The

Danish Royal Family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch. All members of the Danish royal family except Queen Margrethe II hold the title of ''Prince/Princess of Denmark''. Dynastic children of the monarch and of the heir apparent are accor ...

inhabit a range of residences around

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. Historically all the residences of the royal family were privately owned. With the introduction of the new Constitution in 1849, some of the residences were claimed as property of the "Kingdom of Denmark". Some of the palaces are still privately owned by the Queen or other members of the Royal Family. The Agency for Palaces and Cultural Properties (the Danish equivalent of the Historic Royal Palaces Agency) is responsible for the management and upkeep of some of the royal palaces and gardens. The Danish Royal Family traditionally occupy different royal residences during different seasons of the year. In summer, Queen Margarethe resides at

Marselisborg Palace Marselisborg Palace, ( da, Marselisborg Slot, ) is a royal residence of the Danish Royal Family in Aarhus. It has been the summer residence of Queen Margrethe II since 1967. There is a Palace Park in connection to the palace itself and outside ...

or Graasten Palace. In the winter, she resides at

Amalienborg Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Queen Magrethe ll lives here in winter and autumn. It consists of four identical classical palace façades with rococo interiors aroun ...

, whereas her residence during spring and autumn is

Fredensborg Palace Fredensborg Palace ( da, Fredensborg Slot; ) is a palace located on the eastern shore of Lake Esrum ( Danish, ''Esrum Sø'') in Fredensborg on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in Denmark. It is the Danish Royal Family’s spring and autumn ...

. Sometimes members of the royal family spend time on the Royal Yacht Dannebrog, especially when on official visits overseas and on summer cruises in Danish waters.

Palaces

Amalienborg Palace

Amalienborg Palace is the winter home of the monarch, and is located in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. It consists of four identical classicizing palace façades with

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

interiors around an octagonal courtyard; in the centre of the square is a monumental

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...

of Amalienborg's founder, King Frederik V. Amalienborg was originally built for four noble families; however, when Christiansborg Palace burnt down on 26 February 1794, the royal family bought the palaces and moved in. Over the years various kings and their families have resided in the four different palaces. Currently, the Queen herself resides in ''Christian IX's Palace'' and the Crown Prince in ''Frederik VIII's Palace''. ''Christian VIII's Palace'' has apartments for other members of the royal family, whereas ''Christian VII's Palace'' is used for official events and to accommodate guests.

Christiansborg Palace

Historically, Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, was the main residence of the Danish kings. But after the fire of the first Christiansborg Palace in 1794, the royal family moved their residence to Amalienborg. However, even though the royal family does not reside in the palace, parts of Christiansborg have continued to be used by the monarch for official purposes and state ceremonies. It is the site of public audiences, meetings of the

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

state dinners A state banquet is an official banquet hosted by the head of state in his or her official residence for another head of state, or sometimes head of government, and other guests. Usually as part of a state visit or diplomatic conference, it is h ...

, receptions and other ceremonies. Also, the Royal Stables which provide the ceremonial transport by horse-drawn carriage for the royal family, are located here. The royal parts of the palace are open to the public when they are not in use for official purposes.

Fredensborg Palace

Fredensborg Palace is a palace located on the eastern shore of Lake Esrum (

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

, ''Esrum Sø'') in

Fredensborg Fredensborg () is a railway town located in Fredensborg Municipality, North Zealand, some 30 kilometres north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is most known for Fredensborg Palace, one of the official residences of the Danish Royal Family. As of 1 Janu ...

on the island of

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

(''Sjælland'') in

. It is the

’s spring and autumn residence, and is often the site of important state visits and events in the Royal Family. It is the most used of the Royal Family’s residences.

Marselisborg Palace

Marselisborg Palace is the summer residence of the royal family in Aarhus. Historically, the grounds was the property of the Marselis dynasty, its namesake. Marselisborg became a royal residence when Crown Prince Christian (later Christian X) and his consort Princess Alexandrine were given the Palace as a wedding present by the people of Denmark. As such the palace is private property of the Queen, but will remain in possession of all future monarchs of Denmark. The royal couple used it as their summer residence. The building was built by the Danish architect

Hack Kampmann Hack Kampmann (6 September 1856 – 27 June 1920) was a Danish architect, Royal Inspector of Listed State Buildings in Jutland and professor at the architecture department of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Marselisborg Palace in Aarhus, ...

. The present Queen

Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent fema ...

was given the palace by her father, King Frederick IX of Denmark in 1967.

Gråsten Palace

Gråsten Palace is the second summer residence of the

Danish royal family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch. All members of the Danish royal family except Queen Margrethe II hold the title of ''Prince/Princess of Denmark''. Dynastic children of the monarch and of the heir apparent are accor ...

. It is located in Gråsten in the

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

region of southern

. The main house has a modern, all-white facade, with Venetian doors opening onto sweeping, manicured lawns and gravel walkways. The grounds include a huge stables court. Known for the setting for holiday photocalls for the extended Danish Royal Family and descendant of Queen Ingrid.

Hermitage Lodge

The Eremitage Hunting Lodge (

: or ) is located in Dyrehaven north of

. It was built by architect

Lauritz de Thurah Laurids Lauridsen de Thurah, known as Lauritz de Thurah (4 March 1706 – 5 September 1759), was a Danish architect and architectural writer. He became the most important Danish architect of the late baroque period. As an architectural writer ...

in Baroque style from 1734 to 1736 for

Christian VI of Denmark Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's more anonymous kings, bu ...

in order to host banquets during royal hunts in Dyrehaven. Never intended for residence, the Eremitage was built as a setting for hosting royal banquets during hunts in Dyrehaven, which surrounds the building. It originally featured a hoisting apparatus able to raise the table from the basement to the dining room, allowing the king and his guests to dine without any waiters present, or ''"en ermitage"'' (in solitude), hence the name of the castle. The apparatus was removed in the late 18th century as it was causing endless mechanical problems, and no signs of it remain. The previous building on the site, the Hubertus Chalet, had a similar apparatus and was nicknamed for the same reason.

Sorgenfri Palace

Sorgenfri Palace is a royal residence of the Danish monarch located in the Lyngby-Taarbæk municipality in

Greater Copenhagen The urban area of Copenhagen (also known as Greater Copenhagen) ( da, Storkøbenhavn or ), lying mostly in the Capital Region of Denmark but also in Region Zealand, consist of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg municipalities and the former Copenhagen ...

. Originally a country seat, Sorgenfri Palace was built for the Danish nobleman Count Carl Ahlefeldt in 1706. The palace first became a royal residence in 1730 after coming into the possession of the Danish Royal Family. Sorgenfri was the preferred summer residence of King

Christian X Christian X ( da, Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was List of Danish monarchs, King of Denmark from 1912 to his death in 1947, and the only List of rulers of Iceland, King of Iceland as ...

and his wife Queen

Alexandrine Alexandrine is a name used for several distinct types of verse line with related metrical structures, most of which are ultimately derived from the classical French alexandrine. The line's name derives from its use in the Medieval French ''Roman ...

. Both of Alexandrine's children Frederik and his brother, Knud, were born there. Both Knud and his wife Caroline-Mathilde lived at Sorgenfri Palace until their respective deaths in 1976 and 1995. Today the palace is closed to the public but the palace gardens are accessible when the monarch is not in residence. Countess Anne-Dorte, the widow of

Count Christian of Rosenborg Count Christian of Rosenborg (Christian Frederik Franz Knud Harald Carl Oluf Gustav Georg Erik; 22 October 1942 – 21 May 2013) was a member of the Danish royal family. Born Prince Christian of Denmark, he was high in the line of succession unt ...

(a younger son of Prince Knud), resided in a wing of the palace until her death .

Château de Cayx

Château de Cayx is a residence of the

located in the wine district of

Cahors Cahors (; oc, Caors ) is a commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitanie Region. The main city of the Lot department and the historical center of the Que ...

in southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The château was first fortified during the fourteenth century. Since then it has been rebuilt and renovated several times. The Lefrancs built the extensive wine cellars under the château. The phylloxera infestation devastated the vineyards during the late nineteenth century, and the owners emigrated to

Indo-China Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

. They did not return to Europe until 1955. In 1965 the family's heir, Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat, married Princess Margrethe, then

heiress presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

to the Danish throne, becoming Prince Consort of Denmark after she succeeded to

's throne. The royal couple purchased the château and the estate in 1974. Since then they have renovated it extensively. According to the official website of the

Danish monarchy The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark was alre ...

, the residence has become a "relaxed setting for reunions of the entire Danish Royal Family and their French relatives". It has been the setting for holiday photocalls for the Danish Royal Family, including for Prince Henrik's 80th birthday. The residence is not open to the public. A guided tour of the gardens is available during the summer. The château still produces wine.

References

External links

Palaces at the Official Website of the Danish MonarchyAgency for Palaces and Cultural Properties
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danish royal residences

Royal residences Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

Danish royal residences Lists of royal residences