens; his father's first cousin, the Crown Prince of Greece; the
Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...
and Crown Princess of Norway; the
Crown Princess of Sweden This page is a list of heirs to the Swedish throne. The list includes all individuals who were considered to Inheritance, inherit the Monarchy of Sweden, throne of the Kingdom of Sweden, either as heir apparent or as heir presumptive, since the ac ...
; and two friends of the couple, Jeppe Handwerk and Hamish Campbell. He was named Christian Valdemar Henri John, continuing the Danish royal tradition of alternating between the names Christian and Frederik in direct line. He received a number of presents on the occasion of his christening, including a pony called Flikflak from the
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, Denmark's national parliament. 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.


Education

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. 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
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. 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
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, Switzerland, in the beginning of 2020. The stay was cut short and the siblings returned home in March due to the intensification of the
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situation in Denmark. In April 2021, it was announced that Christian would undertake his secondary education at the Danish boarding school Herlufsholm, starting in August 2021. 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. Instead, he transferred to the public gymnasium, Ordrup Gymnasium. He graduated in June 2024.


Activities

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 King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
and Queen of Thailand to the Queen and Prince Consort of Denmark on their visit to Thailand. 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. 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. 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. On 13 June 2021, Christian accompanied his grandmother and father at the COVID-19 postponed centenary of the reunification of Denmark and
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, following the route his great-great-grandfather Christian X rode on 15 July 1920 over the old border between Denmark and Germany. Accompanying his father, Christian attended a memorial for the victims of the 2022 Copenhagen mall shooting on 5 July 2022. 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 A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...
and Crown Princess of Greece, the
Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...
and Crown Princess of Norway,
Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway (born 21 January 2004) is the elder child of Crown Prince Haakon and the second child of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and a grandchild of Harald V of Norway, King Harald V. She is second in line of succession ...
, the
Crown Princess of Sweden This page is a list of heirs to the Swedish throne. The list includes all individuals who were considered to Inheritance, inherit the Monarchy of Sweden, throne of the Kingdom of Sweden, either as heir apparent or as heir presumptive, since the ac ...
, the Duke of Västergötland, the Duchess of Östergötland, the Princess of Orange and the Duchess of Brabant. A photo was captured on the night that contained the future monarchs of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The official Danish royal family's
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account posted the following day a photo of a single sparkling shoe that was left in the palace and wrote, "Is it
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who forgot her shoe last night?" On 20 May 2024, Christian carried out his first solo engagement when he participated in Royal Run 2024's Brønderslev leg. On 2 September 2024, he carried out his first solo official trip abroad, visiting the Danish athletes at the
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in
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,
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.


Military service

On 3 February 2025, Christian began his
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with the Guard Hussar Regiment at Antvorskov Barracks in Slagelse. Tradition in the regiment dictates that the hussars are known by the name of their respective home town and traditionally, each hussar would lead its cavalry regiment into their own home towns. Christian was given the name "" in reference to the Trekroner fortification which marks the entrance to Copenhagen Harbour. During his military service, Christian will renounce his salary and any money that conscripts receive. On 28 May 2025, Christian completed his conscription following the completion of the traditional "REX-tour", a strenuous four-day military exercise undertaken by conscripts in the Guard Hussar Regiment and the Royal Life Guards. At the same time, it was announced that he has been admitted into the
Royal Danish Army The Royal Danish Army (; ; ) is the land-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures, equipment and training methods ...
's Sergeant School where he will train to become a second lieutenant starting in August 2025.


Crown Prince of Denmark

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. Christian's grandmother, Queen Margrethe II, announced her pending abdication on live television in her New Year's Eve address on 31 December 2023. On 14 January 2024, Prince Christian, the Queen, and Crown Prince Frederik participated in a meeting of the
Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...
, 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. Christian, who became the heir apparent, is referred to as "HRH Crown Prince Christian". In January 2024, Christian became a regent for the first time during his father's three day state visit to Poland. He signed his first law at Amalienborg Palace on 31 January 2024. He became the regent during his parents' state visit to Sweden and Norway in May 2024.


Personal life

Christian was made the godfather of his second cousin, Prince Gustav Albrecht, the son of Gustav, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. He served as page boy at the 2010 wedding of his godmother, the Crown Princess of Sweden. Christian is an avid fan of the football club F.C. Copenhagen and has frequently been seen attending their matches.


Titles, styles, honours, and arms


Titles

* 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 * 14 January 2024 – present: ''His Royal Highness'' The Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat


Honours


National honours


=Orders and appointments

= * Knight of the
Order of the Elephant The Order of the Elephant () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in ...
(15 October 2023) (R.E.)


=Medals and decorations

= * Prince Henrik's 75th Birthday Medal (11 June 2009) * Queen Margrethe II's 70th Birthday Medal (16 April 2010) * Queen Margrethe II's Ruby Jubilee Medal (14 January 2012) * Queen Margrethe II's 75th Birthday Medal (16 April 2015) * Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik's Golden Wedding Anniversary Medal (10 June 2017) * Prince Henrik's Memorial Medal (11 June 2018) * Queen Margrethe II's 80th Birthday Medal (16 April 2020) * Queen Margrethe II's Golden Jubilee Medal (14 January 2022)


Foreign honours

* : ** Grand Cross of the
Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...
(15 October 2023)


Other honours

In 2006
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was in the process of purchasing new
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aircraft and in Christian's honour the first of these, delivered on 8 August 2006, was named ''Christian Valdemar Viking''.


Arms

Crown Prince Christian’s coat of arms is similar to the royal coat of arms except for the heir apparent's crown and the purple mantle. File:Royal Monogram of Prince Christian of Denmark.svg, Royal monogram


Ancestry


Notes


References


External links


Official website
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Christian Of Denmark, Prince 2005 births Living people Crown princes of Denmark Princes of Denmark House of Glücksburg House of Glücksburg (Denmark) House of Monpezat Counts of Monpezat Danish people of Australian descent Danish people of French descent Danish people of Scottish descent Danish people of Swedish descent Sons of kings