Frederik, the 'party prince': the down-to-earth next king of Denmark who met his wife in a pub

Cheering his country on from the stands at the football World Cup. Giving passionate speeches about the environment. Marrying a middle-class, non-royal 'Kate Middleton lookalike'.

The parallels between Prince Frederik of Denmark, 55, and his British counterpart Prince William, 41, might be striking, in many ways — but it's the similarities between his upbringing and that of William's younger brother Prince Harry that have been doing the rounds since his mother, the Danish Queen Margrethe II, announced her abdication from the throne on new year's eve.

A rebellious upbringing, expeditions across Mongolia and Greenland and being spotted among the ravers at Burning Man festival are among the anecdotes the former military 'daredevil' and long-time bachelor became known for during the years before his announcement as Denmark's future king.

The baby-faced soon-to-be monarch and father-of-four has long been known for his so-called 'party prince' years (he was refused entry to a bar in Brisbane as recently as 2017, because he didn't have ID) and it's this rebellious, down-to-earth streak that seems to have won him favour with the Danish public. According to latest polls, 84 per cent of the Danish public were in favour of their incoming king in the days before his succession was announced — 20 per cent more than those who backed King Charles around the time of his coronation last year.

Frederik's straight-talking, 'woke' persona could have something to do with it. Much like , the Danish heir has long spoken of wanting to be “myself, a human being”, even once he takes to the throne. He