Frederick of Denmark will ascend the throne tomorrow afternoon and become King with the name of Frederick Soon, the new head of state will be proclaimed by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen from Christiansborg Palace. The royals will be transported by carriage, escorted by a regiment of Hussars. Tens of thousands of people are expected in Copenhagen, so much so that the government has asked DSB, the Danish railway company, to increase travel to and from the capital. Rooms in hotels are selling like hotcakes, the local media explain, and Tivoli, the amusement park in the heart of the city, has announced the most sumptuous fireworks ever for the occasion. In the central streets of the capital, thousands of Danish flags have been seen hanging for the event for days.
Federico's “mission”.
The main task of the new monarch will be to maintain high the popularity of the crown which, under the long reign of his mother, reached an approval rating of 93%. According to a poll conducted by Megafon for the Danish media Politiken and TV 2, for 46% of Danes he will be a “very good” King, for 35% “good”, and only 4% express a negative opinion, while the the remaining portion falls into the area of lukewarm judgments and “I don't know/I don't answer”. For now it seems to have the intention of respecting the sober and “popular” character which have been historical traits of the Danish crown since the beginning of the last century – which, not surprisingly, for decades has opted for proclamations without coronation – so much so that, a few days ago, he was photographed while taking his children home (the house is Amalienborg Palace) with a “cargo bike”. Many see him as a worthy heir to his mother, but in a more modern version suited to the contemporary world.
Real and popular curriculum
But who is the new King? The first son of Margherita II, born in 1968, he came to the throne after her mother's 52-year reign (a record). Married to Mary Donaldson (who would become the first Australian queen in history) he is passionate about sport and strongly committed to the issue of the environment. He alternates a real “classical” background (prestigious schools and a first-rate military career) with more common traits: he is a rock music enthusiast, he studied abroad for a year, as a child he was shy and intolerant of the attention that it was dedicated to him as heir to the throne. In his youthful period from “away from home” he did not present himself with his real name and title, and lived in a Spartan apartment. For a few years he earned the title of “Party Prince”, but that background now belongs to a distant past, and for years he has fully shifted the profile that his role requires of him. Furthermore, Federico confirmed that he will continue to participate in one of the Copenhagen marathons.
Private life
The new royal couple has four children, of which the eldest (Christian, 18 years old) is first in line for the next succession to the throne. The story between Federico and Mary has been described as a “romance love”. There has been no shortage of gossip recently, an unusual fact for a crown – the Danish one – which, unlike its European “counterparts”, does not have a track record of scandals. Last November, then Crown Prince Federico was photographed having dinner in Madrid with Genoveva Casanova. The tabloid press went wild, but the story has now fizzled out.
The program of the day
At 1.30pm the new royal couple will go by car from Amalienborg (the royal residence) to Christiansborg (the complex that houses the government, Parliament and the previous royal residence), followed closely by Margaret II. At 2pm the Council of State will formalize the handover, until Prime Minister Frederiksen proclaimed King and Queen from the balcony of Christiansborg. The (at that point) former Queen Margaret, in the meantime, will have returned home, while Frederick and Mary will wait for the end of the ceremony, and then go to Amalienborg, where they hoist the new royal coat of arms. La Stampa will cover the event live from Copenhagen. On Monday, however, the royal family will be received by Parliament, while on January 21 they will participate in the celebration mass at Aarhus Cathedral.
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