It would have been interesting to see Princess Mary transform into Denmark’s Queen Mary with a lot of pomp and regalia, but it is not to be. There will be no “coronation” in Denmark when Queen Margrethe formally abdicates on January 14th. All of the Danish aristocrats will not have to dust off their tiaras and medals and attend some dreary coronation service full of medieval imagery. Instead, Denmark’s accession service sounds really straight-forward and simple, like a government bill signing or something.

Crown Prince Frederik will ascend the throne on 14 January, the day his mother became Queen 52 years ago. However, Frederik’s accession as King Frederik X, alongside his consort, Her Majesty Queen Mary, will not be marked by a formal coronation ceremony. So anyone looking forward to a profusion of pomp and pageantry similar to the British coronation in May, should pack away the bunting. This will be a much more sleek affair.

In a straightforward manner, Frederik’s accession will be announced from Copenhagen’s Christiansborg Palace on the day. The facts behind the slimline approach to coronation are nothing to do with a lack of interest in celebrating future-King Frederik – the monarchy remains notably popular in Denmark. Instead, it is merely a matter of constitutional small-print.

The first coronation in Denmark took place in 1170, with Canute VI’s acceptance of the top job. However, the ceremony has gradually evolved along with Denmark’s constitutional arrangements. While Denmark was an elective monarchy, in the years until 1660, it saw full celebration of coronations with all the pageantry to match. Once Denmark became a hereditary monarchy in 1660, the pomp was pared back – leaving a lower-key approach in which the king and queen were anointed but no crowning took place. By 1849, Denmark had become a constitutional monarchy, abolishing the anointing practice – now, all that remains of the ceremony is a straightforward announcement.

Since the accession is taking place after an abdication, rather than a death, none of the formal arrangements around mourning will feature, nor any hint of mourning dress.

[From Tatler]

In case you’re wondering about the staging, my guess is that it will be similar to Margrethe’s accession – the new King Frederik and Queen Mary will appear on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace with Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Frederiksen will do the announcement. I would imagine Mary and Frederik will then bring out their four children and there will probably be a big family wave from the balcony. That’s just my assumption. While I respect the fact that the accession is streamlined and more modern, it does feel almost too simple? Like, someone should have a sword and the king should have to make some kind of public pledge of service to his people?

Also: Mary’s hairdresser of 23 years has stepped down! All of this drama and now Mary has to find a new hairdresser??

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.