After the event, the palace shared further details from the night, along with official portraits of the royal family during the celebration. Another portrait that grabbed attention featured Christian posing with four other young heirs to the throne, Princess Estelle of Sweden, 11, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, 19, Princess Christina-Amalia of the Netherlands, 19, and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, 21. The night’s menu included turbot fish with Jerusalem artichokes, a stuffed cockerel with mushroom sauce, a cake invented specially for the occasion, and Moët et Chandon champagne. Christian’s grandmother, Queen Margrethe II, organized a surprise appearance by Benjamin Hav & Familien, a Danish rapper and his backing group.
The palace gala was meant as a celebration for Christian, and an acknowledgement that he is taking on an official royal role. The prince undertook a series of events at the royal residences with his family earlier in the day, beginning with a changing of the guard at Amalienborg, the official residence of the queen. In a private ceremony, the queen gave him the Order of the Elephant, an honor that previously belonged to his grandfather Prince Henrik, who died in 2018. They were later joined by Christian’s parents, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, and his younger siblings Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine on the balcony at the Frederik VIII palace.
Denmark’s long-reigning monarchy is among the most popular in Europe, and as recently as 2018, a survey by the conservative newspaper Jyllands Posten said that 77% percent of the country supported remaining a constitutional monarchy. Still, the queen is very sensitive to the public mood, and in 2022, she stripped princely titles from the children of her younger son Prince Joachim, leaving them as counts without much warning. She later apologized for the controversy, and Joachim attended the party with his wife, Princess Marie, and three of his four affected children, Count Felix, Count Henrik, and Countess Athena of Monpezat.
When the palace first announced the birthday gala, they pointed out that the guest list was intended to “reflect Prince Christian’s own generation,” and the outreach for representatives to the nation’s 98 municipalities and the territories of Greenland and the Faroe Islands is a sign that they are looking to cultivate popularity among the rising generation of Danes. In his speech that night, Christian said that he was looking forward to a lifetime of service to his country, though he did add a slight disclaimer and an inside joke aimed at his father Frederik.
Erin Vanderhoof
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