Isabella is officially 'number 3'

Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller enters Princess Isabella's details into the register. Photo © JP/POLFOTO/Thorkild Amdi (photos below TV2 and Scanpix/TV2)

On Thursday (December 20) Princess Isabella was officially registered as the third in line to the Danish throne. According to a 1779 law, the Foreign Minister has the task of writing the official declaration of succession to the Danish throne into the official book of inheritance, which is kept in the safety vaults of the Foreign Office. Per Stig Møller entered Isabella's full name and included the names of her godparents on a fresh page of the book Slegt Register over Fødselen i den Kongelige Familie (Family Register of the Births in the Royal Family). The registration is a formality in this day and age. In the past the delay was for the possible death of a royal infant in times when infant mortality was high. In practice Isabella has been third in line since she was born.

The Danish parliament (Folketing) still has to finalise the change of succession so that female children can succeed to the throne before later born male children. The current system in Denmark is cognatic primogeniture which allows females to succeed if there are no males or their descendents, as in the case of Queen Margrethe. The new system will be absolute (cognatic) primogeniture which allows lineal succession regardless of gender. The last parliament approved the change, a general election has occured (separating the two parliaments) and now the new parliament also needs to approve the change. There will most likely be a referendum to finalise the change during this parliament, and it will apply retroactively to Isabella so that she will remain third in line after Christian and before any subsequent children Mary and Frederik may have.

DR update (00:45)

Fyens.dk web TV (00:58) click on second item "Indland - Prinsesse Isabella indskrevet som arving" then on "Afspil video"
In this clip you can see the Foreign Minister show the page where Crown Prince Frederik was written in to the register.

Jyllands Posten 'Isabella indskrevet som arving' - Isabella registered as an heir. Prinsess Isabella is formally now an heir of the Danish throne. On Thursday Minister of Foreign Affairs Per Stig Møller enrolled Princess Isabella in the christening minutes. So with the paperwork in place Princess Isabella is formally an heir of the Danish throne... All the princess' four names, her birth and christening dates, as well as the names of her six godparents now stand in the christening minutes. According to a royal resolution from 1779 the incumbent Minister of Foreign Affairs has to enter heirs into the minutes, which carries the name "Slegt Register over Fødselen i den Kongelige Familie". The minutes are normally stored in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' safety archive. Prinsess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe is number three in the order of succession after her father Crown Prince Frederik and her big brother Prince Christian.

Berlingske Tidende same Ritzau report as Jyllands Posten above.

TV2 news article 'Isabella indskrevet som arving' - Isabella registered as an heir. With the paperwork in place Princess Isabella is formally an heir of the Danish throne. Today Minister of Foreign Affairs Per Stig Møller (K) enrolled the princess in special minutes... All the princess' four names, her birth and christening dates, as well as the names of her six godparents now stand in the christening minutes. According to a royal resolution from 1779 ...

TV2 VIP Little Isabella now formally number three... (continues as per the Ritzau report above)



Click to see our post last September: Prince Christian is declared the heir