Ratings Drop for Danish Royal Family

It’s been a week of ups and downs for the House of Glucksburg in Denmark. Sunday saw many Danes vote for gender equality succession rights, though a large number didn’t bother to cast a ballot. Tuesday and Wednesday saw big celebrations as Queen Margrethe’s husband, Prince Henrik turned 75 years-old.

Now the latest poll numbers show a drop in approval ratings for the Danish royal family – especially for the men in the family.

The ones who saw the biggest increase in disapproval were Henrik and his second son, Prince Joachim. Compared to a poll down five years ago, the Prince Consort is down 12 percent, from 41.8 percent to 29.8. Nearly 31 percent thought the Queen’s husband was doing poorly in his royal role.

Prince Joachim’s popularity fell from 84.6 percent to a dismal 44.6 percent since 2004. This may have to do with him divorcing his popular wife, Alexandra in 2005. Even Joachim’s new wife, Princess Marie, is not fairing well with the Danish people. Only 13 months as a princess, she has a 37% disapproval rating.

Crown Prince Frederik remains popular, but not as much as five years earlier. He is down from 90.7 percent to 80.4 percent.

Frederik’s wife, on the other hand, appears to be the most popular member of the Danish royal family. Crown Princess Mary is enjoying a 82.2 percent approval rating. That’s slightly higher than her mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe, who’s popularity is at 81.3 percent.