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Denmark

Danish Royal House confirms major title changes after accession of new king

The Danish Royal Household has confirmed title changes brought about by the abdication of Queen Margrethe II and the accession of her son as king.

The abdication takes place on January 14th 2024 and with just days to go, the court has announced how four members of the royal family will be known from that date onwards.

The statement confirms what was already known. On January 14th 2024, the new king will be known as Frederik X while the current Crown Princess becomes Queen Mary of Denmark on that day.

Their eldest son will be heir to the throne and take the title of Crown Prince Christian.

And in a confirmation of what the Danish government had already announced, the outgoing monarch will remain HM. She will be known as Her Majesty Queen Margrethe, rather than Her Majesty The Queen. Frederik and Mary will be Their Majesties The King and Queen.

Their three other children stay styled as they are presently – HRH Princess Isabella, HRH Prince Vincent and HRH Princess Josephine.

It’s also been confirmed that the new court of King Frederik and Queen Mary will have a new court marshal. Christian Schonau will take the position from January 14th 2024, replacing Kim Kristensen who has been court marshal for Queen Margrethe since 2021. Kim Kristensen becomes head of the new court of Queen Margrethe following her abdication. Her current Master of Ceremonies, Lasse Harkjær, will also move to the new court as Chief of Staff.

The Royal Court of King Frederik X will have Flotilla Admiral Anders Friis as its Master of Ceremonies.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.