Frederick III adopted a Semi-salic law of succession.
| Heir | Status | Relationship to Monarch | Became heir | Ceased to be heir | Next in succession relation to heir, dates |
Monarch | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Reason | Date | Reason | |||||
| Christian | heir apparent | son | 14 November 1665 | Hereditary succession established | 9 Feb 1670 | became king | George brother |
Frederick III |
| George | heir presumptive | brother | 9 Feb 1670 | brother became king | 11 Oct 1671 | son born to king | Anna Sophie sister |
Christian V |
| Crown Prince Frederick | heir apparent | son | 11 Oct 1671 | born | 25 Aug 1699 | became king | George, Duke of Cumberland uncle (1671-1672, 1673-1675) | |
| Christian William brother (1672-1673) | ||||||||
| Christian brother (1675-1695) | ||||||||
| Charles, Count of Holstein brother (1695-1697, 1698-1699) | ||||||||
| Christian son (1697-1698) | ||||||||
| Charles, Count of Holstein | heir presumptive | brother | 25 Aug 1699 | brother became king | 10 Dec 1699 | son born to king | William brother |
Frederick IV |
| Crown Prince Christian | heir apparent | son | 10 Dec 1699 | born | 12 Oct 1730 | became king | Charles, Count of Holstein uncle (1699-1701, 1702-1703, 1704–1723) | |
| Frederick brother (1701-1702) | ||||||||
| George brother (1703-1704) | ||||||||
| Frederick son (1723-1730) | ||||||||
| Crown Prince Frederick | heir apparent | son | 12 Oct 1730 | father became king | 6 Aug 1746 | became king | Louise sister (1730-1735) |
Christian VI |
| Christian son (1745-1746) | ||||||||
| Crown Prince Christian | heir apparent | son | 6 Aug 1746 | father became king | 3 Jun 1747 | died | Sophia Magdalena sister |
Frederick V |
| Sophia Magdalena | heir presumptive | daughter | 3 Jun 1747 | brother died | 29 Jan 1749 | son born to king | Princess Wilhelmina Caroline of Denmark sister | |
| Crown Prince Christian | heir apparent | son | 29 Jan 1749 | born | 14 Jan 1766 | became king | Sophia Magdalena sister (1749-1753) | |
| Frederick brother (1753-1766) | ||||||||
| Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Denmark | heir presumptive | brother | 14 Jan 1766 | brother became king | 28 Jan 1768 | son born to king | Sophia Magdalena sister |
Christian VII |
| Crown Prince Frederick | heir apparent | son | 28 Jan 1768 | born | 13 Mar 1808 | became king | Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Denmark uncle (1768-1805) | |
| Christian cousin (1805-1808) | ||||||||
| Christian | heir presumptive | cousin | 13 Mar 1808 | cousin became king | 3 Dec 1839 | became king | Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Denmark brother (1808) |
Frederick VI |
| Frederick son (1808-1839) | ||||||||
| Crown Prince Frederick | heir apparent | son | 3 Dec 1839 | father became king | 20 Jan 1848 | became king | Ferdinand uncle |
Christian VIII |
| Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Denmark | heir presumptive | uncle | 20 Jan 1848 | nephew became king | 29 Jun 1863 | died | disputed, eventually: | Frederick VII |
| Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg 1st cousin, once removed (1852-1863 by legislation) | ||||||||
| Christian | heir presumptive | 2nd cousin | 29 Jun 1863 | heir died | 15 Nov 1863 | became king | Frederik son | |
With both Frederick VII and his uncle, Ferdinand childless, legislation was passed in 1852 to give the Danish throne to Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a great-grandson of Frederick V. Semi-salic law continued to be used until 1953 when male-preference primogeniture was adopted. This lasted until 2009 when absolute primogeniture was put in place.
| House of Glücksburg (1863–present) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monarch | Heir | Relationship to monarch |
Became heir (Date; Reason) |
Ceased to be heir (Date; Reason) |
Next in line of succession |
| Christian IX | Crown Prince Frederick | Son | 16 November 1863 Father became king |
29 January 1906 Father died, became king |
Prince Valdemar[a], 1863–1870, brother |
| Prince Christian, 1870–1906, son | |||||
| Frederick VIII | Crown Prince Christian | Son | 29 January 1906 Father became king |
14 May 1912 Father died, became king |
Prince Frederik, son |
| Christian X | Crown Prince Frederik | Son | 14 May 1912 Father became king |
20 April 1947 Father died, became king |
Prince Knud, brother |
| Frederik IX | Hereditary Prince Knud | Brother | 20 April 1947 Brother became king |
5 June 1953 Law of succession changed |
Prince Ingolf, son |
| Princess Margrethe | Daughter | 5 June 1953 Law of succession changed[b] |
14 January 1972 Father died, became queen |
Princess Benedikte, 1953–1968, sister | |
| Prince Frederik, 1968–1972, son | |||||
| Margrethe II | Crown Prince Frederik | Son | 14 January 1972 Mother became queen |
14 January 2024 Mother abdicated, became king |
Prince Joachim, 1972–2005, brother |
| Prince Christian, 2005–2024, son | |||||
| Frederik X | Crown Prince Christian | Son | 14 January 2024 Father became king |
Incumbent | Princess Isabella, 2024–present, sister |