Prince Frederik of Denmark
Future king with a mind of his own
Crown Prince Frederik: Formerly the busy “party prince”, today he is the easy-going head of the family and father of four children.
© imago/Chris Emil Janßen
On January 14th, Prince Frederik becomes the new King of Denmark. Five interesting and curious facts about the Scandinavian royal.
Former “party prince” and model fan
In the 1990s, Crown Prince Frederik had a reputation as a “party prince.” Together with an inconspicuous entourage, he was often seen in the clubs of Copenhagen and mingled with the dancing crowd. He made no big secret about his changing love affairs, including with the models Malou Aamund (54) and Katja Storkholm Nielsen (53). He also allegedly met his current wife Mary (51) at a party. According to legend, he modestly introduced himself to the Australian woman in a pub during the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000 as “Fred from Denmark” and only later identified himself as the crown prince.
Prince Frederik loves tattoos
Crown Prince Frederik’s noble body is adorned with at least two tattoos that he had in 1995 during his training as a combat swimmer in the elite unit of the Danish Navy. An impressive shark is emblazoned on his right lower leg, and an intricate ornament adorns his right upper arm. However, these stylish decorations are only visible during his beach vacation; on official occasions they remain discreetly hidden under his clothing. In a way, he is following a tradition of the Danish royal family with these permanent body works of art. Even his grandfather King Frederik IX. (1899-1972) had several large-scale dragons engraved on his upper body and arms during his time in the Navy.
Noble sportsman
Crown Prince Frederik is known for his sporting enthusiasm and impressive endurance. He ran several marathons and became the first royal to complete an Iron Man in 2013. In 2000, he drove around 2,800 kilometers through Greenland on a dog sled expedition. To celebrate his 50th birthday in 2018, the aristocratic sports ace started the “Royal Run”, a public running event that led through Denmark’s five largest cities. After the great success of this first event with 70,000 enthusiastic participants, the popular sporting event now takes place annually.
First Danish king to graduate from university
The future Danish king is not only extremely athletic, but also very educated. Despite his extensive partying activities, he completed a master’s degree in political science at Aarhus University in 1995. This will make him the first Danish king to complete a university education. During his studies, Prince Frederik spent some time at Harvard University in the USA, where he modestly enrolled under the pseudonym “Frederik Henriksen”.
Commitment to climate change
Crown Prince Frederik is considered a prominent environmental activist and deals intensively with issues such as climate change and sustainability. In the past he has taken part in various expeditions, forums and events on climate issues, representing Denmark as a promoter of renewable energy. He also supports scientific research projects on environmental topics through his “Kronprins Frederiks Fond”. In 2009, he was one of several authors of the book “The Polar Cruise Royal”, which addresses the challenges of climate change.