During her traditional New Year's address on December 31, 2023, Denmark's 83-year-old monarch, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II, declared her intention to step down as regent and head of state, passing the throne to her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik. To commemorate this transition, PostNord, Tusass Greenland, and Posta Faroe Islands are issuing a joint stamp issue featuring HM King Frederik X.
Following Danish tradition, the abdication ceremony was simple, with Queen Margrethe signing her resignation during a Council of State on January 14, 2024, exactly 52 years after assuming the throne herself. With the Queen's signature, the Crown Prince ascended to the throne, and an hour later, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen officially proclaimed King Frederik X from the balcony of Christiansborg, the Danish Parliament.Thus, the Danish Commonwealth countries - Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands - welcomed their new regent and head of state, King Frederik X, whose Royal motto is "United, committed, for the Kingdom of Denmark."
Constitutional monarchyThe Danish kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. That is to say, the regent's function is to be chairman - like a constitutional president without political power. All political decisions rest with the elected parliamentarians, government, and prime minister, while the regent's role is to represent the Kingdom, for which the elected representatives work. This takes the form of weekly state councils, where the prime minister informs about the state of affairs and the government's work - and where the regent, together with the responsible minister, signs new laws. After a parliamentary election, the king chooses the party chairman that the majority of political parties point to, to form a government.
The New KingKing Frederik X was born on 26 May 1968, son of Queen Margrethe II and her husband Prince Henrik (Henri de Laborde de Monpezat). After graduating in 1986, he began his military service with the Queen’s Life Guard Regiment. Over time, he has served in the Army, the Air Force and the Navy - and is an officer in all three services. From 1989 to 1995 he studied political science at Aarhus University and Harvard University. He has been attached to the diplomatic corps at Denmark's UN mission in New York and worked as embassy secretary at the Danish embassy in Paris.
King Frederik XDuring the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark crossed paths with Australian Mary Donaldson. Their encounter blossomed into a romance, and in 2003, the young couple announced their engagement, followed by their marriage the next year. Their family grew over the years, welcoming their first son, Christian, in 2005, daughter Isabella in 2007, and twins Vincent and Josephine in 2011.
King Frederik is renowned for his active participation in sports, excelling in various disciplines such as sailing, running, and cycling. Notably, he achieved a milestone by becoming the first Royal to complete an "Ironman" competition in 2013. An Ironman is a long-distance triathlon race consisting of a 3.9 km swim, a 180.2 km bicycle ride, and a 42.2 km run (marathon) completed in that order. It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.
His passion for sports led him to become a member of the International Olympic Committee in 2009, a position for which he was re-elected in 2018 for another 8-year term.
Denmark's new king is characterized by his down-to-earth demeanour, sparking expectations of a rejuvenation and modernization of the Royal household and its traditionally strict protocols. As a modern family, they seem to resonate with contemporary societal values.
We extend our sincerest wishes to King Frederik X as he ascends to the throne, hoping for a peaceful and prosperous reign in the Commonwealth.
Posta
Text: Anker Eli Petersen
