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Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The tiny detail royal fans missed during King Frederik's 57th birthday - so can you spot it?
Danish royal tradition stipulates that a reigning monarch celebrates their birthday with a balcony appearance at Amalienborg Palace. But there was one small detail about King Frederik X's balcony birthday celebration last week that many royal watchers missed – and it was a history defining moment. For his 57th birthday, the King was joined by his wife Queen Mary, his mother and former monarch Queen Margrethe and three of his four children, Princess Isabelle and twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent. The King's eldest son Crown Prince Christian missed out on this year's celebration because he's currently undertaking military training. However, another surprise guest was more than happy to step in to Prince Christian's vacant spot on the balcony – one of Danish royal family 's pet dogs. The adorable border collie appeared on the Amalienborg Palace balcony while the royal family were in the midst of waving and greeting crowds of well-wishers. While it may seem like an innocuous royal family moment, the unplanned public appearance in fact made history. The impromptu display was both comical and historical , marking the first time a royal dog - or any pet - has ever made a public appearance on the prestigious palace balcony. The candid reactions and laughter from the six members of the royal family appeared to confirm that the dog's appearance was unplanned. The excitable pooch appeared to enjoy the grandeur of the occasion, even at one point sticking his head out in between the balcony pillars. When the dog first appeared, a surprised Princess Isabelle, 18, demurely leant over to pat the family pet. After instructing the well trained border collie to sit, Prince Vincent, 14, also demonstrated one of the dog's other clever tricks, by getting him to shake hands. The small but significant moment does contain one mystery with royal watchers unable to determine which of the family's dogs crashed the balcony appearance. The Danish royal family currently own two Aussie border collies - a mother named Grace and her daughter named Coco. Because the mother and daughter look so alike, royal pundits have trouble telling the dogs apart. Even Queen Mary herself admitted in an Instagram post shared in August 2024 that it 'can be difficult for some to tell the difference' between their two dogs. The Danish royal family's Instagram post of the King's birthday celebration included this behind the scenes snap of Princess Josephine patting the beloved family pet It's not the only recent appearance by the royal family's border collies at a royal engagement. Last month, King Frederik and Queen Mary brought Grace and Coco to the town of Fredensborg, where they greeted crowds ahead of the royal family's annual summer relocation to Chancellery House at Fredensborg Palace. On that occasion, Grace and Coco joined Mary and Frederik as they walked along the cobblestone streets to shake hands and greet well-wishers. The obedient dogs walked freely without leashes and one even joined the royal couple on the podium during a formal an address to the crowd. The Danish royal family have always had an affinity for dogs and were heartbroken when their previous border collie Ziggy died. In 2017, the family announced the heartbreaking news via their official Instagram page as they bid farewell to the beautiful border bollie. 'The dog has been part of the family for 12 years and was a wedding gift to the royal couple,' the 2017 post read. The 'faithful and loving dog' Ziggy sadly passed away following chronic renal failure and osteoarthritis. Just three months later, the royal family opened their heart to adopt a new puppy. A royal statement at the time revealed that their new dog Grace was 'related to the family's previous dog Ziggy'. A few years later in 2021, Grace gave birth to her own litter of puppies, which included their second dog, Coco. Over the years, Queen Mary has often shared her own personal pictures of all of the family's beloved dogs. The border collies have even featured in several of the Queen's children's official royal birthday portraits. The outdoorsy royal family are also frequently pictured being accompanied by their beloved dogs on walks and hikes. In a post marking International Dog Day last year, Her Majesty shared that 'Grace and Coco have a very special meaning for our entire family'.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Prince Christian and Princess Isabella of Denmark's relationship under threat amid reports of sibling rivalry
Queen Mary and King Frederik X of Denmark's two eldest children are growing up and coming into their own as royal figures. In recent months, both Crown Prince Christian and Princess Isabella have increasingly stepped up their public presence. But a new report suggests that the young adult Danish royals could find themselves increasingly at loggerheads as they grapple with their varying reception levels from the public. A palace insider told Woman's Day that Crown Prince Christian, 19, was allegedly taken aback following the outpouring of attention afforded to his younger sister Princess Isabella after she turned 18 last month. The palace source explained: 'It's normal for princesses to have more emulators than princes, so Christian's right to feel a little left out on the cold. But he's going to have to get used to it.' 'It was only a matter of time before Isabella would eclipse them all in terms of media attention,' the insider added. Royal watchers have now pegged the teen princess as one to watch. In just a short few weeks following her birthday on April 21, royal pundits quickly declared that Isabella was the 'ultimate modern princess'. All eyes were on the royal at a succession of celebratory events for her milestone birthday, with the princess applauded for her 'fresh approach, youthful energy and the modernity she brings to the royal family'. The accolades particularly began pouring in for Isabella after one memorable celebration moment. At her first birthday event held at Aarhus Hall on 11 April, Isabella took to the podium to give her first official royal address. Much to the surprise of attendees, a confident Isabella kicked off her speech with a funny and self-deprecating quip. 'Almost four years ago I found out that your words can be overheard when you least expect it,' Princess Isabella said, as the room erupted in laughter. 'Today I have no doubt that the microphone is on.' The comment referenced a terse moment in 2021 when Princess Isabella was caught on camera saying the words 'are you completely confused' to her mother, Queen Mary. At the time, Isabella's frustrated statement to Mary was made as the Danish royal family tried to arrange themselves for a photo op - with the candid mother-daughter exchange captured in a viral video. Isabella's bold decision to address her biggest public scandal head-on was praised by royal watchers, including Danish publication BT's entertainment editor, Fie West. 'Princess Isabella shows great initiative by starting her very first official speech with a joke,' Fie said, adding that Isabella had proved herself to be 'extremely charming'. The positive reception only continued in the following days when Isabella took centre stage at a black tie gala performance held in her honour at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen. As the royal family graced the red carpet, Isabella stood dead centre flanked by her parents King Frederik and Queen Mary. Next to them were 14-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine – and finally Crown Prince Christian. With his predestined future as heir to the throne, the latest Woman's Day report suggested it may be difficult for the Prince to fathom seeing a sibling shine. 'As much glory as it will be to sit on a throne, at the tender age of 19 watching as his sister is literally festooned with new opportunities, from profile interviews to modelling and speaking gigs is difficult for Christian,' said the palace insider. Meanwhile, as Princess Isabella enjoyed her recent moment in the spotlight, her older brother Prince Christian has been more quiet of late. The Prince is currently away embarking on months of military training with the Guard Hussar Regiment in Slagelse - returning only briefly for the recent birthday events for his sister and grandmother, Queen Margrethe. Prior to that, the teen prince spent several months off the grid in remote East Africa undertaking a "gap year" holiday in late 2024. While the latest report suggests there could be a brewing rivalry between the two eldest Danish royal siblings, it also addressed the extent to which their mother Queen Mary, 53, would be actively attempting to quash any sign of tension. Rather than seeing each other as adversaries, the report suggested that Mary will be advocating for her two eldest children to be each other's greatest support and allies. It's understandable that the royal mother of four would be on the front foot with any potential royal sibling rivalry issues, particularly given her husband Frederik's own personal history. Reports of tension, jealousy and sibling rivalry have been well reported for years between King Frederik, 56 and his younger brother, Prince Joachim. Joachim and Frederik are said to have endured a strained relationship since childhood, allegedly due to the now King being shown favouritism. That tension is said to have continued into adulthood, eventually culminating in the decision by Joachim and his wife Princess Marie to relocate their family overseas in 2019. The royal family still live abroad in Washington DC where Prince Joachim, 55, is military attaché to the Danish Embassy in America. The family rift spilled into the open in January 2023 when then monarch Queen Margrethe, 85, made the surprising move to strip Joachim's four children of their royal titles. Unable to bite his tongue, Joachim and his family unleashed a torrent of statements about the unfair treatment of his family. Margrethe later conceded that the situation was not well handled, but stood firmly by the decision to remove her grandhcildren's titles. Certainly, Queen Mary along with the Danish royal family would be keen to avoid any kind of history repeating when it comes to warring siblings.
