A king is born

HRH Princess Mary today gave birth to a healthy boy, who eventually will be King of Denmark when his grandmother and father have passed away:

Denmark's Crown Princess Mary gave birth early Saturday to a boy who is second in line to the throne of Europe's oldest reigning monarchy, the royal palace said.

Australian-born Mary gave birth to the boy at Copenhagen University Hospital, two weeks before her due date, the palace said. Both mother and child were doing fine, it said.
The boy was 20 inches (50.8 cm) and weighed 7.7 pounds (3.4 kg), Per Thornit, head of Crown Prince Frederik's court said in the statement.

His name is likely to be Christian. Since Christian II, who died in 1559, Danish kings have alternately carried the name Christian or Frederik.

Mary Donaldson, 33, who was born in Hobart, on the island of Tasmania, married Crown Prince Frederik, Queen Margrethe's eldest son, in May 2004.

The couple met in a bar during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Frederik, 37, is next in line to the throne.

In line with a Danish tradition to mark a royal birth, 21 gun shots will be fired at noon Saturday from batteries in Copenhagen and from the Kronborg Castle, north of Copenhagen.

In the evening, the Danish Home Guard will light hundreds of bonfires across the country.

Flags are flying everywhere.

Henrik