Coronations compared: How the Danish ‘coronation’ stacked up to our own

Ok, so Denmark’s ceremony was not strictly a coronation – rather a “proclamation” of the transition from the country’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Margrethe II, to her son, now King Frederik X, after her surprise abdication on New Year’s Eve.

With no formal coronation in Denmark, King Frederik instead succeeded after a declaration was signed in parliament. But that did not mean there was no pomp and circumstance. In fact, many moments were strikingly similar to the coronation of King Charles III last May. So how did they compare?

Couple’s balcony appearance

Both royal couples appeared on the balcony, and both new kings were clearly touched by the public acclaim – Frederik even appeared to wipe away a tear. But Frederik also had rumours about his marriage to contend with, and used the very public opportunity to put on a united front with his new Queen, raising her hand, and kissing her several times.

Slimmed-down royal families

The balcony appearances also presented a chance for the new kings to display their ‘slimmed down’ royal families. At King Charles’ Coronation, the Duke of York and the Duke of Sussex did not appear, underlining the fact that they are no longer working Royals. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the Duke of York’s two daughters, were also not present.

Similarly, the line up on the balcony of the Christiansborg Palace featured the newly proclaimed King Frederik and Queen Mary and their children, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine. In other words, there was no space for…

The problematic second sons

Prince Joachim is Queen Margrethe’s second son. His children were recently relieved of the titles by the outgoing Queen, amid rumours of royal frostiness. At the ceremony, like the Duke of Sussex, he left his wife and children behind in America to attend.

The big difference – the crown

For all the similarities, there was one big difference on display on the balcony in Copenhagen, however: no crown. Where King Charles III sported the Imperial State Crown during the Coronation, in Denmark the crown is reserved only for the most sombre occasion. There, the crown of Christian V was last used at the anointing of Christian VIII in 1840. Since then, the Danish crown is deployed only upon the death of the monarch, where it is placed on the coffin.

The carriages

Actually, of course, state coaches – in the British ceremony it was the Diamond Jubilee State Coach which bore King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, towards Westminster Abbey. But Denmark is by no means outdone on this score, with its “gold carriage” – built by coach maker Henry Fife in 1840 – coated with leaves of 24-carat gold.

Yesterday, however, it was the ‘Golden Wedding’ carriage, built to mark the 50th anniversary of the marriage of King Christian IX and Queen Louise, that starred. Built in 1892, it bears the royal coat of arms on its doors, is upholstered in white silk inside and velvet and gold tassels on the coachman’s seat. The carriage bore Queen Margrethe to the succession ceremony, and Frederik and Mary away, on their first trip as King and Queen.

Guards, drums and bearskins

The Household Cavalry Mounted Band were a key part of the ‘King’s Procession’ from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey on May 6 last year, but the Danish procession too featured large drums on horseback, as the Guard Hussar Regiment, with its mounted squadron, accompanied the new and old monarchs.

Indeed British and Danish royal guards bear a striking resemblance to each other, especially in their bearskins, with the obvious difference of the Danish life guards’ blue trousers. The Royal Life Guards Music Band was a key part of the proclamation ceremony, though possibly not quite in the numbers that the Sovereign’s Bodyguard and Royal Watermen turned out in 2023.

Crowds

Yet there was nothing small about the numbers who braved the cold to salue the new king. Both “coronations” featured an outpouring of public affection, with crowds lining both capitals, as pictures from on high make clear.