On 15 October 2005, the future king of Denmark was born amidst great fanfare. Now, as Prince Christian comes of age, let’s take a look back at the day of his birth.
Christian Valdemar Henri John was born at 1:57 am at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, the first child of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary. The couple had married in May 2004 and enjoyed immense popularity as they navigated their newlywed lives together.
Prince Christian was born in the early hours of Saturday 15 October 2005. At noon, there were two separate 21-gun salutes fired to mark his birth: at the Sixtus Battery in Copenhagen and at Kronborg Castle in Elsinore. The Danish flag also flew on official buildings in Denmark to mark his birth. At night, bonfires and beacons were lit across the country, pointing towards Copenhagen.
Australia, the homeland of Crown Princess Mary, joined in on the celebrations as well, lighting bonfires in Hobart (her hometown) and Melbourne to mark the young prince’s birth.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, congratulated the couple: “I am sure all Australians will wish her and her husband well and congratulations on a safe delivery. It’s every parent’s greatest wish and I’m very happy for them.”
In a press conference at the Rigshospitalet, Crown Prince Frederik was visibly moved talking about his son. “It is a tremendous joy… I’m just slowly trying to realise what happened just eight hours ago. It is impossible to describe that feeling for me and my wife, who is doing fine.”
Crown Princess Mary and her newborn son were discharged from the hospital on Tuesday 18 October. Members of both families had visited the new royal in hospital, and reporters got their first glimpses of the future king.
As is usual with the Danish Royal Family, his names were not publicly revealed until his christening, though the long tradition of monarchs alternating between the names Frederick and Christian meant that only his middle names were a mystery. Mary told reporters that they were using pet names for their son, and that he had “a very quiet mind.”
She also spoke of the support the couple had received from Danes and from Australians, “We’re very touched by all the messages and warm wishes, and gifts and hand-knitted toys, and jumpers and sweaters we’ve received from Australia – it’s been really very touching.”
Prince Christian was christened on 21 January 2006 at the Christiansborg Palace Chapel.
Crown Princess Mary told the gathered crowds that she and her husband had been calling Christian “little man” until his names were announced.
Embed from Getty ImagesChristian was the traditional name for the prince; Queen Margrethe has chosen to take the place of a ‘Christian’, and is sandwiched between her father Frederick IX and her heir, Frederik. Valdemar was a Danish monarch and is a popular name used by the modern Danish Royal Family. Henri and John are the names of Christian’s grandfathers, Prince Henrik (born Henri) and John Donaldson.
Prince Christian’s godparents include Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, Prince Joachim of Denmark, Jane Stephens (his maternal aunt), Jeppe Handwerk and Hamish Campbell (friends of the Crown Prince and Princess).
