Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (July 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Knud
Hereditary Prince of Denmark
Knud in 1935
Born	(1900-07-27)27 July 1900 Sorgenfri Palace, Lyngby-Taarbæk, Copenhagen, Denmark
Died	14 June 1976(1976-06-14) (aged 75) Copenhagen, Denmark
Burial	Roskilde Cathedral
Spouse	Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark ​ ​ (m. 1933)​
Issue	Princess Elisabeth Count Ingolf of Rosenborg Count Christian of Rosenborg
Names Knud Christian Frederik Michael
House	Glücksburg
Father	Christian X of Denmark
Mother	Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Religion	Church of Denmark

Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark (Knud Christian Frederik Michael; 27 July 1900 – 14 June 1976) was a member of the Danish royal family, the younger son and child of King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine.

From 1947 to 1953, he was heir presumptive to his older brother, King Frederick IX, and would have succeeded him as king following his death in January 1972 had it not been for a change in the Danish Act of Succession that replaced him with his niece, Queen Margrethe II.

Early life and marriage[]

Prince Knud was born on 27 July 1900 at his parents' country residence, the Sorgenfri Palace, located on the shores of the small river Mølleåen in Kongens Lyngby north of Copenhagen on the island of Zealand in Denmark, during the reign of his great-grandfather King Christian IX. His parents were Prince Christian of Denmark, son of the heir apparent Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark, and Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Knud's only sibling, Prince Frederick, had been born one year before him.

Christian IX died on 29 January 1906, and Knud's grandfather succeeded him as Frederick VIII. Six years later, on 14 May 1912, Frederick VIII died, and Knud's father ascended the throne as Christian X.

As was customary for princes at that time, Knud started a military education and entered the naval college. He married his first cousin, Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, on 8 September 1933 at Fredensborg Palace. She was a daughter of Frederick VIII's son Harald. Knud and Caroline-Mathilde had three children: Princess Elisabeth, Prince Ingolf and Prince Christian.

Heir presumptive[]

On 20 April 1947, Christian X died, and Knud's brother Frederick succeeded to the throne as Frederick IX. Since Frederick IX had fathered no sons and the Danish Act of Succession at the time followed the principle of agnatic primogeniture, Prince Knud became heir presumptive and next in line to succeed his brother as king.

Frederick IX had, however, fathered three daughters. In 1953, the Danish Act of Succession was amended to follow the principle of male-preference primogeniture. The new law made Frederick IX's thirteen-year-old daughter Margrethe the new heir presumptive, placing her and her two sisters before Knud and his family in the line of succession. Prince Knud called the electorate "a shower of bastards" for voting for the change.

Later life and legacy[]

King Frederick IX died in 1972 and was succeeded by his daughter Queen Margrethe II. Prince Knud died in Gentofte on 14 June 1976. He was buried at Roskilde Cathedral. His widow died on 12 December 1995.

In 1953 a students' home in Frederiksberg was named "Arveprins Knuds Kollegium" in honor of Prince Knud. At the time, Prince Knud was protector of Sydslesvigsk Studie- og Hjælpefond (Study and relief fund of Southern Schleswig),(see Danish minority of Southern Schleswig), an area that could be considered the birthplace of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the royal family of which Knud was a part.

The Princess Caroline-Mathilde Alps in Greenland were named by the 1938–39 Mørkefjord Expedition in his wife's honour for Prince Knud had been the patron of the expedition.^[1]

The popular saying “En gang til for Prins Knud” (“One more time for Prince Knud”) is sometimes used when repeating or clarifying because the interlocutor is a bit slow-witted or didn't immediately grasp something.^[2] The expression was first used in an article by Bent Thorndahl in the Copenhagen newspaper Politiken to describe the November 24, 1958 premiere, at the Falkoner Center in Frederiksberg, of the ballet “Det Forsinkede Stævnemøde” (“The postponed rendezvous”). Prince Knud and Princess Caroline Mathilde had sat in the former royal loge at the far left of the hall (i.e., stage right), but one especially memorable scene had not been fully visible from where they had sat. The ballet director, Ingvar Balduin Blicher-Hansen (1911–1995) persuaded the ballet ensemble to re-enact the scene for the royal couple. The following year, Birgitte Reimer, at the theatrical revue known as Cirkusrevyen, performed a song,^[3] written by Erik Leth to a tune by Sven Gyldmark, which immortalized Prince Knud, somewhat unfairly mocking him as supposedly being a dullard: “Så ta'r vi den en gang til for Prins Knud.” (“Now we'll do it one more time for Prince Knud.”^[4]

Issue[]

• Princess Elisabeth Caroline-Mathilde Alexandrine Helena Olga Thyra Feodora Estrid Margarethe Désirée (8 May 1935 – 19 June 2018)
• Prince Ingolf Christian Frederik Knud Harald Gorm Gustav Viggo Valdemar Aage of Denmark (born 17 February 1940). Lost his title and became Count Ingolf of Rosenborg after marrying without royal consent to Inge Terney. He has no issue.
• Prince Christian Frederik Franz Knud Harald Carl Oluf Gustav Georg Erik of Denmark (22 October 1942 – 22 May 2013). Lost his title and became Count Christian of Rosenborg after marrying without consent to Anne Dorte Maltoft-Nielsen. He had three daughters, Countess Josephine, Countess Camilla, and Countess Feodora.

Titles, styles and honours[]

Titles and styles[]

• 27 July 1900 – 29 January 1906: His Highness Prince Knud of Denmark, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein
• 29 January 1906 – 1 December 1918: His Royal Highness Prince Knud of Denmark, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein
• 1 December 1918 – 17 June 1944: His Royal Highness Prince Knud of Denmark and Iceland, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein
• 17 June 1944 – 20 April 1947: His Royal Highness Prince Knud of Denmark, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein
• 20 April 1947 – 27 March 1953: His Royal Highness The Hereditary Prince of Denmark
• 27 March 1953 – 14 June 1976: His Royal Highness Prince Knud of Denmark, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein

Honours[]

•  Denmark

Danish and Icelandic honours^[5]

• Knight of the Elephant, 14 May 1912
• Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog, 27 July 1918
• Grand Commander, Order of the Dannebrog, 15 May 1937
• Grand Cross, Order of the Falcon
• King Christian IX Centenary Medal
• King Frederik VIII Centenary Medal
• Navy Long Service Award

Foreign honours^[5]

•  Belgium: Grand Cordon, Royal Order of Leopold I
•  Brazil: Grand Cross, Order of the Southern Cross
•  Ethiopian Empire: Grand Cross, Order of the Star of Ethiopia
•  Finland: Grand Cross, Order of the White Rose of Finland
•  France: Grand Cross, Legion of Honour
• Greek Royal Family:
  • Grand Cross, Order of the Redeemer
  • Grand Cross, Order of Saints George and Constantine
• Italian Royal Family: Knight of the Annunciation
•  Empire of Japan: Grand Cordon with Pawlownia Flowers, Order of the Rising Sun
• Mecklenburg Grand Ducal Family: Grand Cross in Crown in Ore, House Order of the Wendish Crown
•  Monaco: Grand Cross, Order of Saint-Charles
•  Netherlands: Grand Cross, Order of the Netherlands Lion
•  Norway: Grand Cross, Order of St. Olav
•  Spain: Grand Cross, Order of Naval Merit
•  Sweden: Knight of the Seraphim, 26 September 1926^[6]
•  Thailand: Knight, Order of the Royal House of Chakri

Ancestors[]

References[]

Citations[]

Bibliography[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Prince Knud of Denmark.

• Prince Knud at the website of the at Amalienborg Palace

Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Born: 27 July 1900 Died: 14 June 1979
Danish royalty
Preceded by Frederick as Crown Prince	Heir to the Danish throne 1947–1953	Succeeded by Princess Margrethe