Who is Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Nick Name: Pingo

Also Known As: Frederik André Henrik Christian, Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat

Age: 55 Years, 55 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Crown Princess of Denmark

father: Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark

mother: Margrethe II of Denmark

siblings: Prince Joachim of Denmark

children: Prince Christian of Denmark, Prince Vincent of Denmark, Princess Isabella of Denmark, Princess Josephine of Denmark

Born Country: Denmark

Emperors & Kings Military Leaders

Height: 1.83 m

Ancestry: Swedish Danish, German Danish, French Danish, British Danish

Notable Alumni: Aarhus University

City: Copenhagen, Denmark

More Facts

education: Harvard University, Aarhus University

awards: Order of the White Rose of Finland
Order of St. Olav
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon

Nersornaat
Order of the Three Stars
1st Class
Order of the Star of Romania

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Childhood & Early Life

Frederik André Henrik Christian was born on May 26, 1968, in Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, into the family of Princess Margrethe and Prince Henrik. At the time of his birth, his maternal grandfather, Frederick IX, was the King of Denmark. His matrilineal great-grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, was the King of Sweden. His mother, the eldest daughter of Frederick IX, was the heir presumptive to the Danish throne.

On June 24, 1968, he was baptized at ‘Holmens Kirke’ in Copenhagen and was christened after Frederick IX (as “Frederik”), complying with the convention of naming the heir apparent as either “Frederik” or “Christian.” The middle names of Frederik were kept honoring his paternal grandfather, André de Laborde de Monpezat; his father, and his maternal great-grandfather and former King of Denmark, Christian X, respectively.

Frederik’s godparents include his paternal uncle Count Etienne de Laborde de Monpezat, his maternal aunt Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg (his maternal grandfather's first cousin's daughter), Birgitta Juel Hillingsø, Prince Georg of Denmark, and Baron Christian de Watteville-Berckheim.

Following the death of Frederick IX on January 14, 1972, Princess Margrethe became the Queen of Denmark and came to be known as Margrethe II. With this, Frederik, her oldest son, became the Crown Prince of Denmark. His official title is Hans Kongelige Højhed Kronprins Frederik til Danmark, Greve af Monpezat.

He completed his primary schooling from ‘Krebs' Skole’ (1974 to 1981). He was a private pupil at the ‘Amalienborg Palace’ from 1974 to 1976 and at ‘Krebs' Skole’ from the third form. He attended ‘École des Roches,’ a boarding school in Normandy, France, between 1982 and 1983. He completed his graduation from the upper secondary school of ‘Øregaard Gymnasium’ in 1986.

He enrolled at ‘Aarhus University’ in 1986 and studied political science. The course included studying the subject for a year (from 1992 to 1993) at ‘Harvard University,’ where he attended classes as Frederik Henriksen. In 1994, he had a 3-month stint at the Danish UN mission in New York. He earned his MSc degree in political science from ‘Aarhus University’ in 1995, and with this, he became the first royal to obtain a master's degree. While studying, Frederik visited the Baltic states many times. His final paper was on the analysis of the foreign policies of the Baltic states.

He is fluent in his mother tongue, Danish. He is equally proficient in his father’s language, French. He is also well versed in German and English.

From October 1998 to October 1999, he served as the First Secretary to the ‘Danish Embassy’ in Paris.

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Military Career

Frederik has been trained extensively in all three services of Danish defense. In 1986, he became a ‘Royal Life Guard,’ and in 1988, he was made the Lieutenant in the Reserve (army). He served the ‘Royal Guard Hussars' Regiment’ in 1988 as the Reconnaissance Platoon Commander. In the following year, he was made the First Lieutenant in the Reserve (army).

He finished his studies as a “frogman” in the maritime special operations force of the Danish defense, called the ‘Frømandskorpset’ (‘Frogman Corps’), which is part of the ‘Special Operations Command.’ He cleared the selection and finished his training to become a badged “frogman.” In the midst of all this, he earned the nickname “Pingo.” He became part of ‘Royal Danish Navy’ (‘Frømandskorpset’) in 1995. The same year, he became the First Lieutenant in the Reserve (Navy).

In 1997, he was inducted as Captain in the Reserve (army) and Lieutenant Commander in the Reserve (Navy). He joined the ‘Royal Danish Air Force Flying School’ in 2000. That year, he also became Captain in the Reserve of the air force.

Between 2001 and 2002, he undertook the ‘Command and General Staff Course’ at the ‘Royal Danish Defence College.’ In 2002, he was appointed as a commander in the navy and as a major in the army and the air force. Between 2002 and 2003, he served ‘Defence Command Denmark’ as a staff officer. In 2003, he became senior lecturer at the ‘Institute of Strategy’ of the ‘Royal Danish Defence College.’

In 2004, the navy made him a commander, senior grade, while he was inducted as a lieutenant colonel in both the army and the air force. He became a captain in the navy and a colonel in the army and air force in 2010.

Since 2015, he serves as a rear admiral in the navy and as a major general in the army and the air force.

Other Endeavors

Frederik is particularly interested in scientific research, climate change, and sustainability. He has been part of events, forums, and expeditions on climate. One such expedition was to Mongolia in 1986. He was also part of the 2,795 km dog-sledge expedition called ‘Expedition Sirius 2000,’ which took place from February to June 2000 in the northern part of Greenland. Frederik worked as a film photographer in the latter.

He represented his nation as a promoter of sustainable Danish energy and co-wrote the 2009 book ‘Polartokt Kongelig’ (‘Polar Cruise Royal’), which focused on the challenges threatening the global climate. The preface of the book was written by Kofi Annan. Frederik patronizes projects on scientific research. He also works through his foundation, ‘Kronprins Frederiks Fond.’

A sports enthusiast, Frederik motivates Denmark’s participation in sports and serves as an honorary member of several sports organizations. He became a member of the ‘International Olympic Committee’ on October 9, 2009, for an 8-year term, on the condition that he would cease to continue as a member of the committee in case he ascends to the Danish throne. He later announced on June 19, 2017, that he would continue as a member of the committee for another 8 years. .

He promotes an active lifestyle and runs in marathons in Paris, New York, and Copenhagen. He became the first royal person to finish an ‘Ironman’ when he finished the ‘KMD Ironman Copenhagen’ in 2013 by clocking 10:45:32.

He also developed an interest in sailing and evolved as a competitive ‘Farr 40’ skipper and a skilled ‘Dragon’ boater. He led in steps championships. He ranked fourth in the ‘European Championship Dragon Class 2003,’ the ‘Farr 40 Worlds 2008,’ and the ‘Dragon DM 2011.’ During the ‘Fyn Cup 2010’ held in Denmark, he was the first in his class boat.

On May 21, 2018, the ‘Royal Run,’ a public running event, was organized as part of his 50th birthday celebration. Frederik and his family, apart from over 70,000 people, took part in the event that was held across the five biggest Danish cities.

Honors

Frederik has received several national and foreign honors. Some of these include the ‘Knight of the Order of the Elephant’ (R.E.) and the ‘Grand Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog’ (S.Kmd) from Denmark, the ‘Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold’ from Belgium, the ‘Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit’ from France, and the ‘Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany’ from Germany.

Family & Personal Life

Frederik met Australian marketing consultant Mary Donaldson on September 16, 2000, at the ‘Slip Inn’ pub in Sydney, while visiting Australia during the 2000 ‘Summer Olympics.’ They maintained a long-distance relationship for a while, before Mary relocated from Australia to Denmark in December 2001.

An announcement was made on September 24, 2003, stating that Queen Margrethe II wished to give her consent to the marriage of Frederik and Mary during the October 8, 2003-scheduled ‘State Council’ meeting. Accordingly, the Queen gave her consent on October 8, 2003. The same day, Frederik and Mary got engaged officially.

The wedding of Frederik and Mary took place on May 14, 2004, at the ‘Copenhagen Cathedral.’ The wedding festivities were held at the ‘Fredensborg Palace.’ Following the marriage, Mary became the Crown Princess of Denmark. The couple were also made Count and the Countess of Monpezat on April 29, 2008.

Frederik and Mary have four children together: Christian (born on October 15, 2005), Isabella (born on April 21, 2007), and twins Vincent and Josephine (born on January 8, 2011).

Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark Biography