As Margrethe steps down in Denmark, Europe's palaces are braced for a wave of change. So meet the new (and very female) future...

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The tectonic plates are shifting. Denmark’s Queen Margrethe has handed over the reins of power after 52 years on the throne. 

And even that marathon shift  was overshadowed by the extraordinary 70 year reign of Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away in September 2022.

European royalty is entering uncharted waters – the more so as widespread legal changes mean that in the majority of countries, girls are now entitled to inherit the crown.

We know all about King Charles III, who after seven decades of waiting for the crown, must be one of the most closely scrutinised figures in the world.

After Sunday’s accession to the throne, King Frederik of Denmark, too, must get used to a life lived in unforgiving spotlight of publicity.

We know about Prince William. But what about the others now waiting in the wings? 

Meet the princes and princesses whose time has almost come 

Princess Leonor of Spain, 18

Leonor, Princess of Asturias and heir to the Spanish throne, is riding a wave of popular enthusiasm following her 18th birthday and a special ceremony of dedication to the constitution.

Crowds lined the streets and a country often thought of as political fractious was united.

Leonor is the eldest daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia and heir presumptive to the Spanish throne, but only  so long as her parents don’t give birth to a son.

Spain still have male primogeniture when it comes to the crown and its succession.

(Although the arrival of a baby brother now seems vanishingly unlikely).

Her sister, Princess Sofía, is two years her junior.

Leonor has been honing her skills to become queen from a young age and is believed to speak four languages.

The composed princess gave her first public speech in 2018 when she was just 13 years old to mark the 40th anniversary of the Spanish constitution.

In 2019, she delivered an impressive speech at the Princess of Girona Foundation Awards in Barcelona in four languages – Spanish, Catalan, English and Arabic.

As well as inheriting her mother’s polished sense of style, she has reportedly learned how to play tennis, sail, perform gymnastics and play the cello.

Crown Princess Leonor of Spain attends the “Princesa De Asturias” Awards 2023

This is the first time that Princess Leonor attends the Military Easter ceremony, and she does so in her dress uniform as a cadet at the General Military Academy

Leonor,  pictured centre left, with her father King Felipe VI, sister Princess Sofia and mother Queen Letizia. Leonor remains heir to the throne unless her parents give birth to a son

Princess Leonor, eldest daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, on a visit to famous pilgrimage town, Santiago de Compostela in 2022

The talented teenager, pictured in Barcelona last year, has been honing her skills to become a monarch from a young age and is believed to speak four languages

Leonor, heir to the Spanish throne, is awarded the Order of the Golden Fleece in 2018

The Spanish heir to the throne pictured in 2021 at UWC Atlantic College in Wales

The royal made her first solo appearance without her mother and father aged 15 as she presided over the Cervantes Institute’s 30th anniversary in Madrid in 2021.

She was welcomed by the then Deputy Prime Minister, Carmen Calvo and the director of the Cervantes Institute, Luis García Montero, sitting front row at the event.

Six months later, the princess headed to Wales to study at the private Atlantic College.

Nicknamed ‘Hippie Hogwarts’, the school curriculum has included unusual activities such as Tai Chi and Tibetan literature. It has a remarkable cliff top location in a 12th century castle in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Leonor enrolled on a £67,000, two-year course to study for her International Baccalaureate diploma at the school, which she has now completed.

Meanwhile, Leonor was recently pictured at military school for the first time as she embarks upon three years of training.

The heir to the Spanish throne must complete the three years in line with tradition as she follows the path of her father, King Felipe.

It has also been revealed that the young Princess would go on to study law at university once her training with the military is complete, although her choice of university has not yet been revealed.

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway

Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon during  Italian State Visit on May 11, 2023 in Oslo, Norway

Haakon and Erling Braut Haaland play a friendly football match in 2022

Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon attends the welcoming ceremony for the Italian State Visit last May

Haakon of Norway and Crown Princess Mette-Marit attend a reception at Buckingham Palace for overseas guests ahead of the Coronation

 Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visits Drai Eechelen Museum with Stephanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg during a one day visit to Luxembourg in 2017

Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg attends National Day parade on June 23, 2018 in Luxembourg

King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima are pictured with Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stephanie at a 2018 concert in Luxembourg

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg with their son Prince Charles of Luxembourg

Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, 20

Catharina-Amalia, daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands

The heir to the throne (far right) also has two younger sisters, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane, pictured together with their parents in Amsterdam in 2022

Catharina-Amalia became the heir apparent when her grandmother Queen Beatrix abdicated in 2013.

The Queen’s son, Willem-Alexander, took over as monarch and Catharina-Amalia became Princess of Orange.

Along with her sisters Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane, Catharina-Amalia spent the early years of her life at Eikenhorst Villa in Wassenaar, an affluent suburb of The Hague.

Willem-Alexander once said in an interview: ‘We do our best to be really with them – on holidays or weekends or even at breakfast in the mornings.’

The family enjoyed days out cycling and to the beach, and holidays to Argentina,  the homeland of Amalia’s mother, Queen Maxima.

The family moved to Huis ten Bosch, the royal palace in The Hague, when Willem-Alexander became monarch n 2013.

The Princess attended school at the Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet in The Hague where she sat on the student council and took part in the Model United Nations of the International School of The Hague.

The princess took a gap year before starting her degree and turned down a €1.6 million yearly allowance that she would have been entitled to when she turned 18

The young princess joined her parents for a two-week tour of the Dutch Caribbean Islands earlier this year – her first official tour of her career

She decided to take a gap year before starting her degree and turned down a €1.6 million yearly allowance that she would have been entitled to when she turned 18.

Writing a letter to Prime Minister Mark Rutte, she said that she would not feel comfortable taking the money without performing royal duties.

The letter, published by NOS, the Dutch public news broadcaster, read: ‘On 7 December 2021, I will be 18 and, according to the law, receive an allowance.

‘I find that uncomfortable as long as I do not do anything for it in return, and while other students have a much tougher time of it, particularly in this period of coronavirus.’

In September last year, the Princess began studying Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics at the University of Amsterdam and revealed she would live in a rented house share with her fellow students.

However, the Princess was forced to move out of her student accommodation and return to The Hague the following month fearing a gangland plot to kidnap her.

Earlier this year, the royal opened up about ‘missing normal life’ over the incident and in a clip shared by NOS, she said: ‘I’m going to be very honest, I’m still having a very hard time.

‘I miss the normal life, the life of a student. Walking the streets, being able to go to a store,’ she added.

Her mother, Queen Maxima, spoke openly during a state visit to Sweden with her husband King Willem-Alexander and was quoted by Dutch news agency ANP saying: ‘She can hardly leave the house.

‘The consequences are very difficult for her. There is no student life for her like others have,’ she added with an unusual candour.

In an authorised biography entitled Amalia, released in 2021, the royal admitted she did not feel ready to be Queen yet.

She travelled to the Dutch Caribbean islands of Bonaire, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba with her father King Willem-Alexander and mother Queen Maxima

Princess Amalia and mother queen Maxima on a two-week Caribbean tour

She said she would ask her mother to step in temporarily if her father were to die suddenly.

‘But I said to my father: you just keep on eating healthy and exercising a lot,’ the teenage princess added.

Biographer Claudia de Breij revealed Amalia had a part-time job at a beachside cafe, feels self-conscious when she is recognised by members of the public and would pursue a career as a singer or equestrian – she is a keen jockey with a horse named Mojito – if she was not destined to be queen.

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, 22

Princess Elisabeth, daughter of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, is heir to the Belgian throne

The eldest daughter of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, she is pictured with her parents and Princess Eleonore (far left) Prince Gabriel and Prince Emmanuel (far right)

The young royal, pictured on her 21st birthday last year, is another student of Atlantic College in Wales. She gained her International Baccalaureate in 2020

Princess Elisabeth is the eldest of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium’s four children.

The law was changed in 1991 so that the eldest child, regardless of whether they are a son or daughter, would be the next to inherit the throne. When her father became King in 2013, Elisabeth became the heir to the throne and Duchess of Brabant.

The young royal was also a former student of Atlantic College in Wales, obtaining her International Baccalaureate in 2020.

She then completed a one-year course in social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy which is said to teach in-depth about the four components of Belgian defence: Army, Air Force, Navy and Medical.

In 2021, she was photographed at the Lagland camp in Arlon, where she marched in formation with her fellow cadets.

For the officer cadets of the Royal Military Academy, this camp is part of the last training phase for first year students, and constitutes part of the Initial Military Phase.

The law was changed in 1991 so that the eldest child inherits the throne regardless of gender

In October 2021, the Princess began studying History and Politics at Lincoln College, Oxford

She completed a one-year course in social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy

In October 2021, the Princess began studying History and Politics at Lincoln College, Oxford.

According to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, the princess completed a written entrance exam in history ‘anonymously’ so that her social status would not affect her marks.

Elisabeth is believed to have chosen the course herself, in agreement with her parents, and reportedly consulted with graduates from various universities and made her decision based on what would be most useful to her in her role as queen later in life.

The high-achieving Princess, who is fluent in Dutch, French, German and English, continues to juggle her degree with military training back home.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Daniel of Sweden during a state banquet for the Dutch State visit to Sweden in  2022

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden holds a pint of beer she’d pulled herself after a visit to the Three Blackbirds Pub, Woodditton in Cambridgeshire

Victoria of Sweden and daughter Princess Estelle of Sweden attend a gala diner to celebrate the 18th birthday of Prince Christian of Denmark last year

Today the princess plays an assured role as heir to the throne, but life was not always so straightforward. In fact, she has been unusually open about her teenage struggles with anorexia.

Victoria has found herself at the cutting edge of another struggle, also – the right of women to inherit ahead of their brothers, as had been traditional.

In 1979, Sweden was among the very first monarchies to introduce absolute primogeniture, a move only followed by the United Kingdom in 2013.

The Crown Princess, now 45 years old, began to assist her parents King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia with their work after turning 18 in 1995.

But this came at a cost, she has explained. Being first in line to the Swedish throne meant she put intense pressure on herself to the detriment of her health.

‘I wanted all the time to do and be so much more than I realistically could do, or could be,’ she said.

When she is crowned, Victoria will become the first reigning queen in the royal family of Sweden since 1818 following the parliamentary change to the Act of Succession that introduced absolute primogeniture.

In November 1997, the palace announced she was suffering from an eating disorder.

This followed an intense wave of public concern after she was photographed looking noticeably thinner in a sleeveless dress at the Order of the Innocence Ball in April of that year.

Just as the 20-year-old Victoria was due to start at Sweden’s Uppsala University, she knew she needed to get help and postponed her place, deciding to take time for herself in the United States instead.

She said: ‘In the US, I got professional help, which was really important for me. Just learning to put words to feelings and thus, be able to set limits and to not push myself too much, which I found easy. I wanted all the time so much more than I could do, or could be.’

During an interview marking her 21st birthday, she revealed she had turned a corner and thanked the media for allowing her privacy to recover.

‘It’s not always about external problems. It can also come from within, and it can happen to everyone, not only young girls but also boys’.

She added: ‘I needed time to sort things out and get my balance back again.

‘I needed to get to know myself, discover where my limits were, not constantly push myself too much.’

Although this period in her life was incredibly difficult, which she said ‘it takes time, and hurts very much’, it also led her to her husband.

She met her now-husband, Prince Daniel, 49, who was her former personal trainer following doctor-ordered sessions.

The couple were married in 2010 after a long-term relationship, and are now parents to Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland, 11, and Prince Oscar, Duke of Skåne, seven.

The mother-of-two is a full-time working member of the Swedish Royal Family, and as an ambassador in the Sustainable Development Goals Advocacy Group, she primarily works with issues concerning water and health.

Victoria admitted that to this day she continues to set a high drive for perfectionism, however, now she uses it to focus on her love for her country.

She said: ‘The downside is that you will never be completely satisfied. But it’s not entirely negative, of course, for this also applies to want to evolve and do my best. And that is what drives me to help Sweden.’

During her interview Victoria also spoke of her daughter, Princess Estelle, and how she sees a likeness in their qualities.

The Crown Princess said: ‘She is very courageous and social, and it is an asset in life and perhaps especially in the role she has. She is very curious about people.’

She explained how her daughter’s character would serve as a strength for when she ascends to the throne as Queen one day, adding that she gets her sociable nature from both her parents.

Victoria intends to let her ‘children be children’ away from the limelight and will introduce them gradually into their roles as royals, according to People.

Born in 2012, Princess Estelle is the eldest child of Crown Princess Victoria and is next in line to the Swedish throne after her mother.

The princess previously attended a preschool near Stockholm which followed the Ur and Skur outdoor teaching methods to focus on the natural world.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden poses with her family during celebrations for her 45th birthday in 2022

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden gives livestock feed made from harvested water reed last year

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Daniel leave their hotel for the wedding of Crown Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah of Jordan last year

She now attends Campus Manilla in Stockholm where she was joined last year by her younger brother, Prince Oscar.

The young Princess Estelle regularly makes appearances with her mother Crown Princess Victoria and her father Daniel Westling.

She carried out her first royal engagement in 2014 at just two years old when she opened a ‘fairytale path’ at Linköping Castle.

Crown Prince Christian of Denmark, 18

Prince Christian of Denmark, 17, is the eldest child and only son of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark with Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine at the Danish Church in Paris in May

Frederik and Mary of Denmark pose for photographs with their son Christian on his first day of School in August 2011

Prince Christian of Denmark, 17, is the eldest child and only son of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary.

And following his father Frederik’s accession to the throne on Sunday, he is next in line.

Christian was born on October 15, 2005, at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, and is known by his title of Count of Monpezat.

Prince Frederik and his wife followed the Danish tradition when naming their son – where each king alternates between the names Frederik and Christian.

This meant that a son born to Crown Prince Frederik would be called Christian.

Christian’s two middle names, Henri and John, are taken from his two grandfathers.

Just over a year later, the young Prince made his first visit to Australia at the end of 2006, with the family travelling to Tasmania to visit Princess Mary’s relatives.

Mary and Frederik chose to keep their son’s upbringing relatively private in his early years.

He is next in-line to the throne of Denmark behind his father

Mary and Frederik chose to keep their son’s upbringing relatively private in his early years

The Danish Royal Family during the 2022 confirmation of Princess Isabella of Denmark in Fredensborg, Denmark

It wasn’t until 2012 that Christian eventually attended his first official royal engagement with his grandmother, the Queen.

His parents broke away from royal tradition when they decided to enrol him in preschool in 2007 and again in 2011 when he went on to primary school.

Christian became the first Danish royal to attend a public state school, Tranegårdskolen in Hellerup, and his siblings, Princess Isabella of Denmark, 15, and Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 10, joined him in the years that followed.

At the start of 2020, all four of the royal children began a 12-week program at the Lemania-Verbier International School in Switzerland. But, just weeks into their studies the COVID-19 pandemic hit and they returned to Denmark.

Christian is currently undertaking the final years of his education at Ordrup Gymnasium, a public school in Copenhagen.

In June, Princess Mary’s eldest son shocked royal fans with a bold announcement ahead of his 18th birthday. The young prince will break protocol by forgoing his royal allowance to instead focus on his education.

Christian is currently undertaking the final years of his education at Ordrup Gymnasium

Crown Prince Christian is a keen sportsman. He plays football, rides horses and regularly takes part in runs with his parents

While the future Danish King is entitled to government funding once he reaches adulthood, he will not accept payments and become a full-time royal until he is 21 years of age.

The statement to the Royal House’s Instagram page said Christian will refrain from the spotlight but one day return to making public appearances in an official capacity.

Prince Christian only appears on major events with the Danish royal family, including the recent 83rd birthday celebrations of Queen Margrethe.

There has been recent speculation that  Christian has become close to Princess Maria Chiara di Borbone-Two Sicilies.

Prince Christian is fluent in Danish, English and French and is a keen sportsman. He plays football, rides horses and regularly takes part in runs with his parents.

And one who has faces a bit of a wait…

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, 19

Princess Ingrid Alexandra, pictured in 2022,  is in line to inherit the Norwegian crown

Norway’s Princess Ingrid Alexandra (front centre) poses for a family photo with (front L and R) Norway’s King Harald V and Norway’s Queen Sonja and (back LtoR) Marit Tjessem, Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, Norway’s Prince Sverre Magnus and Marius Borg Hoiby on the occasion of a gala dinner for her 18th birthday in Oslo on June 17, 2022.

Ingrid Alexandra attended the same local primary school as her half-brother, Marius Borg Høiby. Here she is pictured for National Day celebrations at the royal residence in Skaugum

Second in line to the throne after her father, Princess Ingrid is the daughter of Crown Prince Haakon, 50,  and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. She is granddaughter of current ruler, King Harald V of Norway, 86.

Ingrid Alexandra will become Norway’s second female monarch after her father secured her place in the line of succession by changing the law to allow first-born daughters to ascend the throne over their younger male siblings.

The last Norwegian queen was 600 years ago: Queen Margaret reigned over Norway, Denmark and Sweden from the late 1380s until her death in 1412.

Ingrid has a younger brother, Prince Sverre Magnus and an older half-brother, Marius Borg Høiby, who is Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship.

In an attempt by her parents to give her as ordinary a childhood as possible, Ingrid Alexandra attended the same local primary school as her half-brother.

Newspaper reports said the princess would walk to school with Marius and school officials hoped to make it a place where she could make friends and enjoy some relief from public scrutiny.

She was later moved to a private international school in Oslo so she could become fluent in English and transferred to two more schools during her education.

The princess turned 18 at the start of last year and joined her grandfather, King Harald V, on the day for a cabinet meeting at the Royal Palace as she marked her coming of age.

In 2021, the princess visited a female-only squadron of the army to learn more about their work and co-piloted a plane during a tour of a Norwegian air force base

She was moved to a private international school in Oslo so she could become fluent in English. Pictured with Manchester City’s Norwegian star  Erling Haaland for a friendly game

In the next few years, she will increase her public profile and take on more responsibilities on behalf of the royal family but will continue to focus on her education, said the palace in a statement on her 18th birthday.

The pandemic meant that formal celebrations for the princess’s birthday were postponed. But she later held a glamorous party in June 2022 to mark the event in style.

A host of European royals were invited, including Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and King Felipe VI of Spain – all of whom are godparents of the princess, with their spouses.

A group of young princesses also enjoyed the party, including Princess Estelle of Sweden, Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium – all of whom are also in line to inherit the throne in their respective countries.

Ingrid Alexandra has taken part in a number of public engagements, including opening a public sculpture park within the palace gardens in her name in 2016 to mark the 25th anniversary of King Harald V’s reign.

She was shown given Prince William and Kate a tour of the sculpture park while they visited Norway in 2018.

The royal also toured several army and air force bases in Norway to learn more about the country’s armed forces. When she ascends the throne, she will become commandant of Norway’s armies.

In 2021, she visited a female-only squadron of the army to learn more about their work and co-piloted a plane during a tour of a royal air force base.

Sitting in the backseat of an F-16 fighter jet, the teenage princess observed as a trained pilot flew it away from the base, and later was allowed to control it briefly during a flight over Northern Norway.

She was also a bridesmaid at the wedding of her godmother, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, in 2010. 

Aside from her royal duties, Ingrid Alexandra enjoys skiing, boxer and surfer, winning a gold medal in the Norwegian surfing championship for juniors in October 2020.