#Monarchy of Denmark
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What’s that elephant the Danes are wearing?
Tatler’s guide to the emblems and quirks of Denmark’s highest honour, the Order of the Elephant.
A curious little diamond-encrusted elephant, a blue sash, a gold collar – and sometimes a big flaming cape…Tatler looks into the history and tradition of Denmark's most privileged Order.
With Frederik X set to become sovereign of the Order as he becomes King on Sunday, you might see a few of these elephants around Copenhagen's royal palaces
By Isaac Zamet
12 January 2024
When Crown Prince Frederik becomes Frederik X of Denmark on Sunday, he will also replace his mother, Queen Margrethe II, as the sovereign of Denmark’s most ancient and distinguished order of chivalry, the Order of the Elephant.
Though it was officially refounded in 1693, the order dates all the way back to the 1400s, when it was established as a religious confraternity by a group of about fifty Danish knights.
In the 1400s, prior to the Reformation which gripped Europe and divided the church, such religious ‘clubs’ as the Order of the Elephant were common features of aristocratic life.
At the time of the Order of the Elephant's birth, Christian I was King of Denmark – and in fact, Norway and Sweden too, creating a personal union known as the Kalmar Union.
During this period, the emblem of the club was an image of the Virgin Mary holding her Son within a crescent moon.
This was hung from a collar formed of links in the shape of elephants.
The confraternity mutated over the centuries but endured a stifled period after the Reformation in which such clubs became suspect.
In 1580, Frederik II – eight Frederiks prior to our current Frederik – revived the order and replaced the medallion of the mother and child with an elephant (a Reformation-safe, Protestant approach – if a quirky one!).
But it was Christian V, in 1693, who gave the club its official statues and founding order.
At this time, it was scheduled as comprising 30 noble knights and one Grand Master (the King) along with his sons.
It was only in 1958 that the statutes were amended by Royal Ordinance to allow the ennoblement of women as members of the order.
Between 1580 and today, around 890 persons have been bestowed with the Order of the Elephant; with Queen Margrethe adding 68 people during her 40 year reign.
The recipients are almost always royal persons and foreign heads of state – though in a rare exception, the order was given to a commoner in 2000.
This was the deceased shipping magnate, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, who was recognised for exceptional contribution to Danish economic strength and Danish society.
Those unfamiliar with the man himself will surely recognise his name from the famous shipping containers.
The A.P. Møller – Mærsk group was actually founded in 1904 by his father. It is now worth $81bn dollars.
At the time of Møller’s membership of the order, he was the only non-royal and non-head of state to hold the honour; though it had previously been held by the pioneering nuclear physicist, Niels Bohr.
Membership of the order comes with possession of its rather eye-catching elephantine emblem.
The elephant is made of white-enamelled gold with blue housings and is about 5cm high.
On its back, the elephant bears a tower of pink enamelled masonry (a design originally intended to reflect the howdah compartments of the Indian subcontinent).
A number of large cut diamonds adorn the elephant, along with a crowned monogram of the monarch reigning when it was made.
One wonders, then, when the first Frederikian elephants will be carved.
At the top of the tower on the elephant’s back sits a gold ring, from which the badge can be hung from the collar or tied to a sash.
On the elephant's back sits a turbaned ‘moor mahout.’
It should be noted that some would regard such a depiction as an exoticising caricature.
Others would regard its appearance merely as an expression of an historical perspective.
One striking detail about the circulation of the elephants is that each Order of the Elephant is – in principle – on loan and must be returned to the Chapter of the Royal Orders of Chivalry when a member of the Order has passed away.
This rather quaint custom means that elephants are inherited and used several times by different members of the order, with some dating back hundreds of years.
Interestingly, the done thing is not to disclose to whom an Elephant has previously been given – though there are some traditional lines of inheritance.
For example, the elephant recently bestowed on Prince Christian belonged previously to his grandfather, Prince Henrik.
This handing over was always to be, on the basis of a traditional line of inheritance.
There are two exceptional elephants which have eluded the rule of the ‘loan’ – one remains in the Chancellery Museum at Paris and a second remains on display at the Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library in the US.
Another beautiful quirk of membership of the Order is that a member’s coat of arms is always painted and subsequently hung in the Knight’s Chapel at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød.
As to when the elephants come out to play, there are some rather interesting traditions concerning how and when to wear them.
The Order of the Elephant has three festival days: new year’s day, the monarch’s birthday, and the birthday of Valdemar the Victorious, which, if you didn’t know is on June 28.
On these festival days, the Order of the Elephant is worn on the chest on a gold chain link collar, with links shaped as towers and elephants.
The collar sits on each shoulder. On other important occasions, the order is worn on a bright blue sash with a breast star.
The star of the order is an eight-pointed silver star with smooth rays; at its centre sits an enameled red disc with a white cross, surrounded by a laurel wreath in silver.
#Frederik X#Queen Margrethe II#Monarchy of Denmark#Danish Royal Family#House of Glücksburg#Christian I#Kalmar Union#Order of the Elephant#Frederik II#Christian V#Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller#Frederikian elephants#Chancellery Museum#Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library#Knight’s Chapel#Frederiksborg Castle#Crown Prince Christian of Denmark#Queen Mary of Denmark
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Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has chosen to abdicate from the Danish throne the 14th of January, after 52 years on the throne.
She told the whole kingdom of Denmark, and the rest of the world, live on television during her new year speech to the people.
There has not been a voluntary abdication in Denmark since the early medieval times (1100-1200)
The Queen has always said that she will sit on the throne until her last breath, which is why her abdication comes as a surprise to everyone.
Her son Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Crown Princess Mary will take over as King Frederik X and Queen Mary.
Thank you, your majesty, for all you have done for us and how you have always shown your love and respect to the Danish people. We look forward to seeing you hopefully enjoy your abdication and hopefully we will still see more of your incredible creative mind . We have trust in our new King and Queen as we already know that you have prepared them well for their new job.
Thank you ❤️
#queen of denmark#queen margrethe#margrethe ii#abdication#king frederik x#queen mary#royalty#denmark#danish monarchy#crown prince frederik#crown princess mary
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Back in 2019, Princess Eugenie also imbued her wedding gown with a heartfelt message. Her silk Peter Pilotto gown was intentionally designed to expose the long surgical scar running down the bride's spine - one she has had since undergoing scoliosis surgery as a child. Eugenie's decision to make her scar part of her wedding look brings to mind one of her not-so-distant ancestors, Queen Alexandra, who felt such pressure to hide her own scars and spinal curvature that she transformed fashion history by masking them.
The Royal Wardrobe - Rosie Harte
#princess eugenie#royal wedding#alexandra of denmark#british royal family#british monarchy#rosie harte#long live the queue
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Denmark's Queen Margrethe II, Europe's longest-serving monarch, will abdicate on Jan. 14 after 52 years on the throne and will be succeeded by her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik.
The 83-year-old queen, who ascended the throne in 1972, made the surprise announcement on live TV during her traditional New Year's Eve speech.
After the succession to the throne, Her Majesty The Queen will continue to be Majesty and bear the title Her Majesty Queen Margrethe.
#royalty#danish royal family#queen margrethe#Queen Margarethe II#crown princess mary#crown prince frederik#abdication#queen of denmark#danish monarchy
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Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom moodboard
"Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful? / Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul?" - Young and Beautiful - Lana Del Rey
I didn't know which one to use 1st or 2nd 😭which one is better? next one is probably gonna be Maria and Alexandra and a different layout
#british monarchy#great britain#monarchy#brf#british royal family#royal moodboard#queen alexandra#alexandra of denmark#princess alexandra of wales#moodboard aesthetic#aesthetic#moodboard
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Their parasite in chief in his idiot hat:
Our beloved tourist attraction:
#i can't bring myself to be completely anti-monarchy so i will be a hypocrite and say that all monarchy is bad except ours#denmark
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If we have to deal with monarchies in the world we at least deserve One Queen regnant,
#too masculine#too many men#at least we have three female heirs#monarchies#denmark#queen margrethe#royal news#don’t be mistaken I am not a monarchist#castiel#supernatural#new year’s speech#danish royal family#end of 2023
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Spouses of British monarchs who were on the throne when a ghost died
#bbc ghosts#philippa of hainault#Anne of Denmark#charlotte of mecklenburg strelitz#caroline of brunswick#mary of teck#elizabeth bowes lyon#prince philip#british monarchy#please note that Caroline was dead by the time Thomas died
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The queen has signed her abdication and we haven’t proclaimed her son as king yet, so i think we don’t have a leading monarch right now. It’s a riveting feeling.
#anything is possible in the next 15 minutes there is no authority only the people#its a nice feeling for how long it lasts#denmark#danish#danish royal family#monarchy
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Denmark's Historic Royal Transition: Queen Margrethe II Abdicates After 52 Years
Denmark prepares for historic royal transition as Queen Margrethe II steps down
Denmark will witness a historic royal transition on January 14, 2024, when Queen Margrethe II, the longest-reigning monarch in Europe, will abdicate the throne after 52 years. She will be succeeded by her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, who will become King Frederik X of Denmark.
Queen Margrethe II, who turned 83…
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#Constitutional Monarchy#Crown Prince Frederik#Danish history#Denmark monarchy#Historic abdication#Kingdom of Denmark#Monarchy succession#Queen Margrethe II#Royal transition#Scandinavian royalty
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youtube
Frederik X waves from balcony as he is proclaimed Denmark's new King
14 January 2024
The former crown prince, 55, was formally proclaimed king by the prime minister on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in the heart of the Danish capital.
Unlike in the UK, there is no coronation ceremony in Denmark.
#Frederik X#House of Glücksburg#His Majesty The King of Denmark#Monarchy of Denmark#Danish Royal Family#Denmark#Frederik André Henrik Christian#Youtube#Christiansborg Palace#Sky News
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Highlights of todays abdication and accession to the throne.
Queen Margrethe II leaving the Kingdom in the hands of her son after signing her abdication and giving the seat at the end of the table to his majesty King Frederik X.
"Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II has abdicated. Long live his majesty King Frederik X" - Mette Frederiksen, prime minister of Denmark. There are no coronation in Denmark. Instead, the prime minister will make a proclamation on the balcony of the Danish Parliament, Christiansborg. She will say the words three times before the entire kingdom will shout "Hurra" (Hurray) nine times.
The police of Copenhagen had estimated that about 150.000 people would make their way to Copenhagen where most of them would be at Christiansborg Castle to witness the proclamation
The Royal family from left to right:
Princess Isabella, Crown Prince Christian, King Frederik X, Queen Mary, Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent.
The King receiving applause and thanking the Danes by putting his hands on his heart.
The King and Queen receiving the love from those many thousands of people who celebrated and congratulated them on this historical day.
The King and Queen leaving Christiansborg castle and making their way to their home at Amalienborg Castle in the carriage Queen Margrethe II arrived in.
Truly an amazing day with an indescribable love from the entire kingdom of Denmark 🇩🇰 Greenland 🇬🇱 and the Faroe Islands 🇫🇴.
As the incredible Queen Margrethe said before leaving the room.
God Bless the King 👑
#denmark#royalty#king frederik x#queen of denmark#queen mary#abdication#accession#royal family of denmark#queen margrethe#long live the king#highlights#historic#danish monarchy#january 2024
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Detail from the newspaper "The Nottinghamshire Guardian", talking about the funeral of Prince Alexander John of Wales. He was the youngest child of the future Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark, and was born on this day, April 6th, in 1871, but died the following day.
#prince alexander john#alexandra of denmark#edward vii#british royal family#british monarchy#long live the queue
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How the last Russian Dynasty were related to European Monarchies (current and former):
The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (Royal Dynasty of Denmark) and the House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov (Imperial Dynasty of Russia) were more commonly related, their ancestors being Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, Frederick Eugene II, Duke of Württemberg, Emperor Paul I of Russia, King Christian X of Denmark, and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
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Τα μεν γαρ άλλα δεύτερα αν πάσχη γυνή, ανδρός δ’ αμαρτάνουσα, αμαρτάνει βίου.*
- Euripides
*Other misfortunes are secondary for a woman, but if she loses her husband, she loses her life.
Queen Anne-Marie of Greece is the widow of the late King Constantine II of Greece, who reigned from 1964 until 1973. She was born Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark on 30 August 1946.
Anne-Marie is the youngest daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark and his wife Ingrid of Sweden. She is the youngest sister of the reigning Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and cousin of the reigning King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
In 1961, she spent a year at an English boarding school in Switzerland - the Chatelard School for Girls. In 1963, to improve her French, Queen Anne-Marie attended a Swiss finishing school, 'Le Mesnil', until the Spring of 1964. She also speaks Greek, English and of course Danish.
Queen Anne-Marie first met King Constantine of Greece as a young girl in 1959, when he visited Copenhagen on a journey to Sweden and Norway, as Crown Prince, with his parents, King Paul I and Queen Frederica.
She met him again in Denmark in 1961. He had declared to his parents that he intended to marry her.
On 14 May, 1962, Crown Prince Constantine's elder sister, Princess Sophia, married the Spanish Prince Juan Carlos in a double ceremony in Athens at the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the Orthodox Cathedral.
More than 100 royal guests came to Athens, and Princess Anne-Marie was a bridesmaid. Queen Frederica of Greece recorded that, at the reception, her son Crown Prince Constantine 'would dance only with Anne-Marie'.
In 1963, centenary celebrations of the Greek Royal Family began with a State Visit from Princess Anne-Marie's parents, King Frederick and Queen Ingrid of Denmark.
In March 1964, King Paul I died after a short illness, and Constantine succeeded him to the Greek throne.
King Constantine came to the throne with much goodwill, which was expressed in abundance when, on 18 September 1964 (six months after his accession) he married his beautiful Danish Princess in what was described at the time, as 'the most radiant of Athenian royal weddings'. Even an old republican, the 76 year old Prime Minister, George Papandreou, was seen to be enjoying himself thoroughly with the bride and bridegroom.
Queen Anne-Marie devoted much of her time as Queen of Greece to 'Her Majesty's Fund'. This was a charitable foundation started by her mother-in-law, Queen Frederica. It helped people in rural areas of Greece and supported crafts such as embroidery and weaving. She also worked closely with the Red Cross, and various charities.
On 21 April, 1967, political problems in Athens intensified with the Colonel's coup. A month later, Queen Anne-Marie gave birth to Crown Prince Pavlos at the family's country estate, Tatoi.
In December, after his attempt to restore democracy failed, King Constantine and his family left Greece from Kavalla for Rome. With the King, the Queen and the two children were King Constantine's mother, Queen Frederica and his younger sister Princess Irene. They landed at a military airport in Italy because they were running out of fuel.
Queen Anne-Marie and her family stayed first at the Greek Embassy in Rome for 2 months and then took a house at Olgiata on the outskirts of the city.
Later in 1968, they moved to 13, Via di Porta Latina - where they lived until 1973. On 1 October 1969, Queen Anne-Marie gave birth to Prince Nikolaos in the Villa Claudia Clinic near her home in Rome.
In 1974, Queen Anne-Marie moved with King Constantine to England, after a brief stay with her mother in Denmark. King Constantine had been officially deposed by the military Government on 1 June 1973 and a Republic declared by colonel Papadopoulos.
The family's first home was in Chobham in Surrey. Then they moved to a house in Hampstead in North London, where they have lived ever since. Queen Anne-Marie calls it her 'Home away from home'.
Queen Anne-Marie's family grew larger with the birth of Princess Theodora at St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, in London on 9 June 1983, and Prince Philippos on 26 April 1986.
Queen Anne-Marie helped to start this remarkable bilingual educational initiative in 1980. She is now Honorary Chairman of the school, and devotes a lot of her time to it.
Her first visit to Greece since she left with her family in 1967, was for a few hours, for the funeral of King Constantine's mother, Queen Frederica, in 1981.
Queen Frederica died suddenly in Madrid. Her wish had been to be buried beside her husband, King Paul, at the family estate at Tatoi. The family was given permission to attend - but could not spend a night in their country. They landed at a little airfield near Tatoi, and were welcomed by large crowds. It was, for Queen Anne-Marie and her family, a moving and sad occasion.
She visited Greece again with King Constantine and her family on a private visit by sea in 1993. They went, 'Not knowing what to expect. Wherever we went, people came out to greet us. It was extraordinary and very moving'. It was the first visit for her younger children.
In 2013, The Greek government allowed the ex-monarch to come back to Greece. Constantine returned to reside in Greece. He and his wife Anne-Marie purchased a villa in Porto Cheli, Peloponnese, residing there until they relocated to Athens in the spring of 2022
Wherever they were in the world, Queen Anne-Marie was a constant source of support and stability not just for her exiled husband but also their five children. She made sure that the family spoke Greek at home with all her children learning to be fluent.
She was the one also the family retained close links with all the royal families of Europe - and particularly with the British, Spanish and Danish Royal Families.
Queen Anne-Marie's father, King Frederik IX of Denmark was an accomplished musician and she has inherited his love of classical music - Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikowsky, Wagner. She has always been fascinated by historical biographies.
She had been, above all, the greatest support to her husband over many years of change. They had been happily married for 58 years until the King Constantine II died on 10th January 2023. She remains the last Queen of Greece.
#euripides#greek#classical#quote#wife#husband#marriage#royalty#greece#queen anne-marie#denmark#king constantine II#monarchy#history
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Dann
Kingdom: 승천 (Ascension)
Kingdom Part 66 / ?
#kingdom#kingdom ascension#requested#dann#i am a little confused with this mv tbh#cause so far -as i've understood it - each member has a real king as sort of inspiration#and so far the mvs have been inspired by the culture from where the kings came from#and since this appears to be Dann's mv#should it not be somewhat based on the Danish monarchy?#like we had arthur with the obvious sword in the stone medieval theme#and chiwoo's i assume was chinese inspired?#ivan's was definitely somewhere cold like the russia and the overall aesthetic could definitely fit with that#now i'm from denmark so i had looked forward to a nordic themes mv tbh#also i just noticed the next video is like a part two to this one?#why does dann get two mvs??#im confused#googling this only brings up a lot of religious stuff that i'm not gonna touch
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