They’re about to become Europe’s newest king and queen, so let’s look at how Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary have enjoyed deep friendships with other members of Europe’s reigning royal families.
The Scandinavian royals are particularly close: they are known to see each other in between official events and sometimes vacation together. The three heirs, Frederik, Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Prince Haakon, have been close for decades.
In a 2017 biography of Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Victoria spoke warmly of him, saying: “Frederik always comes into a room with sparkling eyes and sees people, both privately and officially. It is as if he meets one with his eyes and is very present, genuinely engaged and curious. There are people who ask questions, but never take time to wait for the answer. Frederik always waits for the answer.”
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Haakon has said of Frederik: “…He is a warm person. An open person, open to the world, and he has lots of positive energy to contribute. So it is the case that it is wise to base your work, what you have to do, on your own personality and your own strengths. He is really good at that.”
Frederik was even Crown Prince Haakon’s best man at his 2001 wedding to Crown Princess Mette-Marit. In a television special filmed in 2013 for Norway’s future king, Frederik told the interviewers that seeing how Haakon approached his job made him more confident to follow his lead back in Denmark.
“I have been wary of moving too far into topics that can be controversial. But I’d seen that it wasn’t a problem in Norway, so I started doing it in Denmark – and it wasn’t a problem here either,” Frederik said, for Crown Prince Haakon: Road to a Kingdom.
The friendships extend to Crown Princess Mary, too. She was named Princess Estelle’s godmother when the future queen was born in 2012, and Estelle was even named after her: Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary is named after her two grandmothers and Crown Princess Mary.
At the 2010 wedding of Crown Princess Victoria, both Prince Christian and Princess Ingrid Alexandra were chosen to be part of her bridal party, as she is godmother to both children.
One of the easiest ways to showcase warm relations within royal households is through the naming of godparents. Among Crown Prince Frederik’s godchildren are Princess Ingrid Alexandra (the future queen of Norway), Prince Oscar of Sweden, Prince Constantine-Alexios, and Count Nikolai.
Crown Princess Mary’s royal godchildren include Princess Estelle (the future queen of Sweden) and Count Henrik.
Outside of Scandinavia, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary are close with other royal families. There are many similarities between the Danish royal couple and King Felipe and Queen Letizia.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia were also married in May 2004, and their first child was born in October 2005. King Felipe and Crown Prince Frederik were both born in 1968 and Queen Letizia and Crown Princess Mary were both born in 1972.
Crown Princess Mary and the Princess of Wales also enjoy a strong friendship. One of Catherine’s earliest engagements after marrying into the British Royal Family was visiting a UNICEF depot in Copenhagen.
She also visited Denmark in 2022 to learn more about approaches to the early years and ways to incorporate these methods back in the UK. The future queen carried out several engagements with Mary, who’s own work also focuses on how to help the early years.
The Crown Prince couple were unable to attend William and Catherine’s 2011 wedding due to the recent birth of their twins, but at special events in the decade since, Catherine and Mary are routinely spotted chatting.
The couple also share a special bond with King Charles III and Queen Camilla; they have attended birthday dinners and coronation events. They were invited to attend their 2005 wedding, according to Danish royal commentators, but had to decline as they were on a tour of Greenland at the time.
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