MARY & FRED: OFFICIAL PICS
Queen Margrethe of Denmark has made a bold move to show the world how she is ready to step down and let her son, Crown Prince Frederik, take the reins of the monarchy.
In a regal portrait to commemorate her 80th birthday, the Danish royal family posted a generational photograph showing the Queen, Prince Frederik and his eldest son, Prince Christian.
And in what is perhaps a symbolic gesture, the portrait shows the Queen sitting, while her grandson Prince Christian can be seen gazing lovingly at his father, Prince Frederik.
According to a Danish royal source, the family’s stance in the picture is carefully chosen to symbolise Frederik’s upcoming rise to the throne and Christian’s future as the first heir once his father is crowned king.
“The recent posts by the royal family are carefully considered. The pictures are extremely popular and well liked in Denmark these days, because they feature the future of the Danish throne,” the insider says.
“Of course, Frederik is next to his mother as the heir to the throne in the immediate future, but then also notice the importance of Prince Christian. He’s really ‘adulting’ fast now, and it’s becoming clear that he is very aware of his present and upcoming royal duties.”
In an magazine interview just before Easter, Queen Margrethe, 80, revealed she does not expect to live for another decade, meaning her son would likely step into his role as king soon.
“I don’t believe there’s 10 years ahead of me,” Queen Margrethe said.
She repeated that she is not considering abdicating, but is simply being very “pragmatic” about her future.
“She is looking ahead with these pictures. She’s very realistic about the future, and she knows that Frederik’s reign will come very soon. Therefore she is also smart enough to include Christian and not any other children,” the royal source adds.
“The Queen wants the Danish royal family to be simple and not too large. Including just Frederik and Christian is a sign of that. I think she’s very confident about both Frederik and Christian’s abilities.”