Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark was all smiles when joining his son Prince Christian at a Council of State meeting today.

The royal, 55, grinned while proudly guiding Prince Christian, 18, to his seat at the The Council Chamber in Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen.

Footage of the occasion from TV2, shared by the Kongehuset Instagram account, also showed Queen Margrethe II’s eldest son pulling the chair out for his mother. 

His wife Princess Mary – who unlike her husband and son is not a member of the Council of State – was not seen to be in attendance, but was later pictured in the car with the family, all seemingly in high spirits.

A smiling Christian chatted with her in the backseat whereas Frederik could be seen in the front, next to the driver. It comes amid drama for the Danish monarchy after Frederik was pictured on a night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova.

However another snap also seemed to show Mary in a car without her son and husband, potentially suggesting she either left or arrived without them. 

Today, Prince Christian made a ‘solemn declaration that he would comply with the constitution’.

‘It is a prerequisite that the Prince will be able to be appointed as the Governor in the event that both Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Crown Prince are prevented from leading the government,’ a social media post from the royal house explained.

Christian looked ready for regal duty in an elegant black suit and navy tie, matching his father. Meanwhile Margrethe, 83, opted for a pop of colour in a scarlet blazer.

The momentous occasion comes just a few weeks after Frederik’s sighting with Genoveva in Madrid. 

The heir to the Danish throne and the Mexican socialite can be seen pictured out and about on the streets of Madrid on 25 October, as reported by Spanish magazine Lecturas last week.

In the photos, which are taken throughout the day and into the evening, the pair enjoy a stroll through the park, before getting into a change of clothes and heading out again for the evening.

After it was reported last week that the duo had enjoyed an evening out in the Spanish capital without Frederik’s wife of 19 years, Crown Princess Mary, Genoveva, 47, issued a statement denying any kind of romantic relationship between herself and the future Danish King.

In a legal letter posted on Instagram, she slammed the ‘malicious’ rumours suggesting the pair were romantically involved.

Last week, the Spanish media reported that the royal father-of-four and the socialite, who has previously dabbled in acting, visited a Pablo Picasso exhibition, walked through El Retiro Park and later went out for dinner.

At around 7pm, Lecturas claimed both Frederik and Genoveva went to her apartment building separately, and both re-emerged at around 9pm, two hours later, both having changed their clothes into evening wear.

In the photos, Genoveva has ditched her chic camel coat with a tie belt in favour of a white shirt, black wide-leg trousers and a black jacket worn on her shoulders.

Meanwhile Frederik appeared to have changed from a navy jacket and brown trousers into a white shirt and dark trousers with a smart dark jacket. Again, they are reported to have emerged from the building separately, but got into the same white car.

The magazine claimed the pair watched a flamenco performance at a Spanish restaurant, El Corral de la Moreria, which finished at midnight.

It also claimed they remained at their table, which had been flanked by two of the Danish Prince’s bodyguards, while other customers left, waiters finished up their shifts and the lights were being switched off.

Lecturas claimed the pair did not emerge from the restaurant until 1am, when they walked out onto the street and got in a car. In a ‘gesture of courtesy’, Lecturas reports Crown Prince Frederik opened the car door for his dinner companion.

Next day, the magazine claims the heir to the Danish throne was taken to the airport via car where he flew home to Denmark.

Following the publication of the photos, Genoveva issued a furious denial that there was any romantic relationship between herself and the Danish royal.

A statement from the socialite said: ‘I categorically deny the statements that suggest a romantic relationship between Prince Frederik and me.’

She added: ‘Any statement of this type not only completely lacks the truth but also misrepresents the facts in a malicious manner. 

‘This is already in the hands of my lawyers, who will take care of the pertinent steps to protect my right to honour, truth and privacy.’

Genoveva Casanova is a Mexican-born socialite living in Spain, who has also dabbled in acting over the years – taking a role in Goya’s Ghosts in 2006.

She has appeared on several reality TV shows in Spain including the nation’s version of the Masked Singer, the most recent series of Spanish Celebrity Masterchef and an all-star version of The Chase. 

Between 2005 and 2007 she was married to Spanish author Cayetano Martínez de Irujo, and the couple share two children. 

He is one of the five sons of the late Duchess of Alba, who was worth an estimated £2.2billion, and was one of Europe’s wealthiest aristocrats and a direct royal descent from King James II of England.

They divorced in 2008 but have maintained a friendly relationship and she’s said that they still speak every day. 

After her divorce, Genoveva was linked to Mexican singer Luis Miguel, although the pair never confirmed if they were in a relationship. 

She then dated Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, a Senior Policy Adviser with the UNHCR before coupling up with Spain’s former Minister of Justice, José María Michavila after the death of his wife. 

Her most recent romance was in 2022 with José Manuel Gayán Pacheco, an agricultural businessman.