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Princess Benedikte of Denmark

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Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid, born 29 April 1944) is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second daughter and child of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark. She is a younger sister of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and therefore an aunt of Margrethe's son, the current King of Denmark, Frederik X. She is also an older sister of Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.

Princess Benedikte
Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
Benedikte in 2025
Born (1944-04-29) 29 April 1944 (age 82)
Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1968; died 2017)​
IssueGustav, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
Princess Alexandra, Countess Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille
Princess Nathalie
Names
Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid
HouseGlücksburg[1]
FatherFrederik IX of Denmark
MotherIngrid of Sweden

Princess Benedikte often represents the Danish monarch at official or semi-official events. She and her late husband, Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, had three children. Princess Benedikte is currently tenth and last in the line of succession to the Danish throne.[2]

Early life

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Birth and family

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Princess Benedikte's birthplace: Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg

Benedikte was born on 29 April 1944 at Frederik VIII's Palace, her parents' residence at the Amalienborg palace complex, the principal residence of the Danish royal family in the district of Frederiksstaden in central Copenhagen. She was the second child and daughter of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Ingrid of Denmark. Her father was the eldest son of King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine of Denmark, and her mother was the only daughter of Crown Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught.

Her birth took place during Nazi Germany's Occupation of Denmark. The day after the birth of the princess, members of the Danish resistance group Holger Danske performed a salute of 21 bombs in the Ørstedsparken public park in central Copenhagen as a reference to the traditional 21-gun salute performed by the Danish Army and Navy at the occasion of royal births.[3]

She was baptised on 24 May, her parents' 9th wedding anniversary, at the Holmen Church in Copenhagen. Her godparents were King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine of Denmark (her paternal grandparents); Prince Gustav of Denmark (paternal grand-uncle); King Gustaf V of Sweden (maternal great-grandfather), Sigvard Bernadotte (maternal uncle); Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark (paternal aunt by marriage); Princess Ingeborg of Denmark (paternal grand-aunt); Princess Margaretha of Sweden (her father's first cousin); Sir Alexander Ramsay (maternal grand-uncle by marriage) and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom.[4]

Benedikte has one elder sister, Margrethe, former Queen of Denmark, and a younger sister, Anne Marie, who was born in 1946 and married Constantine II of Greece.

Childhood and education

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Princess Benedikte as a bridesmaid at the 1962 wedding of Princess Birgitta of Sweden and Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern

Benedikte and her sisters grew up in apartments at Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg in Copenhagen and in Fredensborg Palace in North Zealand. She spent the summer holidays with the royal family at her parents' summer residence at Gråsten Palace in Southern Jutland. On 20 April 1947, King Christian X died and Benedikte's father ascended the throne as King Frederik IX.

At the time of her father's accession to the throne, only males could ascend the throne of Denmark. As her parents had no sons, it was assumed that her uncle Prince Knud would one day assume the throne. The popularity of Frederik IX and his daughters and the more prominent role of women in Danish life paved the way for a new Act of Succession in 1953 which permitted female succession to the throne following the principle of male-preference primogeniture, where a female can ascend to the throne if she has no brothers. Benedikte's elder sister Margrethe therefore became heir presumptive, and Benedikte and Anne-Marie became second and third in the line of succession.

Benedikte was educated at N. Zahle's School, a private school in Copenhagen, followed by stays at an English boarding school, Benenden School in Kent (1957), and a Swiss finishing school, Brillantmont International School in Lausanne (1960-1961).[5] In 1965, she took a class at Margrethe-Skolen, a private fashion and design school in Copenhagen.[6]

Marriage

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Princess Benedikte with Prince Richard before their marriage

Benedikte was married on 3 February 1968 at Fredensborg Palace Church to Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (1934–2017). They had three children:

Upon her marriage, it was decided that Benedikte's children would need to be raised in Denmark in order to have succession rights. Since the condition was not met, Benedikte's three children are not in line to succeed to the throne.[7] The children of Benedikte are styled as Highnesses by a Danish Order in Council.

While she and her husband resided at Berleburg Castle, Benedikte and her family retained a close connection to Denmark. Since her husband's death in 2017, her primary residence has been her apartment at Christian VIII's Palace in Copenhagen.

Interests

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Princess Benedikte at the summer camp of The Danish Guide and Scout Association in 1999

Benedikte has undertaken official engagements for the Danish royal family since her youth, particular within the areas of equestrianism, scouting, disabilities and illnesses as well as children and youths. After Queen Ingrid's death in 2000, she took over several of her patronages and additionally began receiving a yearly appanage. Among her patronages are SOS Children's Villages (Denmark), Parasport Denmark and the National Association against Eating Disorders and Self-Harm. As of April 2026, Benedikte holds 23 patronages.[8]

Equestrianism

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Benedikte is very involved in equestrian sport and is patron of the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses, the Danish Warmblood Association and Hestens Værn.[9] In 1992, she became patron of the Danish Equestrian Federation (DRF). Following revelations about the handling of cases of animal cruelty within the federation as well as allegations of leadership misconduct from members of the board (on which her daughter, Nathalie, was a member) of the federation in 2024, Benedikte withdrew her patronage.[10] The then chairman of the DRF, Dan Boyter, was revealed to have contacted the private secretaries of both Benedikte and her nephew, King Frederik X, in an effort to have Princess Nathalie (who was among 4 members of the board to raise a motion of no confidence and subsequently file a complain with the National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark's Ethics Committee against Boyter) removed from the board.[11]

In 2006, she ran in an election for president of the International Equestrian Federation, but she was heavily defeated, earning only 16 votes and placing last out of the three candidates.[12]

Scouting

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Benedikte was introduced to the scouting movement when she was a teenager by her mother who had been an active patron of the Danish Girl Guides since 1936.[13] When she was a child, a special Scout unit was created so that she could join the Guides. In 1963, at the age of 19, Benedikte stepped in for her mother, who had fallen ill, and opened the Guiding World Conference in Nyborg with a speech held in both English and French.[7]

Benedikte has retained a close commitment to Girl Guide and Girl Scout organisations in Denmark as well as internationally. She succeeded her mother as chairman of Pigespejdernes Fællesråd Danmark (Joint Committee of Girl Guides in Denmark). She is patron of De grønne pigespejdere (The Green Girl Guides, Denmark), Det Danske Spejderkorps (The Danish Guide and Scout Association) and the Danish YWCA in London. In addition, she is patron of the Olave Baden Powell Society (OB-PS), a support organisation for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. She is an honorary member of the St George's Guilds in Denmark. In 2007, she was awarded with a prize of honour by this Scout association for adults.[14]

Honours and awards

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Benedikte's monogram

As Princess of Denmark, Benedikte is entitled to the style "Her Royal Highness".[8]

Honours

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National

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Orders and appointments
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Medals and decorations
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Foreign

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Ancestry

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References

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Citations

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  1. ↑ "150 years of the House of Glücksborg". 15 November 2013. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Succession to the throne Archived 8 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine – Official website of the Danish Monarchy
  3. ↑ Peter Øvig Knudsen: Efter drabet (s. 191), forlaget Press, Oslo 2003, ISBN 82-7547-119-2
  4. ↑ Prinsesse Benediktes fødsel og dåb Archived 3 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine – Website of the Danish National Archives.
  5. ↑ Courtney, Nicholas (1986). Princess Anne: A Biography. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 9780297789581. Retrieved 22 April 2020. The school helped too, although Miss Gee admitted to having a Royal charge 'a bit of a shock, but we had had a princess at Benenden before - a Danish one [Benedikte] - and after she [Anne] had arrived, it was all perfectly normal.
  6. ↑ "Stilfuld stilfærdighed" (in Danish). Kristeligt Dagblad. 28 April 2004. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  7. 1 2 ""Pligten fremfor alt". Den mest kongelige prinsesse fylder 80 år" (in Danish). Kristeligt Dagblad. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Her Royal Highness Princess Benedikte". Danish Royal Court. Archived from the original on 12 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  9. ↑ "Three candidates for the FEI Presidency". FEI. International Equestrian Federation. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "Prinsesse Benedikte stopper som protektor for skandaleramt rideforbund" (in Danish). Altinget.dk. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  11. ↑ "Rideformand afviser: Opkald til kongens privatsekretær var ikke for at presse prinsesse Nathalie" (in Danish). Danmarks Radio. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  12. ↑ "Haya of Jordan Elected FEI President". Phelps Sports. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  13. ↑ Bloch Skipper, Jon (2008). Tre søstre. Copenhagen: Lindhardt og Ringhof. ISBN 9788711300602.
  14. ↑ Rosenbom, Niels (December 2007). "Prize of honour to HRH Princess Benedikte". World Gazette Mondiale-News from the International Scout and Guide Fellowship (an organisation for adults)-ISGF. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 2 February 2008.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 "Honors list". translate.google.com.
  16. ↑ ChristinZ [@ChristinsQueens] (6 December 2024). "Princess Benedikte was awarded the second class (1st Class) of the Order of Virtues (Al-Kamal) by Egyptian President" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  17. ↑ "Onorificenze – Dettaglio del conferimento". quirinale.it. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  18. ↑ "Photo" (PDF). www.boe.es.
  19. ↑ "The Duchess of Calabria and HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark jointly hold charity event for the Olave Baden Powell Association - Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George". 17 October 2002.

Bibliography

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  • Bloch Skipper, Jon (2008). Tre søstre : samtaler mellem dronning Margrethe, prinsesse Benedikte og dronning Anne-Marie [Three sisters: conversations between Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte and Queen Anne-Marie] (in Danish). Copenhagen: Lindhardt og Ringhof. ISBN 978-87-11-30060-2.
  • Bramsen, Bo (1992). Huset Glücksborg. Europas svigerfader og hans efterslægt [The House of Glücksburg. The Father-in-law of Europe and his descendants] (in Danish) (2nd ed.). Copenhagen: Forlaget Forum. ISBN 87-553-1843-6.
  • Lerche, Anna; Mandal, Marcus (2003). A royal family : the story of Christian IX and his European descendants. Copenhagen: Aschehoug. ISBN 9788715109577.
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