While Joachim is most likely to be appointed Rigsforstander in such a case it's not a certainty.
Only the Crown Prince(ss) is automatically Regent in the absence of the Monarch. Everybody else are appointed Rigsforstander by the Monarch, or Statsrådet - after consultations with the Parliament.
Christian can only be king when he turns eighteen and have signed a pledge to obey the Constitution, which he can't do until he is of legal age, i.e. eighteen.
So the de facto head of state until Christian turns eighteen is the Rigsforstander. That happened during the childhood of King Christian IV and before that under Queen Margrethe I, in the 1300's.
The Danish monarch does hold some constitutional power.
In this case it would be the Rigsforstander who signs laws making them valid.
It's also the Rigsforstander (in this thought experiment Mary) who formally accept the resignations and appointments of governments.
It's also to the Rigsforstander foreign ambassadors present their credentials. Until then they cannot act as fully acknowledged ambassadors.
It's in the name of Rigsforstander Mary, on behalf of her son Christian, that all state and municipal authority in Denmark stems, via the ministries.
Rigsforstander Mary will also formally be the commander in chief of the military. - Again on behalf of her son, but she is the executive.
It's also the Rigsforstander who will head the State Councils and it's the Rigsforstander who will be briefed weekly by the PM, so that she can act in the best interests of Denmark and her son and the DRF - in that order.
Christian will have no official saying in any of these matters.
If she takes her son on state or official visits, Rigsforstander Mary is the first to be greeted, and she is the one who will give the official speech on behalf of Denmark.
It's also Rigsforstander Mary who will decide what to do, if Joachim in a fit of rage plants an axe in the head of his mechanic who did a poor job on the brakes of Joachim's car. - A perfectly understandable reaction...
And so on and so on.
That is, perhaps, a question for one of the British threads?So, if in some UK dire circumstance (such as a car accident wiping out both Charles and William) Andrew would become the King regent following the later death of the Queen?
What if any role would Kate play other than mum of the underaged King?
That is also interesting.
So, if in some UK dire circumstance (such as a car accident wiping out both Charles and William) Andrew would become the King regent following the later death of the Queen?
What if any role would Kate play other than mum of the underaged King?
But in Britain the regent must be in the line of succession and capable of succeeding to the throne.
That's why I found it interesting Mary can serve as regent in Denmark
That is also interesting.
So, if in some UK dire circumstance (such as a car accident wiping out both Charles and William) Andrew would become the King regent following the later death of the Queen?
I assume she would have no official role as she is not in the line of succession and, therefore, is barred in the UK from automatically becoming the regent.What if any role would Kate play other than mum of the underaged King?
I had never heard of these weekly meetings with the PM and ministers that Frederik also regularly attends, until they were mentioned in an article about the tv-series 'The Queen's castles' a few months ago.
It would be great to know more about the more "invisible" royal duties of the Regent and Crown Prince (couple).
Presumably.
It must also be pretty daunting for an eighteen year old suddenly to be monarch!
Especially since royals nowadays are no longer groomed to rule, but to reign, which can be pretty complicated PR and people-skill wise.
So I hope Frederik will introduce abdication in the DRF and abdicate when Christian is about 45 or so.
I wonder how the Danes will take it, since abdication is not traditional. (My other side likes the idea, though.) What do you think guys?
I like the idea of having a non-partisan head of state. The present state of political affairs in the US makes me think that the monarchy isn't such a bad idea.
In Spain, on the other hand, the constitution says that the surviving parent of a minor who ascends the throne automatically becomes the regent. In Leonor's case, that would be Queen Letizia assuming she also survived King Felipe VI.
In Belgium , however, as I understand it, there is no automatic rule determining a priori who should serve as regent; instead, if the throne is vacant while the heir is still a minor, the two houses of the federal parliament are convened in a joint session to appoint a regent and a guardian. Likewise, in Sweden, it is the Riksdag who elects a regent if a minor accedes to the throne; in cases, however, when the King is absent or temporarily incapacitated, the first person in the line of succession who is over 18 and is neither absent nor incapacitated automatically takes over as interim regent.
I know I'm a bit late for this discussion, but you gave some great explanations, Muhler (as always!), and I have two questions for you:
1. In case both the Queen and the Crown Prince die before Prince Christian is 18, and the Crown Princess / Queen Mary becomes Regent, what would happen if she decides to remarry? I guess if she wants to relocate to Australia, she of course would stop being Regent, but what if she marries a Danish man and remains living in Denmark?
2. In a case the entire Royal Family die (God forbid!), who do you think Parliament would choose to become the new Sovereign? One of Princess Benedikte's children? One of the Rosenborgs? A member of the Greek Royal Family? Or would they rather make Denmark a republic (again, God forbid!)?
Even if there's no asnwer for my questions, I believe I maybe gave you some food for thought, and I know you always like to have some food for thought!
Thanks in advance!
Ad 2: The first will be Princess Elisabeth, but when she dies - I don´t know ...Good questions.
I'll start with number 2: I don't know. - There are so many factors that it would be pure guesswork and not even a qualified guess. Your guess is as good as mine.
Number 1: You mean would Mary's new husband get a title? IMO that would be unlikely. But the one to decide would be Rigsforstanderen i.e. Mary herself.
In theory she could give him the title of prince consort.
I cannot imagine Mary, as Rigsforstander, would abandon Christian and relocate to say Australia after a new marriage. And not even for at least a few years after Christian become king.
Should that happen however, a new Rigsforstander would be appointed and that would almost certainly be Joachim.
The interesting question in this case is: Would Mary be allowed to take her three youngest children with her to Australia to live permanently?
I'm not so sure, as spares they basically belongs to the state. Mary would certainly face a lot of pressure behind the scenes for staying in DK - at least until Isabella is of age.
I know I'm a bit late for this discussion, but you gave some great explanations, Muhler (as always!), and I have two questions for you:
1. In case both the Queen and the Crown Prince die before Prince Christian is 18, and the Crown Princess / Queen Mary becomes Regent, what would happen if she decides to remarry? I guess if she wants to relocate to Australia, she of course would stop being Regent, but what if she marries a Danish man and remains living in Denmark?
2. In a case the entire Royal Family die (God forbid!), who do you think Parliament would choose to become the new Sovereign? One of Princess Benedikte's children? One of the Rosenborgs? A member of the Greek Royal Family? Or would they rather make Denmark a republic (again, God forbid!)?
Even if there's no asnwer for my questions, I believe I maybe gave you some food for thought, and I know you always like to have some food for thought!
Thanks in advance!
Benedikte would be queen. The issue is her children are not in line to succeed. Unlike Anne-Marie, Benedikte didn't have to give up her claim, but her kids would only have a claim if raised there which they didn't. Since Elizabeth is the only other heir, a consideration would have to be made. Most logical would be to grant succession rights to her kids. Gustav has a German title and no kids. Alexandra and Nathalie are both Danish and both have kids. Possibly under the agreement they move to Denmark and continue raising the kids there, one of the girls would be heir.
A council will be set up to guide, advise and safeguard if the heir is a child and do not have very close relatives to look after his/her interests.
But that was in the old days.
Today Statsrådet = The State Council = The government will check that everything is going on in the correct manner.
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Sorry I haven't read all this thread but i just was caught by the subject line... why on earth is it a discussion? I thought that there had been something happening in Denmark, a sudden massive rise in republicanism. But the Danish monarchy seems stable. are people really speculating on "if the entire family, ie Fred andf Joachim and all their little children died?
why on earth is it a discussion? I thought that there had been something happening in Denmark, a sudden massive rise in republicanism. But the Danish monarchy seems stable. are people really speculating on "if the entire family, ie Fred andf Joachim and all their little children died?
Thank you Nordic. I really was taken aback. I can understand occasional "what if" dicussions like "What if one of Queen Anne's children had lived" or "what if All Henry VIII's children had died.." but about a present day RF it seems odd....