Frederick, the 55-year-old firstborn of Margaret II, who signed her abdication in Copenhagen last Sunday, surprised his compatriots by sharing his hopes and worries for the future. Although the publication of the volume was kept secret until the day of its publication, the Danish media indicate that the publisher has been very busy since last New Year's Eve, when the ruler announced her resignation after 52 years on the throne. Although it was not announced how long preparations for the work took, it has only been three days since Frederick
The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, the largest of the national morning newspapers, described the publication of the book by the publisher Politikens Forlag as a “big surprise” this Wednesday. “It reflects the path that a young and unruly crown prince took” until he became “a mature man, a family man and a king,” according to this medium. On the royal family's website, which has been renewed since the proclamation, the work is presented with the following words: “The king himself [explica] what is meant by the words “United, Committed to the Kingdom of Denmark.” This is the motto of his reign, which did not specifically mention God, as is common in the Danish monarchy.
More information
Last Sunday he addressed the Danes as monarch Frederick. Given that the Danish kings are heads of state and heads of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the royal family saw fit to dispel doubts in this regard. To this end, it includes on its website some of the king's sentences that illustrate his obvious divine omission. “The strength of faith lies not in whether God is mentioned in the word of a king, but in the fact that we as human beings feel connected to one another through our Christian faith,” is one of them. . “It occupies my life much more than before,” he states in his book Federico X about the Christian faith. 72% of the population is registered as a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, in which 55% are priests. However, according to the official Foreign Ministry website, less than 5% of Danes consider themselves very religious.
The book is signed by Jens Andersen, a Danish author who published a biography of the then crown prince in 2018. This time his portrait of the new monarch reflects his evolution, with the doubts of adolescence and the unease of youth in the face of a fate like his, until he appears to wear the crown calmly. “I just wanted to be like the other boys my age, and for many years I didn't want to call myself king at all,” Federico X confesses to the author. The son of Queen Margaret and the late Prince Henry concluded that his 18th year was “kind of like the end of the world, because everything fun and enjoyable would end.” “Luckily that wasn't the case the case,” he admits on the front pages. In his youth, he was nicknamed Turbo due to his love of high-speed driving and his love of partying was obvious.
A woman reads a copy of “Kongeord” (Word of a King), a book by Jens Andersen about King Frederick X, in a bookstore in Copenhagen on January 17, 2024. NILS MEILVANG (EFE)
He owes his understanding of duty to his mother and his wife, he says. And he assures: “For the first time I am the person I want to be. “I will also strive to develop this further as King of Denmark.” A sentence that is again highlighted on the royal family’s website. Of his wife, the Australian-born Queen Consort – and with whom he will celebrate their 20th anniversary next May – the ruler assures that she is his “co-pilot” and that they have a “great dynamic together”. In the weeks before the announcement of Margaret II's abdication, the Danish tabloid press reported on the then prince's visit to Spain to meet Genoveva Casanova, the Duchess of Alba's former daughter-in-law. A photo report published in Spain by the magazine Lecturas and an episode that was not commented on by the royal family because it belonged to private life.
Newly appointed King Frederick and Queen Mary of Denmark kiss on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen on January 14, 2024. RITZAU SCANPIX DENMARK (via Portal)
The new monarchical era that Frederick and Mary of Denmark represent will be marked by their attention to environmental issues, “because we want to help leave the planet in good condition for the next generation.” To this end, they propose: “To support initiatives to protect nature, biodiversity and the fight against the climate.” It is a promise to get to work personally, summarized in another statement of the book. It goes like this: “In many Western societies, the important question is: What can you do for me?” Conversely, it rarely occurs: What can I do for you?”
In the extensive photo gallery of the royal family's proclamation, what stands out are, on the one hand, the thousands of Danes who filled the streets of Copenhagen to greet the excited Frederick X, and on the other hand, the royal couple holding hands at the waist on the balcony of the Danish Parliament. The video of the speech held there shows the kiss they gave at the end.