King Frederik and Queen Mary return to Copenhagen for winter
King Frederik X of Denmark and Queen Mary are swapping countryside calm for city life.
The couple are expected to leave the Chancellery House at Fredensborg Palace and return to their winter home, Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg in Copenhagen, on 26 September, where they will remain until spring, according to Hello! Magazine.
They moved to Fredensborg in May. That four-month stay is the royal family's regular summer pattern, trading the capital for gardens, woodland walks and more space for family time north of Copenhagen. The Danish Royal House lists both the Chancellery House and Frederik VIII's Palace as residences of the royal family.
Their Copenhagen base is big. Frederik VIII's Palace, the family's private residence within Amalienborg, stretches to 48,400 square feet and was extensively renovated in 2010. Amalienborg itself is easy to spot: four palaces set around an eight-sided courtyard in the heart of the city.
It has served as the official home of Danish royalty since Christiansborg Palace burned down in 1794. That history still shapes what visitors see.
When the King is in residence at Frederik VIII's Palace, the King's Guard is mounted at Amalienborg. The soldiers on duty are the Royal Life Guard, the unit that stands watch for the royal family, according to the Danish Royal House.
Royal watchers got a glimpse of the summer-city shuffle in May. King Frederik, Queen Mary, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine stepped onto the balcony at Amalienborg on 26 May to mark the King's 58th birthday. Balcony appearances, recorded in the Court Circular, the official daily record of royal engagements, are a fixture of family birthdays.
Frederik became King Frederik X on 14 January 2024 after his mother, Queen Margrethe II, abdicated. She had announced her plan to step down after 52 years as monarch, at the time Europe's longest-reigning monarch, according to the Associated Press.
What makes this stand out is the rhythm. Winter is back in Copenhagen. Expect the daily changing of the guard to draw crowds again, the flag to signal the King is home, and more city-centre engagements through the darker months.
Fredensborg will not sit empty for long. The palace remains in regular use for spring stays, state visits and family gatherings. For now, though, the working year moves back to the capital.
