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DenmarkEuropean Royals

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark to act as regent

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark is to act as regent of the country from 13 to 19 September according to the official diary of the Danish Royal Court.

Crown Prince Frederik will become regent at the same time he recuperates from the surgery he had on 2 September for a spinal disc herniation. The official visit Frederik would pay to Finland, on 13 and 14 September, has been taken over by his wife, Crown Princess Mary.

The Crown Prince automatically becomes the Regent of Denmark whenever his mother, Queen Margrethe II, is abroad. It is not known where The Queen will be, but on 12 September, a day before she leaves Denmark, she will be hosting a dinner for the crew of the Royal Yacht Dannebrog to thank them for their service through this year’s season. The dinner, which will happen at Fredensborg Palace, will also be attended by Crown Princess Mary.

Queen Margrethe II will most likely go abroad on a private holiday. Possible destinations include her French estate, Château de Cayx, or Greece, where her youngest sister, Queen Anne Marie, lives.

In the case that the Queen and the Crown Prince are abroad at the same time,  another member of the Royal Family, who meets the criteria to do so, will assume the monarch’s authority through the role of Rigsforstander, a Danish term with no exact translation into English but often understood as an Acting Regent.

For a member of the Royal Family of Denmark to be able to act as Rigsforstander, he or she must be of age, be in the line of succession, and he or she must also swear to follow the Constitution. Currently, Prince Joachim, the Queen’s youngest son, acts as Rigsforstander when both his mother and his elder brother are abroad. If Prince Joachim is also abroad, then Princess Benedikte, the Queen’s younger sister, will assume the role. The Rigsforstander may sign Acts of Parliament into Law or swear in new Government Ministers.

Prince Joachim last acted as Rigsforstander last year, from 26 to 29 October, when his mother was on an official visit to Italy and his brother was also absent from the country.

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