According to the Danish publication Her&Nu, Queen Mary and King Frederik have embarked on a foreign getaway with their family during their children’s Easter break.
The couple, parents to four children including 18-year-old Crown Prince Christian, 16-year-old Princess Isabella, and 13-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, will be away for some relaxation.
Palace spokespersons confirmed this news to the publication, adding that during their absence, 83-year-old former monarch Queen Margrethe will serve as the acting head of state. Queen Margrethe, who still holds her title after abdicating the throne, will spend her Easter break at Marselisborg Castle in Aarhus.
While the exact destination of the king’s family remains undisclosed, it’s known that they will be traveling outside of Denmark.
This holiday follows a similar trip taken in February, during which Frederik, Mary, and their teenage children reportedly enjoyed a winter vacation.
The monarch is very keen on taking time to rest when needed, writing in his book Kongeord [The King’s word]: “Timeouts are important because we will probably have even more to do.
“Mary and I have areas of interest that will increasingly require our presence in very different forums here at home and abroad.” The couple also have many upcoming official engagements on their agenda that will see them travel without their children.
For instance, they are scheduled to embark on a state visit to Sweden from May 6th to 7th, followed by a visit to Norway from May 14th to 15th. Additionally, the Danish royal palace has confirmed that King Frederik and Queen Mary will journey to the Faroe Islands in mid-June, followed by a visit to Greenland in late June and early July, where they will travel aboard the Royal Ship Dannebrog.
Queen Margrethe’s decision to abdicate was not announced to the public or her children with much advance notice; she revealed her decision during her customary New Year’s address.
Berlingske reported that the queen informed both her sons, then-Crown Prince Frederik and his younger brother, Prince Joachim, of her intention to abdicate on December 28th.
Royal reporter Wim Dehandschutter once said: “I was very surprised by the announcement of her abdication. I interviewed Queen Margrethe in 2017 and I asked her about voluntary abdication, because we’ve had several in Europe, in the Netherlands, where it’s tradition, and in my country, Belgium, and also in Spain.
“She gave the predictable answer at that time, she told me, ‘In this country, we haven’t gone in for that way of handing over. It’s always been you stay for as long as you live and that’s the way I see it too.’
“At that moment, I didn’t think it was a special answer because it was in line with expectations, it was believed that Margrethe would remain on the throne until her death.”
In her New Year’s address, Margrethe said: “In February [2023] I underwent extensive back surgery. It went well, thanks to the skilled healthcare staff who took care of me.
“Of course, the operation also gave rise to thinking about the future – whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation.”
