Count Christian of Rosenborg facts for kids

Count Christian of Rosenborg (born Christian Frederik Franz Knud Harald Carl Oluf Gustav Georg Erik; October 22, 1942 – May 21, 2013) was a member of the Danish royal family. He was born as Prince Christian of Denmark.

From 1947, he was third in line to the Danish throne. However, this changed in 1953. The Danish constitution was updated to allow women to inherit the crown. This placed his family branch behind his cousin Margrethe and her two younger sisters. Later, he gave up his royal title and his right to the throne. He did this so he could marry someone who was not royal.

He served as a War Captain in the Royal Danish Navy.

Family Background

Christian was born at Sorgenfri Palace in Sorgenfri, Denmark. He was the younger son of Hereditary Prince Knud. His mother was Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, who was also his father's first cousin.

Changes to the Royal Succession

When his grandfather, King Christian X, died in 1947, Christian was third in line to the throne. Only his father, Prince Knud, and his older brother, Prince Ingolf, were ahead of him. Prince Knud was the heir presumptive, meaning he was expected to become king. This was because King Frederik IX, Christian's uncle, had three daughters but no sons.

In 1953, Denmark's constitution was changed. This new rule allowed for "cognatic primogeniture." This means that the oldest child, regardless of gender, could inherit the throne. Because of this, thirteen-year-old Princess Margrethe became the new heir presumptive. She and her two sisters were now ahead of Prince Knud and his family in the line of succession.

This change moved Christian down to sixth in line. More importantly, he was now behind Margrethe and others who would likely have royal children. Princess Margrethe became Queen Margrethe II in 1972. She ruled until she stepped down in 2024. If Christian had still been eligible, his place in the line of succession would have been much lower by 2013.

Marriage and Giving Up Royal Rights

By 1971, Princess Margrethe had two children. This pushed Christian further down the line of succession, to eighth place. At this point, he decided to give up his right to the throne. He did this by marrying without getting official permission from the monarch. His brother Ingolf had made a similar choice three years earlier.

Christian did not ask for the king's permission to marry. This was because his fiancée, Anne Dorte Maltoft-Nielsen, was not from a royal or noble family. At that time, it was expected that permission would be denied for such a marriage. While King Frederik IX had made some rules more flexible, allowing royal spouses who were not royal but had noble connections, marrying a commoner without any title was still not allowed. It wasn't until 1995 that Queen Margrethe II allowed her children to marry commoners without noble titles.

When Christian gave up his rights, he was given the title of count of Rosenborg. He was also given the special address of Excellency. This was a common practice in the 20th century for Danish princes who gave up their royal rights.

Before his older son's wedding in 1968, Prince Knud tried to convince his brother, the King, to let Ingolf keep his royal title after his non-royal marriage. He hoped this privilege might also be given to Christian later. But the King refused. He worried that other royal men who had become counts of Rosenborg after marrying commoners might try to reclaim their royal rank. So, in 1971, Christian gave up his rights to the throne and became Count of Rosenborg.

On February 27, 1971, Christian married Anne Dorte Maltoft-Nielsen. The wedding took place at Kongens Lyngby Kirke in Lyngby, Denmark. Anne Dorte (born October 3, 1947, in Frederikssund – died January 2, 2014, in Copenhagen) became Her Excellency Countess Anne Dorte of Rosenborg. Even though they didn't get official royal permission beforehand, the King did not object to his nephew's choice of bride. Christian later said that the King's private approval had to be officially recorded.

In an interview in 1985, Count Christian explained his decision: "I had to ask my uncle, King Frederik IX, if he had any objections to my getting engaged. I knew I would have to give up my title of prince and my right to the throne if I married her. I was number four in line after Princess Margrethe, Princess Benedikte, and my father. My brother, Ingolf, had lost his princely title and succession right two years before when he married a commoner. Now I was ready to follow him. To me, it didn't matter if I were in line for the throne or not. My uncle, of course, had nothing against a marriage between Anne Dorte and me."

Count Christian and Countess Anne Dorte had three daughters:

• Countess Josephine Caroline Elisabeth of Rosenborg (born October 29, 1972, in Frederikssund)
  • She married Thomas Christian Schmidt in 1998 and had two children:
    • Julius Christian Emil Schmidt (born December 1, 2001)
    • Clara Dorthe Elisabeth Schmidt (born November 28, 2004)
  • She married Kenneth Schmidt in 2019.
• Countess Camilla Alexandrine Cristine of Rosenborg (born October 29, 1972, in Frederikssund)
  • She married Mikael Rosanes in 1995 and had four children:
    • Anastasia Caroline Amalie Rosanes (born November 24, 1997)
    • Ludwig Christian Mikael Rosanes (born June 5, 2000)
    • Leopold Christian Ingolf Rosanes (born April 15, 2005)
    • Theodor Christian John Rosanes (born June 19, 2008)
  • She married Ivan Ottesen in 2018.
• Countess Feodora Mathilde Helena of Rosenborg (born February 27, 1975, in Frederikssund)
  • She married Eric Hervé Patrice Patte in 2004 and later divorced in 2006.
  • She married Morten Rønnow in 2008 and had one child:
    • Caroline-Mathilde Margrethe Rønnow (born February 1, 2009)

All three daughters were born with the title "Komtesser," which is a lower title than "Grevinde" (Countess). This is the traditional title given to all daughters of Counts in Denmark from birth.

Public Appearances

Count Christian often took part in important public events with the royal family. In 2004, he and Countess Anne Dorte attended the wedding of Crown Prince Frederik at Copenhagen Cathedral. They also went to the reception at Fredensborg Palace.

They were also present at the Memorial Service for Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia in 2006. In 2009, they were on the official guest list for the 75th birthday celebration of Prince Henrik at Fredensborg Palace. They also attended the ruby jubilee celebrations for Queen Margrethe.

Death

Count Christian passed away on May 21, 2013, at the age of 70. He died at Gentofte Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark. Many members of the Danish royal family, including Queen Margrethe, attended his funeral. The service was held at Lyngby Church on May 29, 2013. His wife, Countess Anne Dorte of Rosenborg, died just seven months later, on January 2, 2014, in Copenhagen.