The Danish royal family

Prince Henrik, husband of Danish Queen Margarethe II has died. DWs look at other members of the Danish royal family.

Crown Prince Frederik, pictured left of Queen Margrethe, is next in line to take over the throne. The Danish Monarchy can be traced back to Gorm the Old, who died in the year 958. He was the first historically recognized ruler of Denmark.

Queen Margrethe II celebrates her birthday on April 16, as pictured here in 2010. She was born in 1940 — the firstborn child of King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid. Margrethe has held the Danish throne for 46 years, making her the second-longest-reigning Danish monarch.

Margrethe followed her father, King Frederik, who had no male heir, after his death on 14 January 1972. Margrethe became the heir presumptive to her father in 1953, when a constitutional amendment was passed which allowed women to inherit the throne.

Prince Frederick and Crown Princess Mary married in 2004. Mary, who was born and raised in Tasmania, Australia, met Frederick at a Sydney pub called the Slip Inn, while Frederick was visiting Australia during the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Mary were greeted by jubilant crowds during a visit to Hamburg in 2006. Before Mary took up her royal duties she worked in advertising for both Australian and global agencies. She holds a combined Bachelor of Commerce and Laws from the University of Tasmania in Australia.

Prince Cristian was born to Prince Frederik and Princess Mary in 2006 and has three siblings: Isabella und Josephine and Vincent. He is second in the Danish line of succession, following his father. Since the 16th century, the first-born sons of Danish monarchs have traditionally been alternately named Frederik and Christian.

Amalienborg in Copenhagen is the residence of the Danish monarch. It was originally built for four noble families, hence why the complex is made up of four separate palaces, all with identical facades. The royal family bought the palaces and moved in after Christiansborg Palace was ruined by a fire on February 26, 1794.

Frederik VII (1808 to 1863) was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and also the last king of Denmark to rule as an absolute monarch. During his reign, he signed a constitution that established a Danish parliament and made the country a constitutional monarchy.