THE KING'S Gambit

Margrethe II catapulted the Danish royal family to stratospheric heights of popularity. Her sometimes controversial son Frederik X faces a tougher road

- Erin Vanderhoof

WHEN FREDERIK X became the sovereign of Denmark in January, he carved another name into a lineage that stretches back to the 10th century. Despite the weight of the history that came with the change, the official transfer of power happened after his mother, Queen Margrethe II, signed paperwork inside Christiansborg Palace. A photograph later released by the Kongehuset depicted a low-key atmosphere somehow still heavy with anticipation: Margrethe holds a pen while Frederik, in full regalia, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and now Crown Prince Christian look intently at her hand.

It’s a far cry from what happened when the new monarch and his council of state left the private room. A later video set to Coldplay’s “A Sky Full of Stars” shows the king on the way to the Christiansborg balcony; his wife (Queen Mary), their three other children (Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent, and Princess Josephine), and his younger brother (Prince Joachim) watch as he walks out to meet the prime minister. At the palace complex, thousands of Danes gathered to bear witness, and in a brief speech, Frederiksen complimented the new king. “The crown prince that now becomes our monarch is a king that we know, a king that we like, and a king that we trust,” she said. For decades, the royal family of Denmark has been considered one of the most popular monarchies, and on this occasion, it showed the world exactly why.