King Frederik has officially taken over 14 patronages from Queen Margrethe in connection with the recent succession to the throne, the royal house announced in a press release. In addition to these patronages, King Frederik has also taken on six new ones and will keep eight of his previous patronages. This brings his total number of patronages to 28, a decrease from the previous 33. As part of the succession on January 14, patronages and honorary duties for King Frederik, Queen Mary, and Queen Margrethe were discontinued. On Thursday, the royal house announced which previous patronages will be continued and how they will be distributed. In addition, a number of new patronages have been added. Queen Margrethe will retain 20 out of the 81 patronages she held before the succession. Queen Mary will take over three patronages from Queen Margrethe and continue 16 of her previous 31 patronages, while also taking on five new ones. The succession has also prompted a review of the patronages previously held by Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, and Princess Benedikte. Before the succession, the royal family collectively had 258 patronages. This number has now been reduced to 140, according to the royal house, in order to consider the other duties of the royals so they can engage more in the selected patronages.
In the press release, the royal couple express their pride in being able to continue and influence the tradition of patronages. They emphasize that the purpose of the royal patronages is to support initiatives that promote Danish culture, science, and entrepreneurship, protect nature, give a voice to the vulnerable in society, and strengthen communities. In the future, the royal house’s patronages will be limited to five years, after which associations and organizations will have to apply for an extension. According to the royal house, this will allow the royals to continuously take on new patronages in line with the development of society.