This morning in Fredensborg, His Royal Highness Prince Vincent of Denmark and Her Royal Highness Princess Josephine of Denmark were confirmed at Fredensborg Slotskirke at Fredensborg Slot.

The confirmation was presided over by Bishop Henrik Wigh-Poulsen, Bishop of Aarhus and Kongelig Konfessionarius (Royal Confessor).

Fredensborg Slotskirke has, for more than a century, served as a central setting for confirmations within the royal family of Denmark. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe of Denmark, then Princess Margrethe of Denmark, was confirmed there on April 1st, 1955.  His Majesty King Frederik X of Denmark was confirmed in the same chapel on May 28th, 1981, followed by His Royal Highness Prince Joachim of Denmark on June 10th, 1982. 

More recently, Fredensborg Slotskirke has also been the site of the confirmations of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Christian of Denmark on May 15th, 2021, and Her Royal Highness Princess Isabella of Denmark on April 30th, 2022.

The Church of Denmark is an Evangelical Lutheran church and the constitutionally established national church of the Kingdom of Denmark. Under the Danish Constitution, the monarch is required to belong to the Church, a requirement tied to its constitutional and historical position within the Danish state.

The Church of Denmark emerged from the Lutheran Reformation in the 16th century, formally established under the reign of King Christian III, who introduced Lutheranism in 1536. Since that period, the Danish monarchy has maintained a close institutional relationship with the Church, including a constitutional and administrative relationship within the state framework, alongside public funding through both church taxation and state support.

Within the Lutheran tradition, confirmation is not regarded as a sacrament in the same sense as in the Catholic Church. Instead, it constitutes a public affirmation of baptismal faith. Candidates typically undertake a period of instruction in Christian doctrine before being confirmed during a church service.

In the Kingdom of Denmark, confirmation retains both religious and social significance. For members of the royal family, it also carries symbolic constitutional significance, reflecting the monarch’s required membership in the national church under the Danish Constitution.

Members of the royal family of Denmark attended this morning’s confirmation ceremony alongside foreign royalty, family, and close friends. Among those present were Her Majesty Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark, the godmother of Princess Josephine, His Excellency Count Nikolai of Monpezat, His Excellency Count Felix of Monpezat, His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain, the godfather of Prince Vincent.

Mr. John Stuart Donaldson, the brother of Her Majesty Queen Mary of Denmark and the godfather of Prince Vincent, Mrs. Patricia Bailey, the sister of Her Majesty Queen Mary of Denmark and the godmother of Princess Josephine, Mrs. Jane Stephens, the sister of Her Majesty Queen Mary of Denmark, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Charles and Princess Camilla of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke and Duchess of Castro.

His Serene Highness Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg,  the first cousin of His Majesty King Frederik X of Denmark and the godfather of Prince Vincent, Baron Otto and Baroness Helle Reedtz-Thott, the godmother of Prince Vincent, Her Serene Highness Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, the first cousin of His Majesty King Frederik X of Denmark, and Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, godfather of Prince Vincent.

Mr. Peter Heering and Mrs. Caroline Heering, the godmother of Prince Vincent, Count Bendt Wedell, the godfather of Princess Josephine, Mr. Jeppe Handwerk and Mrs. Birgitte Handwerk, the godmother of Princess Josephine, and Ms. Josephine Rechner, the godmother of Princess Josephine.

Prior to the ceremony, official portraits of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine were photographed inside Kancellihuset at Fredensborg Slot. The images were captured by Danish photographer, Ms. Karen Rosetzsky.