A king has been given a masterclass in an old Christmas tradition that he failed to get the hang of in the first months of his reign.
Frederik X of Denmark was shown how to get to grips with a well loved practice in his country by his mother, Queen Margrethe, who passed her throne to him at the start of 2024.
The tradition is one very close to the hearts, quite literally, of people across Denmark. Every Christmas season, many make paper heart decorations to put around the home.
In 2024, the first Christmas since he took the throne, King Frederik was invited to make a heart during a visit to the Old Town in Aarhus. However, he couldn’t quite get the hang of weaving together the different colours to make a braided pattern and turned to his predecessor as monarch to get some advice.
Queen Margrethe, as well as being Head of State for 52 years, is well known for her diverse artistic talents and she settled into teacher mode with ease.
Denmark’s royals got into the Christmas spirit by sharing a video of the two sovereigns together, making paper decorations for their tree as thousands of people around Denmark would be doing at the same time.
King Frederik looked to be on best behaviour as he tried to master the technique of weaving together red and white strands, the colours of the Danish flag, to make a patch at the top of his heart.
He settled for a simple design while Queen Margrethe, so relaxed she was leaning back in her chair while effortlessly weaving together multiple strands, talked him through the process.
It was a case of mother (and queen) knowing best as Frederik managed to produce a perfectly woven heart. The decorations also act as mini gifts as they contain a pocket where sweets or little treats are placed.
The hearts have been popular for almost two centuries with the first recorded creation coming in the 1860s when Hans Christian Anderson made a version but without the handle that now hangs the decorations from Christmas trees.
It’s a popular tradition around Denmark and the hearts are nearly always woven in red and white to match the country’s flag.
King Frederik has been seen decorating plenty of trees this festive season, starting with a giant creation inside his home at the Amalienborg Palace.
Along with Queen Mary, he’ll spend Christmas in Copenhagen where they will celebrate at the Amalienborg Palace with their four children and Queen Margrethe.
No doubt pride of place will be given to the woven hearts that a queen helped a king to master to keep alive a special Christmas tradition.
