
As their father prepared to step out in front of a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people, some young royals had only one thing on their mind. Sensing how nervous their papa was feeling, they made sure the last words he heard before this moment of history was ”we love you”.
In brand new footage released by the Danish Royal House to mark a year since the king’s accession, King Frederik X of Denmark is seen looking nervous in the moments before he stepped out on to the balcony of the Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen to hear the country’s Prime Minister read the declaration of his accession.
Just minutes earlier, his mother, Queen Margrethe, had signed her throne over to him as she abdicated after over half a century as monarch.
Frederik X admitted to being very nervous as he prepared to step out and greet the crowds. However, his children were determined to support him. In the film, his eldest son, the brand new heir to the throne, offers a consoling hug. Crown Prince Christian grabs his father by the shoulders to offer reassurance as the new king appears to struggle to hold back tears.
Meanwhile, Christian’s sister, Princess Isabella, now second in line to the throne, casually blows her father a huge kiss and, with arms wide open to him, says ”we love you”. And as Frederik steps out, the family repeat ”we love you” in loud whispers.
Frederik and Mary’s younger children, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, appear briefly being hugged by their mum.
There’s another touching moment in the film that shows the new King Frederik warmly greeting his only brother, Prince Joachim. His younger sibling now lives in Washington but had come back for the accession which came several years after a row caused when their mother, Queen Margrethe, took away the royal titles of Joachim’s four children.
In a message marking the anniversary of his accession, King Frederik thanked the people of Denmark for their support. He also said it was an honour to have become king and spoke of how special it was to be able to take on the role without having to say goodbye to his mother first.
Frederik X became King of Denmark on January 14th 2024 on the abdication of Queen Margrethe who had reigned for exactly 52 years.