#Frederik II

[thepastisalreadywritten]

What’s that elephant the Danes are wearing?

Tatler’s guide to the emblems and quirks of Denmark’s highest honour, the Order of the Elephant.

A curious little diamond-encrusted elephant, a blue sash, a gold collar – and sometimes a big flaming cape…Tatler looks into the history and tradition of Denmark's most privileged Order.

With Frederik X set to become sovereign of the Order as he becomes King on Sunday, you might see a few of these elephants around Copenhagen's royal palaces

By Isaac Zamet

12 January 2024

When Crown Prince Frederik becomes Frederik X of Denmark on Sunday, he will also replace his mother, Queen Margrethe II, as the sovereign of Denmark’s most ancient and distinguished order of chivalry, the Order of the Elephant.

Though it was officially refounded in 1693, the order dates all the way back to the 1400s, when it was established as a religious confraternity by a group of about fifty Danish knights.

In the 1400s, prior to the Reformation which gripped Europe and divided the church, such religious ‘clubs’ as the Order of the Elephant were common features of aristocratic life.

At the time of the Order of the Elephant's birth, Christian I was King of Denmark – and in fact, Norway and Sweden too, creating a personal union known as the Kalmar Union.

During this period, the emblem of the club was an image of the Virgin Mary holding her Son within a crescent moon.

This was hung from a collar formed of links in the shape of elephants.

The confraternity mutated over the centuries but endured a stifled period after the Reformation in which such clubs became suspect.

In 1580, Frederik II – eight Frederiks prior to our current Frederik – revived the order and replaced the medallion of the mother and child with an elephant (a Reformation-safe, Protestant approach – if a quirky one!).

But it was Christian V, in 1693, who gave the club its official statues and founding order.

At this time, it was scheduled as comprising 30 noble knights and one Grand Master (the King) along with his sons.

It was only in 1958 that the statutes were amended by Royal Ordinance to allow the ennoblement of women as members of the order.

Between 1580 and today, around 890 persons have been bestowed with the Order of the Elephant; with Queen Margrethe adding 68 people during her 40 year reign.

The recipients are almost always royal persons and foreign heads of state – though in a rare exception, the order was given to a commoner in 2000.

This was the deceased shipping magnate, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, who was recognised for exceptional contribution to Danish economic strength and Danish society.

Those unfamiliar with the man himself will surely recognise his name from the famous shipping containers.

The A.P. Møller – Mærsk group was actually founded in 1904 by his father. It is now worth $81bn dollars.

At the time of Møller’s membership of the order, he was the only non-royal and non-head of state to hold the honour; though it had previously been held by the pioneering nuclear physicist, Niels Bohr.

Membership of the order comes with possession of its rather eye-catching elephantine emblem.

The elephant is made of white-enamelled gold with blue housings and is about 5cm high.

On its back, the elephant bears a tower of pink enamelled masonry (a design originally intended to reflect the howdah compartments of the Indian subcontinent).

A number of large cut diamonds adorn the elephant, along with a crowned monogram of the monarch reigning when it was made.

One wonders, then, when the first Frederikian elephants will be carved.

At the top of the tower on the elephant’s back sits a gold ring, from which the badge can be hung from the collar or tied to a sash.

On the elephant's back sits a turbaned ‘moor mahout.’

It should be noted that some would regard such a depiction as an exoticising caricature.

Others would regard its appearance merely as an expression of an historical perspective.

One striking detail about the circulation of the elephants is that each Order of the Elephant is – in principle – on loan and must be returned to the Chapter of the Royal Orders of Chivalry when a member of the Order has passed away.

This rather quaint custom means that elephants are inherited and used several times by different members of the order, with some dating back hundreds of years.

Interestingly, the done thing is not to disclose to whom an Elephant has previously been given – though there are some traditional lines of inheritance.

For example, the elephant recently bestowed on Prince Christian belonged previously to his grandfather, Prince Henrik.

This handing over was always to be, on the basis of a traditional line of inheritance.

There are two exceptional elephants which have eluded the rule of the ‘loan’ – one remains in the Chancellery Museum at Paris and a second remains on display at the Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library in the US.

Another beautiful quirk of membership of the Order is that a member’s coat of arms is always painted and subsequently hung in the Knight’s Chapel at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød.

As to when the elephants come out to play, there are some rather interesting traditions concerning how and when to wear them.

The Order of the Elephant has three festival days: new year’s day, the monarch’s birthday, and the birthday of Valdemar the Victorious, which, if you didn’t know is on June 28.

On these festival days, the Order of the Elephant is worn on the chest on a gold chain link collar, with links shaped as towers and elephants.

The collar sits on each shoulder. On other important occasions, the order is worn on a bright blue sash with a breast star.

The star of the order is an eight-pointed silver star with smooth rays; at its centre sits an enameled red disc with a white cross, surrounded by a laurel wreath in silver.

[21stcenturyroyals]

INCORRECT ROYAL QUOTES | 21ST CENTURY ROYALS (2000-2099) | 12x24: “royals 2024 wrapped”

[everythingroyalty]

The Danish royal family arriving for the annual New Year's Banquet on 1 January 2025 at Amalienborg Palace ✨

This year's banquet marked King Frederik X's first as monarch and host after succeeding Queen Margrethe II on 14 January 2024. With 19-year-old Crown Prince Christian making his New Year's debut, the 2025 banquet also featured the most royal attendees since 2015.

[leonisandmurex]

SO LONG 2024 -> HELLO 2025

[royalchildreneurope]

King Frederik X of Denmark and Queen Mary of Denmark shared pictures of their eldest daughter, Princess Isabella of Denmark during her childhood with her siblings, Crown Prince Christian of Denmark, Prince Vincent of Denmark and Princess Josephine of Denmark and grandparents, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Prince Consort Henrik of Denmark and John Donaldson, on the occasion of her 18th birthday on April 21st 2025 -April 19th 2025.

📷 : Det Danske Kongehus.

[theroyalsandi]

Danish Royal Family - Members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Frederik VIII’s Palace, Amalienborg on the occasion of the 56th birthday of King Frederik X. (Photo by Ritzau) | May 26, 2024

From left: Prince Vincent, Princess Josephine, King Frederik X, Crown Prince Christian, Queen Mary, Queen Margrethe and Princess Isabella.

[fairskyangel]

Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has chosen to abdicate from the Danish throne the 14th of January, after 52 years on the throne.

She told the whole kingdom of Denmark, and the rest of the world, live on television during her new year speech to the people.

There has not been a voluntary abdication in Denmark since the early medieval times (1100-1200)

The Queen has always said that she will sit on the throne until her last breath, which is why her abdication comes as a surprise to everyone.

Her son Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Crown Princess Mary will take over as King Frederik X and Queen Mary.

Thank you, your majesty, for all you have done for us and how you have always shown your love and respect to the Danish people. We look forward to seeing you hopefully enjoy your abdication and hopefully we will still see more of your incredible creative mind . We have trust in our new King and Queen as we already know that you have prepared them well for their new job.

Thank you ❤️

[gabriellademonaco]

King Frederik X and Queen Mary hosted a Medal of Honour dinner for the Armed Forces, the Air Force and the National Emergency Management Agency in Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg, where Queen Margrethe also attended.

11/03/2024

[estelletargaryen]

royal men + text post memes (insp.)

[the-last-tsar]

Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra and Grand Duchess Olga visiting the Chapel of the Holy Face of Our Saviour in Borki. They are being followed by Count Vladimir B. Frederiks. c. 1902.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

King Frederik IX (1899-1972) and Queen Ingrid of Denmark (1910-2000) welcomed by King George VI (1895-1952), Queen Elizabeth (1900-2002), Princess Elizabeth (1926-2022), and Princess Margaret (1930-2002) at the Victoria Station during the start of their 4-day state visit to the UK in 1951.

[21stcenturyroyals]

INCORRECT ROYAL QUOTES | 21ST CENTURY ROYALS (2000-2099) | 1x24: “There's a new King in town”

[everythingroyalty]

FROM PUBLIC MOURNING TO PUBLIC CELEBRATION ✨

—15 January 1972: Little under a day after her father, King Frederik IX, had died and she had become Denmark's first official female monarch, 31-year-old Margrethe II was proclaimed Queen from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace by Prime Minister Jens Otto Krag.

—14 January 2024: Little under an hour after his mother, Queen Margrethe II, had signed a declaration of her abdication at a Council of State – becoming the first Danish monarch in 878 years to do so – 55-year-old Frederik X was proclaimed King from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

[leonisandmurex]

GAME. SET. MATCH.

royals playing tennis

[theroyalsandi]

Danish Royal Family - The King and Queen have given a lunch for Princess Benedikte, who was 80 yesterday, her sisters and family at Frederik VIII's Mansion at Amalienborg, where the princess was born and raised. (Photo courtesy of Kongehuset) | April 30, 2024

Standing, from left: Konstantin Johannsmann, Princess Nathalie, Countess Ingrid, King Frederik X, Queen Mary, Count Michael, Princess Alexandra and Count Richard. Seated, from left: Queen Anne-Marie, Princess Benedikte and Queen Margrethe.

[ifreakingloveroyals]

Monarchs of most of Europe (as of 14 January 2024)