- The royal mother-of-four celebrated her son’s graduation in Copenhagen
She may be the Queen of Denmark, but today she was simply the proudest mother in the crowd as she watched her son graduate from school.
Mother-of-four Queen Mary, 52, held up her phone and beamed as she took photos of 18-year-old Prince Christian in a procession with his peers as he celebrated reaching the end of his school studies.
Dressed in a sharp pinstriped blazer and accessorised with cool wayfarer shades, Mary certainly stood out as one of the more stylish parents in the crowd – but aside from that, one wouldn’t have been able to tell she’s one of the most powerful women in the nation as she joined other parents of Christian’s peers to celebrate.
She was joined at the Ordrup Gymnasium in Copenhagen by King Frederik, Princess Isabella, and twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent to celebrate her eldest son and heir to the throne’s graduation, before he heads to university in the autumn.
As the whole family turned out to celebrate the Crown Prince’s graduation it marked another show of solidarity from the royals following a turbulent year which included rumours King Frederik had had an affair (which were strenuously denied) and Queen Margrethe‘s shock new year abdication.
As Crown Prince Christian, who is now first in line to the throne after his father became King in January, took part in a parade with his peers to celebrate finishing school, it is another event in his graduation festivities.
In Denmark, it is traditional for cohorts of graduates
Earlier this week, Mary and Frederik attended their son’s official graduation ceremony and spoke of their pride in interviews with local media.
It is likely that the royal will now attend University in the Autumn and complete his military training, following in his father’s footsteps.
This is a similar situation to Princess Leonor, the heir to the Spanish throne. Upon finishing school, she started her three years of intense defence training.
Two years ago, Prince Christian was pulled out of the elite Herlufsholm Boarding School after allegations of sexual and physical abuse at the institution surfaced in a documentary. His sister Isabella was also due to attend, but her parents pulled her out too.
The pair were enrolled at Ordrup Gymnasium, and as Isabella is only one year below her brother, Mary and Frederik will likely be at the school around the same time next year to celebrate their eldest daughter’s graduation.
The school Christian graduated from was founded in 1873 by HC Frederiksen (called Friser), who wanted to move away from the traditional teaching methods of his time.
The school, which offers several clubs, including elite sports clubs, was the first one to introduce co-ed teaching in Denmark and is considered an innovative institution.
The core values at Ordrup are to encourage ‘curiosity’ among its students, as well as ‘cooperation and respect’.
Crown Prince Christian’s graduation festivities mark a happy occasion for the Danish royal family amid a turbulent time, after King Frederik’s night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in Madrid last autumn.
Snaps of the pair showed them heading to a traditional Flamenco restaurant in the Spanish capital, where Genoveva lives, where Spanish magazine Lecturas reported they dined together until the early hours.
Following publication of the photos, rumours of an affair between the pair circulated – which were strenuously denied by Genoveva.
However cracks begun to appear in Queen Mary and King Frederik’s relationship following his night out with Genoveva and the couple, who have been married for 20 years, have displayed frosty body language towards each other in public appearances.
But as Crown Prince Christian marks a rite of passage in his life by graduating high school, the family appears to be overwhelmed with happiness – as it was smiles all around for the Danish royals this afternoon.