IS CHRISTIAN THE NEW PARTY PRINCE?
WHILE MUM’S AWAY, THE HEIR WILL PLAY
It seems like the apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree when it comes to Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and his eldest son Prince Christian. Before he met and fell in love with his now-wife, Crown Princess Mary, Fred had a reputation for putting fun ahead of duty. Now, it appears 16-year-old Christian might be doing the same thing.
While Mary and Fred gathered with senior royals from the houses of Europe in Oslo to celebrate Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway’s
18th birthday earlier this month, Christian was nowhere to be seen. His absence meant he wasn’t included in a historic photo of Ingrid and their fellow future monarchs: Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Princess Estelle of Sweden, the Netherlands’ Princess Catharina-amalia, and Prince Charles of Luxembourg. Over the same weekend, a video of Christian popped up on social media showing him celebrating the end of school term with his friends. In the footage, the prince sat in front of a table full of empty glasses. It comes at a difficult time for Fred, 54, and Mary, 50, who were recently forced to defend their decision not to pull Christian out of his school. Herlufsholm School in Naestved, where Christian attends and his younger sister Princess Isabella, 15, is due
to start in August, was called out earlier this year for its “culture of bullying and violence” in a Danish documentary.
“It’s a particularly bitter pill for Mary to swallow as she has always championed anti-bullying,” a source tells New Idea.
The exposé led to the school’s principal being sacked and an “independent investigation” launched into the claims – yet Christian is still enrolled.
“Bullying, violence and abuse are never acceptable,” the Crown Prince couple said. “We are the parents of a son who is very happy to go to school. And a daughter who has long been looking forward to starting the same place.
“As a family, we need more knowledge to be able to make the right decision for our children.”