It’s the news we’ve all been waiting for. After months of rumours and speculation, Denmark is set to get its very own Australian queen.
New Idea has exclusively learned that Danish royal officials have secretly been planning to announce that Prince Frederik and Princess Mary will officially become King and Queen as soon as August.
According to impeccably placed royal sources, Amalienborg Palace is a hub of activity at the moment, as officials gear up for Prince Frederik’s 50th birthday celebrations at the end of this month…and a looming coronation.
‘A lot of things are going on inside Amalienborg. Not only are they preparing for all the festivities in connection with Frederik’s 50th birthday. They are also preparing another thing… a secret thing,’ reveals the insider.
A qualified guess among the staff, is that 78-year-old Queen Margrethe will use Fred’s birthday to announce that she will retire, giving the title of King to her son.
Speculation has been mounting since early last year that Margrethe was set to abdicate the throne for Frederik and Mary, 46, to take over as the heads of the Danish monarch.
Abdication rumours first began to swirl last March when the Danish government hosted a mystery dinner.
And the death of Margrethe’s husband, Prince Henrik of Denmark, following a lung infection back in February, only served to intensify speculation that Tasmanian-born Mary was set to take on the role of Queen.
And in January 2017, a Swedish magazine reported Queen Margrethe was contemplating stepping aside because she ‘missed’ her husband, who had retired from public life a year beforehand, following a dementia diagnosis.
Since Henrik’s death, Fred and Mary have been taking on a greater work load and a much more public profile.
‘In recent years, Frederik has taken a more active role – that of a regent,’ reveals the wellplaced royal source.
‘For example, he spends part of his summer holidays with his family at Grasten Castle – something his grandfather and grandmother also did.’
Furthermore, Frederik and Mary – who share children Prince Christian, 12, Princess Isabella, 11, and twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent, seven – have also recently overseen a $2.5 million renovation to Amalienborg Palace, perhaps in preparation for their new roles as the future King and Queen of Denmark.
While Margrethe has yet to make an official statement about her upcoming retirement, her speech at the palace’s annual New Year’s Eve ball was telling of where her future was likely to be heading.
‘Life goes up and down. The most important thing is that we have people who are close to us,’ she said.
‘Therefore, I send my New Year greetings here tonight to all those who have experienced hard times in the old year and to each and everyone who must sit alone.’
Meanwhile, Denmark’s beloved Frederik and Mary have quietly been preparing in the background to take over the throne.
Last year, the couple raised eyebrows over their decision to spend Prince Henrik’s last Christmas in Mary’s native Australia, rather than spend it with the rest of the Danish royals.
However, royal experts stated that, if indeed Fred and Mary are set to take over the monarchy, it made sense that the family would return to Australia one last time before the royal couple’s workload intensifies.
And with only three months to go until the coronation, Frederik and Mary’s lives are set to change forever!
For the full story see this weeks issue of New Idea – out now!!
