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Crown Prince Frederik was not popular with the population - but everything changed: He was unsure of his role | BT Royale - www.bt.dk When Crown Prince Frederik turns 54 today, he can also sunbathe with great success. He is consistently the most popular member of the Danish royal family. Until 20 years ago, it was quite different. At the time, he was surpassed by both his mother and princess (now Countess) Alexandra. But in the latest YouGov for B.T. In February, 82 percent of Danes answered that they thought 'good' or 'very good' about the Crown Prince. In July 2021, the figure was 78 percent. "He has found himself more at ease in the role of crown prince. Before he married Mary, he was very uncertain about his role and position and also expressed more or less directly that he did not feel comfortable with being king, "says royal house expert and historian Lars Hovbakke Sørensen to B.T. The Crown Princess' 50th birthday: Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik open the Crown Princess Mary Center at the University of Copenhagen on 2 February 2022. The Crown Princess opens a new knowledge center at the University of Copenhagen, which will be named the Crown Princess Mary Center. (Photo: Liselotte Sabroe / Ritzau Scanpix) He points out that Crown Princess Mary has played a huge role in relation to his development over the last 20 years. It was only when he got married and started a family that he settled down as crown prince. “He works better as a crown prince than he did before. You can feel that he wants it more now than he wanted in the past, "he explains. The first place in the hearts of the Danes has only come into place in recent years. When the 1990s became the 2000s, the Crown Prince was not a particularly popular gentleman. Too many lady acquaintances and wild bachelor life cost him tremendously on the account. In a poll conducted by the research institute Gfk for B.T. in 2001, only 53 percent of respondents thought the Crown Prince was doing well. In fact, he was surpassed by the then Princess Alexandra, who along with the Queen were the most popular members of the Royal House. 73 percent said the generous women did well. 20 years ago, the then Princess Alexandra was the most popular member of the Royal Family. She shared the seat with the Queen. "There were many years where it was not known if he would have children, and where Prince Joachim was already married to Alexandra in 1995. The Crown Prince was not married until 2004, so there were many years where it was not known if it was Nikolai and Felix, who became the central figures in the Royal House in the long run, «says Hovbakke Sørensen. One of the Crown Prince's greatest 'feats' is to be popular. When all of Denmark was in EC ecstasy in the summer of 2021, the Crown Prince was on the sidelines of Denmark's matches. He also became a star in the DR program 'Nak og Æd', which set a record with as many as 825,000 viewers. In 2018, a clearly drunk Crown Prince Frederik went on the Bøgescenen at Skanderborg Festival and surprised everyone. All these things have increased the popularity of the Crown Prince. »There are a lot of Danes who like that kind of thing. In general, it goes that way. This can also be seen in other European countries. You have to keep up with the times in relation to becoming more popular, more ordinary, "explains Hovbakke Sørensen. The Crown Prince together with the two hosts, Nikolaj Kirk and Jørgen Skouboe. Photo: DR But there is also a risk with this very popular way. »That he becomes too popular or too ordinary, and that he will only appeal to one type of Dane: Those who are very interested in sports, popular music and rock. But he does not appeal - like Queen Margrethe - to the intellectual part of the population with an interest in art, culture, history and classical music, "says Hovbakke Sørensen, who also believes that the New Year's speeches will be markedly different when the Crown Prince becomes king. “He does not have the same philosophical approach to things that she has. He is a less intellectual person in his way of appearing, "he says. Hovbakke Sørensen has some good advice for the Crown Prince in the coming years: The Crown Prince Couple, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, arrive at the opening of 'A Queen's Jewelry Box' at the Amalienborg Museum in Christian VIII's Palace at Amalienborg. ‘He has to show that he is interested in something other than sports and exercise and that sort of thing. He needs to spread out a little more. That is clearly what is missing. As long as you are a crown prince, it's okay, but as soon as you become king, you must also be king for those who go up in other things than those you just go up in, "he says. And then he has to get his appearance under control so that he does not stumble over the words and get to speak black. We last saw this when, in the autumn of 2021, during a business promotion in Iceland, he was told that the climate was 'a supernatural issue'. Da B.T. asked him how he could defend flights to St. Tropez a full two times a week to attend a sailing event, he responded to something completely different. Most recently, he declined to answer questions about whether the forest giant ECCO can still be a royal court supplier, even if they keep their business in Russia. Opening of the Folketing 2021. Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary. "There is a risk that there are some in the population who will be more skeptical of the Royal House in general if he comes up with some not entirely clear messages. You will always be able to interpret it in many ways, and Queen Margrethe has been incredibly sharp in her way of formulating herself, «says Hovbakke Sørensen to B.T. How good or bad do you think of the following members of the Royal Family? Such a large proportion of the respondents have answered 'Good' or 'Very good': Crown Prince Frederik: 82 percent. Crown Princess Mary: 81 percent. Queen Margrethe: 80 percent. Princess Marie: 49 percent Princess Benedict: 46 percent Prince Joachim: 39 percent Prince Nikolai: 35 percent Prince Felix: 34 percent Source: YouGov for B.T. 1,253 representatively selected Danes over the age of 18 from the YouGov Panel responded in the period 7.-19. January 2022. 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