'A UNIFYING KING OF TOMORROW' KING FREDERIK X OF DENMARK HISTORY IS MADE AS QUEEN MARGRETHE'S SON AND HIS BELOVED WIFE' ASCEND THE THRONE

He may have found out about his mother’s abdication just three days before she announced it to the world, but Crown Prince Frederik has been preparing for his whole life to become King Frederik X of Denmark.

- SARAH TRUMBLEY

His Jan. 14 accession to the throne was described by the Danish royal family as “an extraordinary and historic event” – with good reason. Queen Margrethe, 83, is not only the country’s longest-reigning monarch in history but also the first in nearly 900 years to have voluntarily stepped down. And while there was no official crowning ceremony for her elder son, as seen at the lavish coronation of King Charles last spring, the day certainly had its fair share of pomp and pageantry.

The events kicked off at 1:35 p.m., when Frederik, 55, and his wife, Crown Princess Mary, 51, made their way from Amalienborg Palace – the family’s official residence in Copenhagen – to Christiansborg Palace in a 1958 Rolls-Royce.

For the occasion, the prince – who has trained in all three branches of the Danish military – was dressed in his ceremonial military uniform, while his stylish wife was regal as ever in a white dress by local designer Soeren Le Schmidt.

Mary’s angelic colour choice was thought to be a symbol of new beginnings, while her red accessories – including earrings from the Danish Ruby Parure – are a nod to the country’s redand-white flag.