Frederik: controversies of the new Danish king

There were no clues beforehand, but in her traditional televised New Year's Eve speech, Margrethe II of Denmark suddenly announced that she was retiring. "Time has come to leave the responsibility to the next generation." And the new king? That's Frederik.

The decision caught a good part of the public by surprise. While the Queen referred to her health, the abdication may also have been motivated by a few controversies her son Frederik got himself into...

In the biography of Frederick of Denmark (Copenhagen, 1968) there have been a few controversies. For a time he was considered by the media as the 'p l a y b o y' prince, who liked to be a DJ and never missed a party.

The most recent 'scandal' of the then-Crown Prince was his clandestine trip to Madrid in November 2023 to spend a few hours with Genoveva Casanova, a socialite who had divorced her aristocratic husband.

The Danish royal was caught by the paparazzi walking alone, without any type of escort, through the streets of Madrid. He was near Genoveva's home and carried his own suitcase. The incident generated tremendous discomfort in Danish public opinion.

Throughout his life, there have been many more controversies in which the heir to the Danish Crown has been involved. Most of them are related to chasing skirts. Let's have a look.

Frederik earned the nickname 'Prince Turbo' due to an event that took place on New Year's Eve 1992. He was arrested with his partner, the model Malou Aamund, for driving at full speed and under the influence of alcohol.

The controversy that arose after his driving incident was so extensive that Danish members of parliament raised the possibility that the prince should not reign.

The Danish royal house apologized for his behavior and sent Frederick to study abroad. He went to one of the best universities: Harvard in the United States. Yet, he continued to live a life somewhat distinctive from the expected of a royal heir.

Queen Margaret II did not like any of her firstborn's girlfriends. According to the Danish media, she had to talk to her son about another controversy in 1996. His then-girlfriend, the Danish model Katja Storkholm Nielsen, was posing practically full Monty for an underwear brand. Not very royal!

There was a similar issue with the Danish designer Bettina Ödum. Some photos leaked of Frederik's latest girlfriend without a top on the deck of a boat in the French Riviera. It caused a national scandal and the anger of Per Thornit, the head of the Prince's House.

The relationship with Bettina Ödum ended, but she would become news again after allegedly being kissed by Prince Frederik at the Ritz hotel in Paris. It happened at a party where Mary Donaldson, his wife, was also present. The incident was described in a book by the Danish reporter Trine Villemann.

Before meeting the Australian lawyer Mary Donaldson, whom the Spanish King Felipe VI introduced to him at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Frederik would give his parents a few more headaches. However, when he fell madly in love with Mary Donaldson, the relationship was finally approved.

Scandal didn't end there, though. While married to Mary Donaldson, with whom he walked the aisle on May 14, 2004, rumors of infidelity circulated.

In 2017, the Danish magazine Her & Nu claimed that the prince had cheated on his wife with a woman and that he had paid her 7,000 euros ($7,700) so that she would not speak about it.

Beyond his private life, the Danish media have also zoomed in on his questionable behavior on other occasions. For example, in September they claimed that he spent an awful lot of money on his private trips, and that they weren't very ecological either.

According to media such as Ekstra Bladet, Frederik would have made questionable use of the private helicopter during a few weeks when his official agenda was practically empty.

For a trip from Fredensborg to Oksbøl that could have been made by car, he chose a model AS-550 Fennec helicopter that would have cost the Danish public 37,554 Krones ($5,500) to fly. Furthermore, the trip was longer than necessary, as the prince made stops in Karup, Roskilde, and Esjbjerg. This way, he caused greater pollution than necessary.

He was also criticized in December 2023 for having chosen a plane to go and give lectures on climate change in different forums.

These behaviors clash with the position that the prince had maintained in recent years, defending the environment and warning against polluting gases that pose a risk to nature and biodiversity.

Be that as it may, from January 14, 2024, onwards, Frederik of Denmark is the king of all Danes. His mother is in her 80s and gave him the crown of the Danish 'bicycle monarchy' after a 52-year rule.