All grown up! Princess Mary's eldest son Christian is the double of his much-loved mum as he poses for new portraits on his 16th birthday
- Danish Royal Family marked Prince Christian's 16th birthday with new photos
- Two portraits show Princess Mary's eldest son looking dapper and sophisticated
- The Prince was photographed at Herlufsholm School, south of Copenhagen
- Royal fans flooded the post with well wishes and said he looks 'just like mum'
Prince Christian of Denmark marked his 16th birthday by posing for new photos that prove he is all grown up.
Two portraits posted to the Danish Royal Family's official Instagram account show Princess Mary's eldest son looking dapper in the grounds of Herlufsholm boarding school, 80km south of Copenhagen, where he is in first grade.
As grandson of Queen Margrethe II, 81, and the eldest son of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Frederik, 53, Christian will one day be King of Denmark.
The teenage prince, who has inherited his father's piercing blue eyes, looked every inch the gentleman as he smiled for the camera in a blue collared shirt and navy jumper.
The Danish Royal Family marked Prince Christian's 16th birthday with two new photos taken in the grounds of Herlufsholm boarding school, south of Copenhagen. The teenage prince, who has inherited his father's piercing blue eyes, looks every inch the gentleman.
All grown up: Frederik and Mary with their eldest son, Prince Christian, on his first day of School at Amalienborg Royal Palace on August 12, 2011
Royal fans flooded the post with messages of support, with many noting how much the dashing prince looks like his much-loved Australian-born mum.
'The image of Mary,' one woman wrote, while a second said: 'Such a handsome young boy, looks just like his mother.'
Others said they couldn't believe how fast the young prince had grown.
Born on October 15, 2005, in Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen's University Hospital, Prince Christian arrived with fanfare as the first Danish royal heir born since his father Crown Prince Frederik in 1968.
His name is traditional. In Denmark, kings alternate between the names Frederik and Christian, meaning a son born to Crown Prince Frederik would be called Christian.
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As grandson of Queen Margrethe II, 81, and the eldest son of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Frederik, 53, Christian will one day be King of Denmark
Prince Christian in traditional dress in the Faroe Islands in August 2018 (left) and at a gala to celebrate his grandmother Queen Margrethe's 75th birthday in April 2015 (right)
Christian poses for photos with dad Frederik and mum Mary after his confirmation on May 15, 2021, at Fredensborg Palace
Christian's middle name is John, a nod to his mother's Australian father, John Donaldson.
The Prince was styled 'His Royal Highness' from birth and became Count of Monpezat after his grandmother the Queen granted him the title in 2008.
Christian is the eldest of Frederik and Mary's four children. The Crown Prince couple are also parents to Princess Isabella, 14, and 10-year-old twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
Then 28, Mary met Prince Frederik at the Slip Inn during the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
With the royal introducing himself simply as 'Fred', Mary had no idea she'd just met Denmark's future king.
Christian (back row second from left) is the eldest of Mary and Frederik's four children; they are also parents to Princess Isabella, 14, (centre) and ten-year-old twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine
Christian (pictured with grandmother Queen Margrethe, mother Princess Mary and sister Princess Josephine after his confirmation on May 15, 2021) will become king after his father
The pair quickly hit it off and maintained a long-distance relationship for a year, with Frederik making secret trips Down Under before Mary moved to Denmark to study Danish language at Copenhagen's Studieskolen.
In April 2003, Queen Margrethe publicly acknowledged the relationship, and the couple announced their engagement later that year on October 8.
Frederik and Mary married on May 14, 2004 at Copenhagen Cathedral, with the newly minted Crown Princess opting for a beautiful gown by Danish designer Uffer Frank and a veil first used by Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden in 1905.
In a nod to her heritage, Mary carried a bouquet of Australian snow gum eucalyptus and blooms from the Palace garden.
At the altar, Prince Frederik announced: 'From today, Mary is mine and I am hers. I love her, and I will protect her with all my love.'
