Copenhagen had its most regal Tuesday morning of the year.
The first Tuesday in October means one thing in Denmark: the Folketinget — the country’s parliament — opens its new parliamentary year. And as tradition demands, the Danish royal family was right at the heart of it.
King Frederik X and Queen Mary, joined by Her Royal Highness Princess Benedikte, were received by the Presidium in Rigsdagsgården, the parliament’s stately courtyard, before taking their places in the royal box to watch the opening in the Folketingssalen.
That royal box — the kongelogen — has its own little piece of history. Rebuilt in 1968, it replaced an older custom: until then, the royal family simply sat among the members of parliament in front of the speaker’s rostrum. You can just picture it — a king or queen squeezed in between the MPs.
After the ceremony, the new Presidium escorted the royal party out of the chamber, with Folketinget Speaker Henrik Frandsen personally accompanying the King down the grand staircase — a moment captured in the official photographs, with Queen Mary following behind in an elegant burgundy dress, flowers in hand.
For Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe, these Danish traditions carry a personal echo: his own grandmother, Princess Feodora of Denmark, was part of this same royal family. A beautiful start to Denmark’s new parliamentary year.
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