hellomagazine.com

FREDERIK AND MARY SET FOR LITTLE PRINCE'S BIG DAY

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19 JANUARY 2006

When Denmark's little prince feels a trickle of cold water over his head on Saturday morning, he will be blissfully unaware the moment is being celebrated by royal fans all over the world. His parents, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, will be all too aware of the intense public interest as their bundle of joy is christened in the chapel of Christiansborg Palace, however.

Journalists from the United States, Japan and, of course, Mary's homeland of Australia will be among the 500-strong press pack in attendance for the hotly-anticipated event. And the little boy's proud parents are obviously keen to make sure everything runs smoothly, as they spent Wednesday afternoon rehearsing the ceremony.

The princess was looking characteristically elegant in a long white coat when she rolled up to the chapel, while her husband was likewise dressed to impress with a stylish long woollen jacket over his grey polo-neck sweater.

Details of the ceremony are being kept under wraps, but it is expected to last around two hours and feature a mixture of traditional and more modern music. It will also put an end to the uncertainty among royal watchers about how they should refer to the infant. No official confirmation has been offered about the baby's name, but he is widely expected to be called Christian, in keeping with a Danish royal tradition that stretches back centuries.

Saturday's proceedings will also see the second-in-line, who has been dubbed "kingaroo" in Australia, become the first prince to be christened in the chapel since his great great grandfather Christian X.