Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat (Christian Valdemar Henri John; born 15 October 2005), is the

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to the

Danish throne 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 alrea ...

. He is the eldest child of

King Frederik X Frederik X (Frederik André Henrik Christian, ; born 26 May 1968) is King of Denmark. He acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2024. Frederik is the eldest son of Margrethe II and Prince Henrik. He was born during the ...

and Queen Mary. He was born during the reign of his paternal grandmother,

Queen Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until her abdication on 14 January 2024. Having reigned for exactly 5 ...

. He became

Crown Prince of Denmark This is a list of heirs to the Danish throne. Notes {{DEFAULTSORT:Heirs to the Danish throne Monarchy of Denmark Lists of Danish people Danish throne Danish Denmark history-related lists ...

following his grandmother's abdication and his father's subsequent ascension to the Danish throne in 2024.

Early life

Prince Christian was born on 15 October 2005 at 1:57 am

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Rigshospitalet Rigshospitalet (meaning ''the National'', ''State'', ''Kingdom'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital ...

, the Copenhagen University Hospital, in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. At noon on the day of his birth, a 21-gun salute was fired from the Sixtus Battery at

Holmen Naval Base Naval Station Holmen () is one of several naval stations of the Royal Danish Navy, supplementing the two Danish naval bases in Frederikshavn and Korsør. Founded in the late 17th century, it is also a visitor attraction with many historical b ...

in the

Port of Copenhagen The Port of Copenhagen () is the largest Denmark, Danish seaport and one of the largest ports in the Baltic Sea basin. It extends from Svanemølle Beach in the north to Hvidovre in the south. Along with Malmö harbour, Copenhagen Port is operate ...

and at

Kronborg Castle Kronborg is a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalised as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was inscribed ...

in Elsinore to mark the birth of a royal child. At the same time, public buses and official buildings flew the Danish flag, the Dannebrog. At sunset on the same day beacon bonfires were lit all across Denmark, while Naval Home Guard vessels lit their searchlights and directed them towards the capital. Christian was

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

on 21 January 2006 in Christiansborg Palace Chapel by the

Bishop of Copenhagen The Diocese of Copenhagen (Danish: ''Københavns Stift'') is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark. The Bishop of Copenhagen is currently Peter Skov-Jakobsen, who replaced Erik Normann Svendsen in 2009. The main cathedral of ...

Erik Norman Svendsen. He was baptised at the royal baptismal font which has been used for the baptism of royal children in Denmark since 1671, and wore the royal christening gown which was made for his great-great-grandfather, King Christian X, in 1870. Christian's godparents are his paternal uncle,

Prince Joachim of Denmark Prince Joachim of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, (; Joachim Holger Waldemar Christian; born 7 June 1969) is a member of the Danish royal family. The younger son of Queen Margrethe II, he is fifth in the line of succession to the Danish throne, ...

; his maternal aunt, Jane Stephens; his father's first cousin, the

Crown Prince of Greece The Crown Prince of Greece () is the heir apparent or presumptive to the defunct throne of Greece. Since the abolition of the Greek monarchy by the then-ruling military regime on 1 June 1973, it is merely considered a courtesy title. Title ...

; the

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

and Crown Princess of Norway; the

Crown Princess of Sweden This page is a list of heirs to the Swedish throne. The list includes all individuals who were considered to Inheritance, inherit the Monarchy of Sweden, throne of the Kingdom of Sweden, either as heir apparent or as heir presumptive, since the ac ...

; and two friends of the couple, Jeppe Handwerk and Hamish Campbell. He was named Christian Valdemar Henri John, continuing the Danish royal tradition of alternating between the names Christian and Frederik in direct line. He received a number of presents on the occasion of his christening, including a pony called Flikflak from the

Folketing The Folketing ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark — Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland. E ...

, Denmark's national parliament. On 11 September 2006, Per Stig Møller, Denmark's Minister for Foreign Affairs, formally wrote and signed a hand-written document confirming Prince Christian's place in the

line of succession An order, line or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated, such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility. Christian was the first member of the Danish royal family to attend nursery school. He initially attended nursery school at Queen Louise's Asylum Kindergarten 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 Janua ...

before transferred to Garrison Church's Congregational Kindergarten at

Sankt Annæ Plads Sankt Annæ Plads (English language, English: St. Ann's Square) is a Town square, public square which marks the border between the Nyhavn area and Frederiksstaden neighborhoods of central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a long narrow rectangle which e ...

. At the same age, his father had a nanny at the Palace to teach him rudimentary lessons. He is also the first member of the royal family to attend a public state school, Tranegård School in

Hellerup Hellerup () is a very affluent district of Gentofte Municipality in the suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. The most urban part of the district is centred on Strandvejen and is bordered by Østerbro to the south and the Øresund to the east. It compr ...

. The Danish court announced in October 2019 that Christian and his three younger siblings would undertake a 12-week school stay at Lemania-Verbier International School in

Verbier Verbier () is a village located in south-western Switzerland in the canton of Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederatio ...

, Switzerland, in the beginning of 2020. The stay was cut short and the siblings returned home in March due to the intensification of the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

situation in Denmark. In April 2021, it was announced that Christian would undertake his secondary education at the Danish boarding school Herlufsholm, starting in August 2021. In June 2022, shortly after finishing the first year of his upper secondary education, it was announced that Christian would no longer attend the school, after recurring allegations of bullying, violence and sexual abuse at the institution surfaced in a documentary. Instead, he transferred to the public gymnasium, Ordrup Gymnasium. He graduated in June 2024.

Activities

Christian undertook his first official engagement when he attended the opening of a new elephant house at the

Copenhagen Zoo Copenhagen Zoo () is a zoological garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1859, it is one of the oldest zoos in Europe and is a member of EAZA. It comprises and is located in the municipality of Frederiksberg, sandwiched between the parks of ...

with his grandfather, Prince Henrik in 2008. Christian opened the elephant house by pressing a button on an interactive console. The elephants were a gift from the

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

and Queen of Thailand to the Queen and Prince Consort of Denmark on their visit to Thailand. In 2010, Christian and his grandfather revealed a portrait of Prince Ulrik at the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle, and in 2012, also at the Museum of National History, he and

revealed the first ever portrait of him (with his father and grandmother), commissioned for the Queen's Ruby Jubilee. He and his siblings accompanied their parents on an official visit to Greenland on 1–8 August 2014, where Christian partook in several official engagements. Likewise, he accompanied his parents on most of their engagements during the family's official visit to the Faroe Islands on 23–26 August 2018. Christian was confirmed on 15 May 2021 in the Royal Chapel of

Fredensborg Palace Fredensborg Palace (; ) 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 residence, and is o ...

. On 13 June 2021, Christian accompanied his grandmother and father at the COVID-19 postponed centenary of the reunification of Denmark and

Northern Schleswig Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

, following the route his great-great-grandfather

Christian X Christian X (; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 until his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, holding the title as a result of the personal union between Denmark and independent Ice ...

rode on 15 July 1920 over the old border between Denmark and Germany. Accompanying his father, Christian attended a memorial for the victims of the 2022 Copenhagen mall shooting on 5 July 2022. For the 18th birthday of Prince Christian, which marked the beginning of his royal duties, Margrethe II hosted a banquet at Christianborg Palace. In attendance were members of the Danish royal family, including Christian's parents, siblings, cousins and

Princess Benedikte Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid, born 29 April 1944) is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second daughter and child of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid of ...

, and 200 members of the Danish public youth who had distinguished themselves in sport, art and culture. Additionally, Margrethe II invited eleven members of foreign royal families –

Queen Anne-Marie of Greece Anne-Marie (; born Princess Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid of Denmark, 30 August 1946) is a Danish royal family, Danish princess who was Queen of Greece as the consort of Constantine II of Greece, King Constantine II from their marriage on 18 Sept ...

, the

and Crown Princess of Greece, the

and Crown Princess of Norway,

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway (born 21 January 2004) is the elder child of Crown Prince Haakon and the second child of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and a grandchild of Harald V of Norway, King Harald V. She is second in line of succession ...

, the

Duke of Västergötland Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

, the Duchess of Östergötland, the

Princess of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by the stadtholders of, and then the heirs apparent of, ...

and the Duchess of Brabant. A photo was captured on the night that contained the future monarchs of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The official Danish royal family's

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account posted the following day a photo of a single sparkling shoe that was left in the palace and wrote, "Is it

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

who forgot her shoe last night?" On 20 May 2024, Christian carried out his first solo engagement when he participated in Royal Run 2024's Brønderslev leg. On 2 September 2024, he carried out his first solo official trip abroad, visiting the Danish athletes at the

2024 Summer Paralympics The 2024 Summer Paralympics (), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (), and branded as Paris 2024, were the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event governed by the International P ...

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Military service

On 3 February 2025, Christian began his

conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...

with the Guard Hussar Regiment at Antvorskov Barracks in Slagelse. Tradition in the regiment dictates that the hussars are known by the name of their respective home town and traditionally, each hussar would lead its cavalry regiment into their own home towns. Christian was given the name "" in reference to the Trekroner fortification which marks the entrance to Copenhagen Harbour. During his military service, Christian will renounce his salary and any money that conscripts receive. On 28 May 2025, Christian completed his conscription following the completion of the traditional "REX-tour", a strenuous four-day military exercise undertaken by conscripts in the Guard Hussar Regiment and the Royal Life Guards. At the same time, it was announced that he has been admitted into the

Royal Danish Army The Royal Danish Army (; ; ) is the land-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures, equipment and training methods ...

's Sergeant School where he will train to become a second lieutenant starting in August 2025.

Crown Prince of Denmark

Christian is first in line to the

and eldest child of King Frederik X. Since the 16th century, first-born sons of Danish monarchs have traditionally been alternately named Frederik and Christian. Christian's grandmother,

, announced her pending abdication on live television in her New Year's Eve address on 31 December 2023. On 14 January 2024, Prince Christian, the Queen, and Crown Prince Frederik participated in a meeting 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 ...

, with the

cabinet ministers A cabinet in governing is a group of people with the constitutional or legal task to rule a country or state, or advise a head of state, usually from the executive branch. Their members are known as ministers and secretaries and they are ...

and the council of state secretary in attendance. The moment the Queen signed a declaration of her abdication, Crown Prince Frederik acceded to the Danish throne as King Frederik X. Christian, who became the heir apparent, is referred to as "HRH Crown Prince Christian". In January 2024, Christian became a regent for the first time during his father's three day state visit to Poland. He signed his first law at

Amalienborg Palace Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family and is located in Copenhagen. Frederick VIII's palace complex has four identical Classical façades, effectively four palaces, with Rococo interiors, laid around an octagona ...

on 31 January 2024. He became the regent during his parents' state visit to Sweden and Norway in May 2024.

Personal life

Christian was made the godfather of his second cousin, Prince Gustav Albrecht, the son of Gustav, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. He served as page boy at the 2010 wedding of his godmother, the Crown Princess of Sweden. Christian is an avid fan of the football club F.C. Copenhagen and has frequently been seen attending their matches.

Titles, styles, honours, and arms

Titles

* 15 October 2005 – 29 April 2008: ''His Royal Highness'' Prince Christian of Denmark * 29 April 2008 – 14 January 2024: ''His Royal Highness'' Prince Christian of Denmark, Count of Monpezat * 14 January 2024 – present: ''His Royal Highness'' The Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat

Honours

National honours

=Orders and appointments

= *

Knight of the

Order of the Elephant The Order of the Elephant () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in ...

(15 October 2023) (R.E.)

=Medals and decorations

= *

DEN Prince Henriks 75th Birthday Medal ribbon

Prince Henrik's 75th Birthday Medal (11 June 2009) * Order of the Elephant Ribbon bar

Queen Margrethe II's 70th Birthday Medal (16 April 2010) * DEN Medal for the Ruby Jubilee of Queen Margarethe of Denmark ribbon

Queen Margrethe II's Ruby Jubilee Medal (14 January 2012) * Order of the Dannebrog R

Queen Margrethe II's 75th Birthday Medal (16 April 2015) * DEN Golden Wedding Commemorative Medal of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik

Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik's Golden Wedding Anniversary Medal (10 June 2017) * Prince Henriks Commemorative Medal

Prince Henrik's Memorial Medal (11 June 2018) * DEN Medal of Merit ribbon

Queen Margrethe II's 80th Birthday Medal (16 April 2020) * Order of the Elephant Ribbon bar

Queen Margrethe II's Golden Jubilee Medal (14 January 2022)

Foreign honours

* : **

Grand Cross of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

(15 October 2023)

Other honours

In 2006

Scandinavian Airlines System The Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), commonly known as Scandinavian Airlines, is the Flag carrier, national airline of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is part of SAS Group and is headquartered in Solna Municipality, Solna, Sweden. Including ...

was in the process of purchasing new

Airbus A319 The Airbus A319 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin-engine jet airliners manufactured by Airbus. The A319 carries 124 to 156 passengers and has a maximum range of . Final ass ...

aircraft and in Christian's honour the first of these, delivered on 8 August 2006, was named ''Christian Valdemar Viking''.

Arms

Crown Prince Christian’s coat of arms is similar to the royal coat of arms except for the heir apparent's crown and the purple mantle. File:Royal Monogram of Prince Christian of Denmark.svg, Royal monogram

Ancestry

Notes

References

External links

Official website
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Christian Of Denmark, Prince 2005 births Living people Crown princes of Denmark Princes of Denmark House of Glücksburg House of Glücksburg (Denmark) House of Monpezat Counts of Monpezat Danish people of Australian descent Danish people of French descent Danish people of Scottish descent Danish people of Swedish descent Sons of kings