There are trials and tribulations in most families, and it seems the royals are no different.
The British Royal Family has faced many ups and downs over the years - the most recent being the fallout with Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle and his controversial memoir Spare. And it appears their overseas counterpart, the Danish Royal Family, has its own quirks - with a future Australian queen who married into the family after meeting her royal husband on a boozy night out, and an estranged Prince who has also been stripped of his royal title.
On January 1, the family put on a display of pageantry at their annual New Year's Day banquet, just hours after Queen Margrethe of Denmark announced her surprise abdication following 52 years in service. Her Majesty, 83, who is the longest-serving living monarch in Europe, smiled and waved to the crowd as she stepped out in a bright red gown and fur coat before playing host to the lavish dinner.
In two weeks, the monarch will officially step down from her role, paving the way for her son, Crown Prince Frederik. The timing of the shake-up has been questioned after the prince was pictured on a night out a few months ago with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova, who has denied rumours of an 'affair' between the two.
Prince Frederik, who will become King Frederik as the eldest son, has been married to the beloved Princess Mary for 19 years. His wife is extremely popular with the public, after winning them over with her dedication to royal duty.
The couple met at a pub in Sydney 23 years ago and now have four children together. Before joining the royal family, the Australian, then Mary Donaldson, worked as an advertising executive and had no idea that the European tourist she chatted to for hours in a packed pub called the Slip Inn was royalty. They first hit it off during a conversation about chest hair.
Mary's friend, Beatrice Tarnawski, once told the Sydney Morning Herald: "All the girls around the table were discussing what is best – the man with a hairy chest or a man without hair and the princes were wearing open shirts.
"We were allowed to touch Prince Frederik and Prince Nikolaos. I liked Prince Frederik best because he was so smooth. Prince Nikolaos had a lot of hair and that really wasn't my type."
Frederick, then 32, was Down Under to support his country's sailing team at the 2000 Olympics and after taking a liking to Mary, then 28, he asked for her phone number. In an interview recalling their first encounter, the future Queen said: "The first time we met we shook hands. I didn't know he was the prince of Denmark.
"Half an hour later someone came up to me and said, 'Do you know who these people are?'". The couple shared a long-distance relationship for a year before she made the big move to Denmark in 2001 and immediately studied the language at Copenhagen's Studieskolen.
Two years later, Queen Margrethe showed her public support for their relationship, and later that year, the couple announced their engagement at Amalienborg Castle. Mary has maintained a close relationship with Her Majesty, receiving close guidance and support.
According to royal reporters, Mary is set to "play a very prominent role" and "will not be an invisible queen". While Queen Margrethe can rely on her son's wife to keep it together, the closeness of the royal family has been rocked thanks to her grandchildren wishing to be rid of their responsibilities, in a bid to lead a regular life.
Count Nikolai of Denmark, 24 - Prince Joachim's eldest son - was stripped of his title last year along with his siblings Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 11. Insisting the change will be "good for them in their future", they are now counts and countess, referred to as Their Excellencies.
In a similar move to Prince Harry, Nikolai, Princess Mary's nephew, has opted to start a new life in Australia and just moments after his grandmother announced her resignation, he made a public post revealing he 'can't wait' for what the new year will bring. Making no mention of his grandmother, his Instagram post instead included a series of modelling shots from 2023 as he hopes to carve out his own path.
He is currently a student at Sydney's University of Technology and lives with his girlfriend, Benedikte Thoustrup. The model has previously said he will 'be there' for his cousin Prince Christian, who is now heir apparent, and the switch-up may see the young royal head home eventually and return to a role in the Danish royal household.
Speaking to Wish Magazine, Nikolai said he was looking forward to "chart his own course" after having his title removed, and revealed he remains close to Christian. Speaking about his new life, in stark contrast to his conservative upbringing, he added: "They are really cool and I love how expressive young guys are here. Their style is just so relaxed and nonchalant. I love how they walk around barefoot sometimes – not that I ever would – or just in their thongs."
