Members of the Danish royal family will have different titles once Queen Margrethe II of Denmark steps down as monarch this month. When Crown Prince Frederik ascends the throne on Sunday, Jan. 14, he will become HM King Frederik X and his wife will be known as HM Queen Mary.

Queen Margrethe’s abdication also means a new title for the Crown Prince Couple’s eldest child, Prince Christian, who will be first in line to the Danish throne and referred to as Crown Prince Christian.

©Dennis Stenild, Kongehuset

Christian turned 18 back in October. At a birthday gala dinner for her grandson, the Queen said, “Dear Christian, your 18th birthday is an important day, with it you come of age, just as it happens for all other young Danes. But there is still a difference. Your path in life is already set, for one day you will follow your father, just as he will follow me one day. You become a link in the long historical chain that has bound our country together for centuries.”

Weeks after celebrating his milestone birthday, Prince Christian participated in a meeting of the Council of State, where he made a solemn declaration that he will abide by the Constitution.

The upcoming succession to the throne will “take place during the meeting of the Council of State at the moment The Queen has signed a declaration of her abdication,” per the Danish Royal House. “HRH The Crown Prince will thus arrive at Christiansborg Palace as a crown prince and leave it as King. Likewise, HRH The Crown Princess will arrive as a crown princess and depart as Queen. HRH Prince Christian will leave Christiansborg Palace as Crown Prince.”

Queen Margrethe, 83, announced in her 2023 New Year’s Eve address that she was abdicating in favor of her son, Frederik. “In two weeks time I have been Queen of Denmark for 52 years. Such an amount will leave its mark on anybody – also on me! The time takes its toll, and the number of “ailments” increases. One cannot undertake as much as one managed in the past,” Her Majesty said. “In February this year I underwent extensive back surgery. Everything went well, thanks to the competent health personnel, who took care of me. Inevitably, the operation gave cause to thoughts about the future – whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation.”

The Queen added, “I have decided that now is the right time. On 14th January, 2024 – 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father – I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I will hand over the throne to my son Crown Prince Frederik.”