With a smile on his lips, he puts on his immaculate gloves. He chose his Navy gala uniform with four stars on the epaulettes. This is also the first time that he has worn it as is because January 14, 2024 is not a day like any other. Indeed, in a few minutes, his mother, Queen Margrethe, will sign her declaration of abdication and turn the page on 52 years of reign. And he will then be known to everyone as King Frederik X of Denmark. A year later, to commemorate this key moment in the history of the kingdom, the Court revealed previously unpublished photos taken during the preparation of Queen Mary’s husband at the Frederick VIII Palace in Amalienborg.
Four images, one in black and white, accompanied by a text written by the king himself. “Serious. Concentration. A smile on my face. Everything was in place when I was preparing for the proclamation, a year ago, at this time”, we can read. Frederik In Denmark, no one has forgotten his eyes, red with emotion. Tears that he hadn’t been able to contain.
These photos are the work of Dennis Stenild. It was he who had already immortalized, behind the scenes, the appearance on the balcony of Christiansborg Castle where King Frederik X was proclaimed by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Snapshots revealed the day after the change of throne. Photographer Dennis Stenild also signed the very first official portraits as sovereigns of Frederik X and Mary of Denmark, captured in the Christiansborg throne room. But also that of the royal couple with their eldest son, Crown Prince Christian, then in their entirety with their four children.
This first anniversary of his reign also allows us to delve into the history of Frederik marriage with Mary, May 14, 2004. “On the occasion of the change of throne, the king is appointed to the rank of admiral. The gala uniform was therefore personalized, which is indicated by the four stars on the epaulets”, we could read. To this was added in particular the sash of the Order of the Elephant, “the oldest and most distinguished” of the orders, according to the Court. Without forgetting the naval officer’s saber which “had belonged to Frederick IX and was presented to His Majesty by Queen Ingrid when the king was appointed lieutenant commander of the naval reserve in 1997”. A symbolic outfit for a day that was just as symbolic.
Read also >> Frederik of Denmark talks about his accession to the throne: “One of the most extraordinary things I have experienced”
