It is May 26, 1968. At the national hospital, a boy is born whose mother and father are not anybody. - How does the heir feeling? - Very well. And the little prince too. The little prince is born to a first class life with the duty to behave properly - and wave from the balcony when you have a birthday. But just like the fairytales he has to go through a lot before he can live happily ever after. With the help of movies, a selection of music that the Crown Prince likes - and photos, we tell the story of a boy fighting his role - in front of the photographers' lenses, for one day the little boy must become king of Denmark. Have you made any thoughts about it? I have. It should be taken as it comes. You have to take the rough with the smooth. That I have to tolerate. HRH crown prince Frederik - A prince finds his way. Good day. The television now brings a transmission from the Holmens church. Here comes Prince Henriks wagon with Princess Margrethe the little prince carried by the nurse and prince Henrik. for the little prince much is given in advance, even his name, and yet, not entirely. He should have been named Christian because there had just been a Frederik. But princess Margrethe and Prince Henrik chose different. What is the child's name? Frederik André Henrik Christian. I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Before the baptism, Margrethe and Henrik have agreed to change the name. Perhaps their decision is a warning that the boy will go his own ways. There is one big advantage of the name. I remember when my husband and I came to my dad and said that we had intended to call our son Frederik, he became so happy and then he said "It's good. Then you can at one point say Crown Prince Frederik. " Grandpa, King Frederik the 9th. is known as the sailor king. He loves sea life, smokes tobacco and has lots of tattoos. His 3 daughters adore him. and he is so proud of them. For him it is possible to be king while he is himself. Together with his wife, Queen Ingrid, he succeeded in making the danish royal family a national treasure. something the Danes are interested in and have access to when there are big events in the family. and here in the late 1960s there are a few of them. When Prince Frederik is one year and 12 days old he gets a brother. A hungry one. One who follows him in thick and thin, although the 2 boys are different as night and day Where did you go? Where did you go Frederik? Come on. Come on. While the boys are very small there is time. Father sets the big lines for the upbringing and mom fills the boys with her curiosity towards life There are sunshine and green lawns as far as the eye reaches and lots of cousins and trips to France and diving in the water. It is a privileged life for a toddler's family. But not far away in the future lies the seriousness. It is with sincere grief, The nation has learned that King Frederik the 9th. is dead. King Frederik the 9th is dead. Long live her Majesty Queen Margrethe the 2nd. One January in 1972, the princess's grandfather dies and their mother becomes queen. She is in sorrow, but she has to show she is worthy to carry on her father's work. It means that the two little boys will be with their mother less, than they would like to. I missed being with my parents. Even when she is at home, she can be at work. And then her children can watch her from a distance. Sometimes the boys are allowed to go to with her at work but they must behave properly. Watch out for the glass. Is it possible to live a regular family life when you are royal? You can say that there is an opportunity to have a regulare family life. Like other families in Denmark, we try to keep a close family life. Of course, many times it is difficult because we lack time. The family has employed a nurse, Else Pedersen, to take care of the two little boys and Else Pedersen becomes a kind of extra parent. She takes the boys for walks around Copenhagen. She eats dinner with them and meets the gap that occurs when one's parents can not be by your side at all times. It is Else Pedersen and Prince Henrik, who is responsible for the prince's upbringing. And it is not soft pedagogy that is conducted at Amalienborg castle. I once read in an interview that you were four to five years old - when you ate a meal with your parents for the first time. It made a big impression on me. Is it true? It is true. I believe it made a big impression on many here in Denmark. but when you do not know anything else one does not stand to contradict at four years old. Mom, you often had to be away because of official duties but when you were with us you were there fully and completely. There is one particular thing the boys can look forward to when their mother is at home. "The poor little dwarf had hid. " You read Tolkien, drew the story for us and gave us a new and exciting universe. She reads as much as she can. Then it's only the three of them. The wise mother, the two little boys and the stories - about the Moomins, H.C Andersen's fairy tales or the book "farlig tomandsfærd" about the magical Greenland We learned about tolerance. And that the horizon is not only behind Copenhagens rampart. As an adult, the Crown Prince has not hidden that there were parts of his childhood that have been difficult. He and his brother have each other. Together they experience their father's strict upbringing, which seems tough, even if it is in the best intention. Your steps sounded in the long halls. In front of the study chamber, we saw the Lion from the monpezats coat of arms in front of us It roared if it traced sloppiness. It happened, and our neck hair rose. But the two little boys are not alike. Prince Joachim seems robust and accommodating Where the crown prince is another type He seems vulnerable and awkward in situations where photographers and journalists gather around him and his family. Perhaps it is because the Crown Prince feels alone bearing a burden. for it is only him who will be king someday. And it is the duty of being a king someday that botheres Frederik. The future feels cramped. So cramped, that there's a fight in the air if someone confrontes him with it. Have some decisions been taken regarding the school and further education of the royal highnesses? We feel it will be valuable to our children That they will get an education that looks like mine - to the extent that it will suit their personality. This can not be presented on a ruler when children are so small. At least I do not think that should be done. In 1974 Crown Prince Frederik turns 6 years old. Crown Prince Frederik begins school with his brother. In the beginning at the Amalienborg castle with specially selected children. But in August 1976 - they have the first day of school at Krebs school. The school is private and has the reputation of being a school for the rich. But for Crown Prince's Frederik it will be the first time he get at taste of a life reminiscent of other children. He plays football and seems to enjoy all the physical. Is it important to spend time on sports? yeah.. I think so. You cultivate other sports? Yes, I'm doing some water skiing. I also like to sail when I have time for it. But it takes a lot of time, most of a day, to do it. Outside the school he is met by photographers and journalists. That makes him uncomfortable. But there's no way around it. You have to do many things where you can not say "I do not want to." Yeaahhh... I have to do that... as good as I can do. Crown Prince Frederik does not want to be king - But he keeps it to himself. Do you dare to count on - that your son will take over one day? I do not think I would be a responsible mother - if I did not think that I currently raised my son - to follow me. It would be both to fail him and my job. At home he has grown old enough to eat with his parents. We are having dinner with them. - especially now in the last years. - and it gives something extra. His mother speaks five languages, paints, draws and translates books. His father is interested in philosophy, poems and plays piano. I closely follow the Danish cultural life. And as a teenager, Crown Prince Frederik is expected to take part in the parents' conversations. Our children have experienced that you may disagree so that it can be heard. One must have a strong will, a strong character. You should not give up. I dont 'think so. But it's hard for him, because his interests lie somewhere else. Arhh .. big smile. There are several in your family who are musical and who have artistic skills Is this something for you? I don't really know.. I've been trying to get along with the piano - but I gave up. Was it too boring? yeah... probably a bit. We came wrong on the piano, I think. But there's nothing to do about it. No, then the interest disappeared?? Yes, then the interest disappeared. Or it was never really there. Unfortunately... The Crown Prince must be part of his parents world. But he does not feel they understand who he is. Grandmother, on the other hand, she understands. We are having a great time together. I have some lovely grandchildren. Queen Ingrid is interested in participating in her grandchildren's lives - with all that entails. Grandchildren are a delightful thing to have. And to be a grandmother, I think is something very fundamental which lies deep in the human nature. It must be something instinctive that something goes on. With her, Crown Prince Frederik feels both seen and heard. You were always excited to come over and visit her. To walk across the courtyard at Amalienborg castle to get at cup of tea at 4 o'clock. A person which of course primarily listened to one, no matter what I told her about. Whether it was a boy's talk, or if it was a little more - worrisome things you had to say - she was always responsive. Here Queen Ingrid talks to a group of young people - but the words properly apply to more people. Do we listen to our youngsters when they want to talk to us? Do we have the trouble to ask about their point of view - for an open and open-minded discussion? In fact, both sides can get a lot of discussion - and young and old, at least, get the feeling of - that they do not stand alone with their problems. It is not only with his grandmother, he has a sanctuary. He also has that in the music. What music do you play on the stereo? What's on fashion at the moment. Pop? Pop! Rock? yeah.. Rock.. hehe.. No classic? No.. Not really, no. I like to listen to classical, but not in my spare time. The feelings he has, can he mirror in David Bowie songs. Here he finds a room where he can breathe, and he will always carry that with him. The same year, as Crown Prince Frederik discovers David Bowie - he is going to a boarding school in France with his brother. It will be a year of hard discipline - and if you fail, it is not rare to get a punishment - but at the same time its a year far away from the pressure at home in Denmark. How about École des Roches? École des Roches was ... it was a turning point. It was very educative to get away and try to do things yourself. We were in France, and I thought it went really well. I was happy about that. But a turning point... in my opinion, it is a tough school? There is a lot of discipline. It is true. But it's only good for us. Heh. Do you feel that you have to say that? Nooo.... I think... or yeah.. you can say that. When the princes return home - they begin at 1.g at Øregård Gymnasium. And when a danish news paper notes that there are three girls for each boy in the Crown Prince's class - speculation about who will be Denmark's future queen is being set and it will persecute the Crown Prince for the next 15 years. There are lots of young girls who say, "Prince Joachim is so lovely." I do receive some letters, but it's not nearly as much as my brother. And it's proberly because I'm not who he is or who he is going to be. And who he is, is an almost grown prince - whose father still go with him for a concert. His parents thinks that the risk of letting him go out with his friends - before he becomes official at 18 years old is too big. But he longs for the day it becomes possible - to do like his peers and party to the bright morning. And finally Crown Prince Frederik turns 18 years old. Now the question arises whether you from tomorrow will have more time available? The playtime is about to pass, right? I think I will have the time - I could wish for. Very few 18-year-olds would look forward to that day - as the day Crown Prince Frederik stands through on his birthday. He is awakened by radiohost Gunna Nu Hansen flanked by 4 girls - dressed in net stockings where he presents the tired prince to the radio listeners. How does it feel, your royal highness, to suddenly go from being a more anonymous person to have the whole spotlight aimed at you? How is it? Have you been able to sleep tonight with just excitement? I have slept very well tonight.... Later, he rides a horse carriage through the city with his mother - and sits next to the Foreign Minister in the State Council. His 18th birthday ends here at Christiansborg in the Knights Hall. Today for the first time the Crown Prince carries the Elephant Order - which was given to him the day he was born. Today, he is allowed to wear it. Perhaps the party is not that party - one dreams of being one's first evening as 18 years old. My dear Frederik For 18 years, May 26 has been one of the special anniversaries of the year. Although in the last year you have felt that it could not go fast enough to become an adult - you also known its quite a mouthful sometimes - to turn 18 years with all that follows. Long live the Crown Prince! hurray, hurray, hurray! The birthday marks a step towards the freedom he longs for. Now he is allowed to drive a car, now he is allowed to party and a month after his 18th birthday he becomes a student. Finally, life is in front of him. The real life. And it must be lived. "Which direction would I go? Where did I wanted to go?" - HRH Crown Prince Frederik, from the book "Under bjælken". On Sunday, Denmark sends another expedition to Mongolia and China - and one of the participants is crown prince Frederik. At the end of July, he is going on an expedition to Mongolia. He has spoken it through with his grandmother. They agree that it is a good idea. It was me who wanted to, because we know Søren Haslund-Christensen. I heard he was going on an expedition. So I think I should take the opportunity. For a month and a half, Crown Prince Frederik is far away from everything. He carries equipment and get to see how life is on the other side of the world. There is not the usual help in Mongolia and it suits him well. Something has changed when he returns home. He seems relaxed and happy, even though the first thing he meets in the airport is journalists. Where was the best? Where was the best? I think that was outer Mongolia. What have you brought with you home? All sorts of strange things. Such as? I bought a little Buddha. A buddha? A buddha. Was it more excausting than it will be when you go to the military? It's hard to say, because I have not been in the military. The Crown Prince has made a decision about his life. You going to become a soldier this fall and try a new side of life. Crown Prince Frederik?
Here! He wants to be a soldier. Not like the royals before him - where you try a little bit of soldiers life, but do not complete the education. Together with all those called Jensen, Nielsen and Pedersen (typically danish surnames) - and those who come from the utmost parts of the kingdom. And now!
One, two, three. He has begun acquiring the skills that will make him the man he would like to be - and the king he needs to be. Military life suits Crown Prince Frederik well. So much, that he decides to become a Sergeant and since Lieutenant. While the press has been busy with Prince Joachim and his new girlfriend - Crown Prince Frederik got the command of a group of soldiers yesterday. It is a part of the Crown Prince's education. Crown Prince Frederik. Finally, he must choose for himself. And what he chooses seems to succeed. Crown Prince Frederik is hereby appointed from the 15. March 1988 as Lieutenant of the Reserve. But even though he is in the military, the official duties he has to do appears. 120 million Japanese people should be influenced to buy more items from Scandinavia. Crown Prince Frederik is in Japan to represent Denmark. For the first time, it is him and not his mother who is in the spotlight, at an event like this. When you are a crown prince, you write your own speeches? No, I have not done that yet. Because.. I have not had time and I do not known much about .. It has to be speeches that should mean something.. and not just quick words that do not matter. so it's not me who wrote them. A tight program is planned and maybe not so exciting program for a young man. The Crown Prince visited SAS. Mærsk Møller.. Representatives of the Industry Council .. and the Crown Prince of Japan. Before the crown prince went abroad, he was invited for dinner And then Crown Prince Frederik could see that his mother had been in the store once. The Crown Prince is 19 years old and wants to experience what Japan has to offer after closing time. Newspaper headlines: The disco Prince & Scandal in Tokyo. The press notice that he seems uninterested and tired during the day. He visits Hiroshima and only use a few seconds to remember the many victims of the atomic bomb in 1945. And when he is asked about the visit, he responds like this: Crown Prince Frederik, We have just visited Hiroshima. What does Hiroshima do to a young man? yeah for me, the horrors of war .. they are gone. As a new generation, one can not take into account of the past. It is the present and the contemporary impression that emphasizes me. You should properly not be that honest as a Crown Prince. After the visit, there is the impression of a poorly prepared crown prince - and with a lack of situational awareness. The difference between the official and the private Frederik is clear. The official Frederik is not driven by desire. And the private Frederik wants it all. And it should preferably go fast. Maybe a bit to fast. Go evening! This is the news for Wednesday, August 24th. Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim have been involved in a road accident in France. The Queen, Prince Henrik and the two princes have called for a press meeting. Here is the princess's own version of what happened The car hits a tree and hit another one after. It spins around and glides towards the river - located just below the opposite roadway. The Crown Prince was without fault in the accident. But it help draws the picture that he does not take his responsibility seriously. And that story only gets worse. Throne worthy? For a long period, it is widely accepted that the Crown Prince is not suitable to be a king. The Royal house's problem. And that fast cars and beautiful women means more to him than his duties. How do you react to the criticisms that is made? Yes, when it is myself that is being criticized, I usually take it easy - not, that I'm not listening and says its wrong. I notice what they are saying. But if it is my loved ones are beeing criticized, I'll be sad. I do not want… I do not like people who are cruel to my loved ones. And the first night in 1992, everything gets worse. Marie-Louise Aamund, Crown Prince Frederik's girlfriend, now acknowledges that she was driving in a drunk state. The Crown Prince and his girlfriend celebrated New Year's Eve in town When they want to go home, they get into his car while they wait to be picked up. They have been drinking. The Crown Prince reaches the key to his girlfriend so they can turn on the heat. Malou Aamund does not have a driving license and starts the car that runs 18 meters before the Police intervene. One can choose to see the Crown Prince's New Year's Maneuver - as a harmless youthful mistake - but then you reduce the monarchy - to a harmless institution for weeklies - as no one needs to take really seriously! In the time following, the newspapers and television are busy writing the story how Crown Prince Frederik has hurt the reputation of the Royal House. Some even declare that he is not fit to become king. The Crown Prince has told how wounded he felt after the New Year's Eve event. Yes. It was also one of the most unpleasant things we've been through. I think. Frederik should be punished. When you're 23 years old, and one stupidness not only puts one's loved ones at stake - but the constitution itself, then it is hard to exist. Sorry Welcome to the Department of Political Science. Crown Prince Frederik has moved to Aarhus to read Political Science at the university. Is it an education that is necessary to be a successor? Yeah, I think so. When he returns after the New Year in Copenhagen, he is deeply influenced by the media's criticism of him. He has got a mentor who decides to try to help Crown Prince Frederik through the crisis. Erik Albaek runs the marathon and asks the Crown Prince if he wants to start running together. Because if he is able to run a marathon race, it might show the Danes - that their Crown Prince can perform when it counts. If not, it will prove that Crown Prince Frederik is just as incompetent as many people expect him to be. How did it go? Better than calculated. It is a strange feeling. Congratulations. Thank you. A couple of weeks later, the Queen and Prince Henrik celebrates their silver wedding. And the crown prince is not finished showing the world his courage and man's heart. In his speech to the parents, he manages sharply - but also lovingly to cope with an upbringing that has not been easy. Parents often think that children are completely blind to how family life is around them. But nothing is more wrong. Children are there all the time. They are looking around and thinks about what they see. Papa, there is a saying; spare the rod and spoil the child. We never doubted your love. And a couple of weeks later, the national football team win the European Championship. And when seeing the crown prince standing in the audience's seats - - together with all of us, and is filled with the joy, like the rest of the nation - then we like him. "Hell no, now I don't wanna apologize anymore." - HRH Crown Prince Frederik, quote from a magazine called Euroman. Crown Prince Frederik's forces have become clear. And when he just does what he is good at, it goes well. But there are also things he must fight through. The Crown Prince want to complete an academic education. He works hard through the universerty and delivers a specialization about the Baltic countries. In the classes I've had with him - he has been there, as much as he have been able too and been diligent. At the beginning of 1995 he can breathe easily. He graduates from the university and is the first in the Danish royal family ever to do so. And then, his Royal Highness, is allowed to use the title - candidatus scientiarum politicarum. There is reason to be proud. Congratulations. How does it feel?
- Feels good. but he is not done.. Good morning, good morning. The time is quarter past five. We meet outside 5.30, dressed in riot gear. He has applied for admission to one of the defense's toughest programs. He wishes to be a navy seal. Are you ready? One minute from now. Yes, come on! 21, do you give up?
No! He has everything to lose, because the chance of completing is small. People around him try to tell him not to do it, but they are not successful. Over 300 people is seeking admission to the navy seals that year. It is required that you have professionalism, skills and courage. You must also be able to show will. If you do not have a will, you will not get through. Crown Prince Frederik enters the program with 12 others. He has met the same requirements as the other students and he has been with the other students throughout the period. It has not been made easier for him. He has been on the edge of the abyss - just as the other students have been. By following his heart, a part of himself and the royal institution he is a part of, he made it through the public storm. Now he is ready to cope with the future. It might seem that Denmark is, hopefully in a very long time again, gets a sailor king. A sailor king! Yes. When I first saw him in a sailor's uniform I became so proud! And I thought of my father who would have been immensely happy, proud and satisfied!
