A former “party prince” and an Australian-born princess are about to become the next king and queen of Denmark after the abrupt departure of a wildly popular chain-smoking queen.
In other words, it’s not just the Brits who can deliver on royal drama.
On Sunday, there will be a very real changing of the guard in Denmark. Queen Margrethe II will step down and Crown Prince Frederik will become the new king of Denmark and his wife, Crown Princess Mary, will become queen.
King Frederik X, as he will be styled, has big shoes to fill. His mother, dubbed the “Ashtray Queen,” by the British tabloids, is widely adored for her eccentricity and her authenticity and she will be a tough act to follow — at the end of last year, Denmark’s main anti-monarchy group nearly closed its doors due to lack of interest.
But what do we know of her eldest son? And what do Danes make of having an Australian-born queen and is it possible that the Aussies could be any more excited?
Here’s what you need to know about Europe’s newest soon-to-be king and queen.