Danish troops have taken to the streets of Copenhagen to rehearse for the succession of Prince Frederik of Denmark.
The historic event, which follows Queen Margrethe‘s shock abdication on New Year’s Eve, is an exciting event for the nation – but is set to be a much more stripped down transference of power compared to King Charles’s ornate Coronation in May.
Danish troops took to the country’s capital to prepare for the monumental occasion, which will take place on Sunday.
Soldiers braved the snowy conditions to prepare for the event, which involved taking horses out into the streets to see if they respond well.
‘It’s a big part of Denmark and it’s a really important job to do… everything has to be perfect,’ one soldier said.
The streets were filled with the sound of traditional trumpets as soldiers rode on horseback throughout the streets.
Elsewhere, soldiers completed last minute uniform checks to ensure each members was equipped with the correct items.
The day will kick off at around 1:35pm, with Frederik, 55, and Mary, 51, setting off in a car from Amalienborg to Christiansborg Palace, along with their son HRH Prince Christian.
Shortly after, Margrethe will follow, leaving from Christian IX’s Palace in a carriage.
Both will pass through Frederiksgade, Bredgade, Kongens Nytorv, Holmens Canal and Prince Jørgen’s Courtyard on the way.
At 2pm, there will be a Council of State at Christiansborg Palace, which Margrethe, Frederik, and Christian will take part in together with the Government and the Council of State secretary.
This is where the succession of the throne will happen, as Her Majesty The Queen will sign a declaration of her abdication.
Margrethe will then make her way back to Amalienborg, while Frederik and Mary will hold a formal reception for specially invited guests.
At 3pm, the couple will make a balcony appearance at Christiansborg Palace. The Prime Minister will then proclaim the King’s accession to the throne.
After this, the newly crowned monarch will then speak and conclude with the motto.
It will be followed by an honourary cannon salute from the Sixtus Battery – a heritage site on Holmen, Copenhagen – and the Royal Standard will then be lowered at Christian IX’s Palace (Margrethe’s home) and reraised at Frederik VIII’s Palace, where the new King and Queen are based.
Frederik and Mary will take a carriage from Christiansborg Palace back to Amalienborg, which will be escorted by a mounted squadron.
At 5pm, there will also be a transfer of the royal colours from Christian IX’s Palace to Frederik VIII’s Palace.
It comes following reports that Prince Joachim, Frederik’s younger brother, will attend the event solo to support his sibling, according to Hello!.
His wife, Princess Marie, and their two children, Count Henrik, 14, and Countess Athena of Monpezat, 11, will remain in Washington DC, where the family now live after Joachim became defence industry attaché at the Embassy of Denmark.
A palace spokesperson said: ‘Prince Joachim will be there, but the children go to school, there is no special reason,’ before adding that Queen Margrethe’s youngest son will leave Denmark the following day to return to his home in the US.
Tensions first arose in the Danish royal household after the monarch decided to strip four of her grandchildren of their HRH titles in 2022. She subsequently apologised about the timing of the announcement but stood by the move.
Joachim had spoken out against his mother’s decision in the days that followed – claiming that his two children, Counts Nikolai, 24, and Felix, 21 – born from his first marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg – and Henrik and Athena, had been ‘harmed’ in the process.
Months later, the sixth-in-line to the throne admitted that ‘communication was missing’ within the Royal Family in the lead-up to the shock announcement.
Joachim told local news outlet B.T.: ‘There is a lot to work on. Communication was what was missing. Now we have met and we are on the right track.’
Shortly after his children were stripped of his titles, Joachim claimed that he had only been given five days notice before the news was made public.
Following the Queen’s announcement, Joachim spoke to Danish publication Ekstra Bladet outside the Danish Embassy in Paris, where he lived with his French-born wife Princess Marie and his two youngest children, and said his four children had been ‘hurt’ by their grandmother’s decision.
‘I was given five days’ notice to tell them. In May, I was presented with a plan which, by and large, was that when the children each turned 25, it would happen. Now I had only five days to tell them. Athena turns 11 in January,’ he clarified at the time.
Speaking to B.T., Joachim and his second wife Marie also admitted their relationship with Prince Frederik and Princess Mary is ‘complicated’.
Meanwhile, Joachim’s ex-wife Alexandra said that her sons, Nikolai and Felix, had been left feeling ‘ostracised’ from the institution and the decision had come like a ‘bolt out of the blue’.
The Royal Household released a further statement, saying: ‘As the Queen stated yesterday, the decision has been a long time coming.
‘We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the Queen’s wish to future-proof the Royal Household will be respected.’
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/articles.rss
Alanah Khosla
