Prince Christian is declared the heir - officially

TV 2 and B.T. have reported that based on the protocol of a royal resolution in 1779, Prince Cristian was entered in the order of succession as heir to the throne to follow his father by Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller last Monday. Although the succession was already established, obviously by Christian's birth, it was nevertheless entered as a formal procedure according to law. Christian's birth and christening details including parents and godparents and full name, Christian Valdemar Henri John, as the heir to the throne to follow Frederik is now 100% official (although it really already was!).



It reads:
On 15 October 2005 was born at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen a son of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik André Henrik Christian to Denmark and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark.

Baptised in Christiansborg Castle Church 21 January 2006 with the name Christian Valdemar Henri John, His Royal Highness Prince to Denmark

The Godparents:
HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
Mrs Jane Stephens
His Royal Highness Prince Joachim
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Pavlos
Mr Hamish Campbell
Mr Jeppe Handwerk

11 september 2006

In case you were in doubt about the formality, here are some photos of the Foreign Minister of Denmark Per Stig Møller signing Prince Christian into the baptising protocol in Copenhagen. The Foreign Minister does the job because there was no Prime Minister in 1779. In the past, before the mass media informed us of births, deaths and marriages, it was the job of the foreign minister to go forth and announce to the land and to other courts of Europe that a new heir was born. According to The Copenhagen Post by a law dating from 1665 the declaration must be hand written by the Foreign Minister, co-signed by the Justice Minister after the approval of the Queen before it is transferred to the National Archive. Any future born heirs will now take their place behind Christian. (The Post has a different date for the royal succession law, we will try to find out why.) Photos by Carsten Snejbjerg of POLFOTO: