Surname of the Danish Royal Family

[pepperann]

I was just wondering...do the members of the DRF have a last name? I mean since they are royalty and not commoners they wouldn't need one, but do they have one? In particular Prince Nikolai and Felix...would they use their paternal grandfather's last name (if they used one) or their paternal grandmother's?

 

[galuhcandrakirana]

I think they will use gluckborg name from paternal grandmother side...specially they also still very closed to throne. They will not use "labordemonzepath" or prince Henry's (original) surname since Joachim doesn't use it, but I am not very sure about it. I think Prince Charles (uk) uses windsor...not mounthbattent (Prince Phillip sure name)

 

[moosey60]

...I think it's Oldenborg or something like that.

 

[MoonlightRhapsody]

I believe their last name is "Glucksburg" (sorry, the spelling might be wrong.)

 

[Reina]

Yeah it is Glucksburg

 

[pepperann]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

 

[KikkiB]

The Oldenburgs ended with Frederik 7 as he didn't have any children, therefore he adopted a distant relative, Christian, who was made king Christian 9 in 1863 when Frederik 7 died. And Christian 9 belonged to the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg family. So Danish royalty started afresh with Christian 9 and the Glucksburgs. Since that is a very long name, they normaly use Glucksburg. And that is the the family line that the Danish royal family belong to today, and it also is the family line of the Norwegian royal family.

This has confused me several times, but I figured it out by reading "Haakon and Maud - Kongstanken" by Bomann-Larsen (a Norwegian author) and for this post I've used www.wikipedia.org (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_VII_of_Denmark and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_IX_of_Denmark)

 

[pepperann]

The Oldenburgs ended with Frederik 7 as he didn't have any children, therefore he adopted a distant relative, Christian, who was made king Christian 9 in 1863 when Frederik 7 died. And Christian 9 belonged to the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg family. So Danish royalty started afresh with Christian 9 and the Glucksburgs. Since that is a very long name, they normaly use Glucksburg. And that is the the family line that the Danish royal family belong to today, and it also is the family line of the Norwegian royal family.

This has confused me several times, but I figured it out by reading "Haakon and Maud - Kongstanken" by Bomann-Larsen (a Norwegian author) and for this post I've used www.wikipedia.org (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_VII_of_Denmark and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_IX_of_Denmark)

Oic...thanks for the information! I find it so interesting that royal families have such long and intricate family history/lineage. So cool really...unlike how us commoners are more...common. Nothing as extravagant. I mean how many people can actually read about their family/ancestors in history books? But if you're a royal then there's history galore! Once again, thanks for clarifying the two last name bit.

 

[KikkiB]

Oic...thanks for the information! I find it so interesting that royal families have such long and intricate family history/lineage. So cool really...unlike how us commoners are more...common. Nothing as extravagant. I mean how many people can actually read about their family/ancestors in history books? But if you're a royal then there's history galore! Once again, thanks for clarifying the two last name bit.

You are very welcome It took me some time before I got the connection too, but reading up on royal history does help a lot And I find it so facinating the fact that most of the European royalty is related in some way, close and not so close.

 

[BeatrixFan]

Re:

The Prince of Wales et al use Mountbatten-Windsor. The Queen passed a Letters Patent in 1961 that kept the Royal House as the House of Windsor but it's members could use Mountbatten-Windsor should they choose. The Earl and Countess of Wessex's daughter is actually Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor not Lady Louise Windsor.
I think Prince Charles may dispense with the Windsor and re-name the House to the Royal House of Mountbatten but that's just a personal hunch.

 

[aj00192557]

the greek royal family are also glucksburg, right? and ann marie was a princess of denmark, right? so are they both descendants of the first glucksburg king of denmark? must be weird sharing the same last name and ancestry with your husband? on second thought, with all these inbreeding amongst the european royal houses, it is not as weird.

 

[tiaraprin]

The Prince of Wales et al use Mountbatten-Windsor. The Queen passed a Letters Patent in 1961 that kept the Royal House as the House of Windsor but it's members could use Mountbatten-Windsor should they choose. The Earl and Countess of Wessex's daughter is actually Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor not Lady Louise Windsor.
I think Prince Charles may dispense with the Windsor and re-name the House to the Royal House of Mountbatten but that's just a personal hunch.

I wouldn't be surprised if he did. He idolized Lord Louis Mountbatten. If he does it, Queen Mary and the Queen Mum are going to be rolling over in their graves while Lord Louis will be dancing! His dream would finally have come true. The demoted Mountbattens from World War I would become Royal once again!

 

[ysbel]

Technically the BRF should be the Glucksborgs too. Prince Philip original family name wasn't Mountbatten or even Battenberg which came from his mother's side. His father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and the family name was Glucksborg.

 

[ysbel]

But then again, before Prince Philip, the family name shouldn't have been even Windsor. The family name came from Prince Albert who was a Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The BRF like to play fast and loose with their family name The Danes are much more conservative.

 

[princess olga]

wow so could we conclude that most royal families in europe today are of German (ic) decent? even queen victoria from britain was married to a german and her nine kids married royalty all over the place, thus contributing to the pool! Am I right or is this a too simplistic conclusion?

 

[ysbel]

The Glucksborgs were from Schleswig-Holstein, a contested territory between Germany and Denmark. But yes, Germany had a lot of princely families that the other royal families could marry into.

 

[Warren]

Lines of descent

wow so could we conclude that most royal families in europe today are of German(ic) descent? even Queen Victoria was married to a German and her nine kids married royalty all over the place, thus contributing to the pool! Am I right or is this a too simplistic conclusion?

Keeping in mind that, under the Act of Settlement, maintaining their rights of succession required British Royals to marry Protestants. The logical source of Protestant Princes and Princesses was from among the many German Royal and Princely Houses. Otherwise there was Denmark (Sweden never seemed to figure) and to a lesser extent Russia (and Greece for Queen Elizabeth!). Political considerations counted against the Romanovs (but OK for Queen Victoria's second son, Alfred). It is also logical considering the House of Hanover was of German origin, and up until 1837 ruled both Kingdoms (and the Duchy of Brunswick through a collateral branch of the family).

Catholic Houses tended to marry into other Catholic Houses. Thus we see connections between the dynasties of Habsburg, Bourbon (French and Spanish branches), Bourbon-Parma, Bourbon Two-Sicilies, Bragança (Portugal and Brazil) and Savoy, and from Germany (among others) Bavaria and Saxony.

Marriages of Queen Victoria's children: Victoria: Prussia; Edward: Denmark; Alice: Hesse-Darmstadt; Alfred: Russia; Helena: Schleswig-Holstein; Louise: Campbell (of Scotland); Arthur: Prussia; Leopold: Waldeck and Pyrmont; and Beatrice: Battenberg (morganatic branch of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt).

King George V married Princess May of Teck (a morganatic branch from the Protestant side of the Royal House of Württemberg).
.

 

[grecka]

I think it's also worth noting that the Gluckburgs are the most extensively married royal family in Europe. Every single monarch in Europe, after all, is descended from King Christian of Denmark, who ruled in the 19th century. His children married into the Romanov, Windsor, Hohenzollern, etc. families and every single monarch in Europe ruling today can trace their heritage back, in some way, to him.

 

[tiaraprin]

The last name of the Danish Royal Family is Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg. That is the name that was carried over to Greece when they voted a Danish prince to ascend the throne.

 

[Emi]

Sorry to contradict everyone but I think the Danish royal family doesn't have a surname. They are descended from the House of Glucksborg, but that is their house and not their personal surname. There was an interview with Prince Pavlos posted in the GRF forum a long time ago where he stated on his business cards he is simply 'Prince Pavlos' because his family is descended from the Danish royal family and it doesn't have a surname. Similarly Martha Louise of Norway was registered as 'Princess Martha Louise' when she was born (no surname) as King Haakon was originally a Danish prince. So when Mary Donaldson married CP Frederik she became HRH Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth, not CP Mary Elizabeth Glucksborg or Mary Elizabeth Glucksborg. She has married into the House of Glucksborg, but it isn't her surname.

 

[GrandDuchessOlga]

I´ve heard or read somewhere that their last name is Rex (??) i don´t know if it is just because rex means king in latin that it is a part of her monogram but i just want someone´s opinion.

 

[Aurora810]

I think Emi is right. I did some research. Glucksburg is a region/ a small town in Germany. But I have previously thought of it as representing the family name. However, I now realize it represents the original region in which the family lines come from. Here is a link to the wikipedia page about Glucksburg: Glücksburg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Also while I was doing some research I found this article from the Copenhagen Post published back before Christian was born. The article talks about the name possibilities for Fred and Mary's first child. It clearly states down towards the bottom where all the members of the family are listed that the Danish RF has "no surname". Here is the link:
The Copenhagen Post

 

[Xeara]

Exactly was Emi said...I think she's right, they technically don't have a surname but if they want to do something discrete/incognito without using their royal title, they might use it...just like Edward Windsor (Prince Edward) or William Wales (Prince William) or Harry Wales (Prince Harry)...so Prince Frederik could do something under the guise of *Frederik Glucksborg* if he wished?

 

[JessRulz]

Exactly was Emi said...I think she's right, they technically don't have a surname but if they want to do something discrete/incognito without using their royal title, they might use it...just like Edward Windsor (Prince Edward) or William Wales (Prince William) or Harry Wales (Prince Harry)...so Prince Frederik could do something under the guise of *Frederik Glucksborg* if he wished?

I'm pretty sure if he wanted too, yes he could. While he was studying in America I think he used either Frederik Prince or Frederik Henriksen, but Glucksborg I think is their "used on occasion" last name

 

[Sister Morphine]

I'm pretty sure if he wanted too, yes he could. While he was studying in America I think he used either Frederik Prince or Frederik Henriksen, but Glucksborg I think is their "used on occasion" last name

He used "Henriksen" which means "son of Henrik".

 

[JessRulz]

He used "Henriksen" which means "son of Henrik".

Ah, thank you Sister Morphine I knew it was one of them!

 

[norwegianne]

I´ve heard or read somewhere that their last name is Rex (??) i don´t know if it is just because rex means king in latin that it is a part of her monogram but i just want someone´s opinion.

Rex wouldn't be part of a Queen's monogram - Regina (the feminine version) would. And it isn't part of their last name - it is just stating whether someone is king or queen. Margrethe Regina, for example, would mean Margrethe Queen. Harald Rex - Harald King.

 

[KikkiB]

I thougth that Glücksburg was the royal house of Denmark (and Norway and Greece), in the same way as Windsor, Bourbon, Orange-Nasseau etc. And that it's been used sometimes as a sir-name in the same way, as mentioned in an earlier post, Edward uses Windsor. But since Glücksburg isn't a common sir-name, in any of the countries mentioned above, I do understand why the royal people choose Henriksen and the like, since those often are quite common, and thus more incognito.

 

[GrandDuchessOlga]

Rex wouldn't be part of a Queen's monogram - Regina (the feminine version) would. And it isn't part of their last name - it is just stating whether someone is king or queen. Margrethe Regina, for example, would mean Margrethe Queen. Harald Rex - Harald King.

Thanx didn´t think it made much sense either that their last name would be rex.

 

[Daneborn]

Swedish RF can use Bernadotte, and U.K can use Windsor, because it points out exactly which RF they come from.

But Glücksburg can be members from many different countries.

It doesn't give meaning for the Danish RF to use Glücksburg as family name. You wouldn't know exactly what royal Glücksburg family we are talking about.

Irena of Glücksburg, does anyone know if she's Danish, Greek, Norwegian or something different.

Anyway, I don't think royals have surnames, (other than ''of Denmark'' or ''duke of .....''), I just think it's something media wants to label them with to be able to separate them from ordinary celebrities.

If they wanted a surname for themselves they could really only chose Sønderborg since that is the only part of their house-name that is totally on (current) Danish soil.

(To my knowledge there is no royal Irena of Glücksburg. It was just a way to show how confusing and how little the Glücksburg name tells you about where the person comes from)