King Frederik & Queen Mary's Twins Vincent & Josephine Are Growing Up Fast

Of the many royal twins from around the world, two of Denmark's own have grown up in the blink of an eye. Born to King Frederik and Queen Mary on January 8, 2011, fraternal twins Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander and Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda are now teenagers. The twins' two older siblings, Prince Christian, the Crown Prince of Denmark, and Princess Isabella, may be closer in line to the Danish throne, but Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine are still two of the most powerful royal children in the world.

After Margrethe II abdicated the throne on January 14, 2024, King Frederik and Queen Mary's twins became third and fourth in line to the crown. While there are certainly tragic details about Denmark's royal family, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine sure seem to have led a charmed life thus far. While it can't always be easy having all eyes on your family — look no further than King Frederik's affair rumors — the pair of siblings certainly appear to take to royal life like ducks to water.

As King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark's twins continue to grow up in front of the entire world, their royal duties will continue to grow with them. The transformation of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine shows just how unique their lives truly are.

The world has had a front-row seat to the stunning transformation of Queen Mary of Denmark, an Australian-born former commoner who became a mother of four when Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent arrived. Only three months after King Frederik and Queen Mary's twins were born, they were baptized in a dual ceremony on April 14, 2011. 

Margrethe II's twin grandchildren were dressed in traditional royal christening gowns at the chapel of the Church of Holmen. Since Vincent was born first — 26 minutes before his twin sister, to be exact —he was dressed in the family's baptism gown that has been in use since 1870 and was previously worn by his older siblings at their first sacrament. (Vincent's birth order also put him higher in the line of succession.) Although her brother wore the traditional family gown, Josephine's gown had familial roots as well; she was christened in a white baptism gown that was worn by her great-grandmother, Queen Ingrid of Denmark.

The royal twins' multiple godparents were officially revealed on their baptism day as well, some of whom are also royals themselves. One of Vincent's godfathers is King Felipe VI of Spain, and Josephine counts Princess Marie of Denmark and Prince Carlo among her many godparents. Their mother's friends and family are also godparents to the royal twins.

Before she was even enrolled in grade school, Princess Josephine learned an invaluable lesson: to get back up when she falls. Denmark's youngest princess showed her adventurous spirit and fearlessness in July 2015 when she broke her arm after falling off a horse. Princess Josephine was horseback riding at the royal family's summer house in Gråsten.

Apparently not one to be easily scared, Princess Josephine was around horses again only a week after she broke her arm. She was spotted at the annual Gråsten Horse Parade along with the rest of Denmark's royal family. Princess Josephine happily watched the horse succession in her blue cast, and even appeared to be in high enough spirits to flash cameras some cheeky faces.

While a broken arm from a horseback riding accident may have stopped many children from getting back in the saddle, that is just what Princess Josephine did. Only one year after her accident, the brave young princess donned her riding outfit once again. She set off on her bike with Queen Mary to attend riding lessons at the same stables where she took her fateful tumble the summer before. Prince Vincent joined his twin sister for her riding lessons.

The royal twins of Denmark swapped their baptism gowns for backpacks in 2017. While royal children attending public state schools was unusual when King Frederik and Queen Mary first enrolled Prince Christian at a public school in 2011, it has since become the norm for the royal family. Both Prince Christian and Princess Isabella attended Tranegårdskolen in Gentofte for their first few years of school, and their younger siblings followed in their footsteps.

Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine posed with their parents outside of Amalienborg Palace on their first day of school as they entered grade 0 on August 15, 2017. At one point, the young prince looked a bit scared and tearful, which is not unusual for children first starting school, royal or otherwise. At one point, Queen Mary lovingly hugged her 6-year-old son, and he was soon all smiles again.

Clad in their light blue uniforms, King Frederik and Queen Mary's twins started their academic journey by one another's side. In 2020, the royal twins' education took them to Switzerland, where they enrolled at the same school their older siblings attended at the time, Lemania-Verbier International School. Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine began a 12-week educational program at the school that was eventually cut short due to the coronavirus outbreak. They returned to their home country where they both go to separate schools as of 2025.

For many royals around the world, it is not uncommon to bop from one royal residence to another throughout the course of a year. Such is the case with the Danish royal family. For the majority of their childhood, King Frederik and Queen Mary's twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine grew up splitting their time between Amalienborg in Copenhagen and Fredensborg Palace.Amalienborg is the official residence of the royal family, and the latter of the two properties is one of the royal family's vacation home that has also acted as a primary residence.

Before the birth of their twins, the king and queen of Denmark lived full-time with their family at Fredensborg Palace while Amalienborg was under construction between 2004 and 2010. After renovations were complete on the palace, they returned to Copenhagen where they lived in the elaborate royal palace for over a decade. In May 2025, the Danish royals permanently moved back into the Chancellery House at Fredensborg Palace. The former Queen Margrethe relocated to the main house at Fredensborg Palace. 

Situated on the eastern shore of Lake Esrum on Zealand Island, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine have spent time riding horses and enjoying nature on the almost 300 acres of land surrounding Fredensborg Palace. The twins have participated in many physical activities on the estate, such as jogging around the sprawling grounds. 

It is not all royal lessons and studying for King Frederik and Queen Mary's twins. Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine make time for hobbies, particularly athletic activities. The young twins share a love of sports, including running, skiing, horse riding, and tennis. The family has taken many ski trips together to Verbier, Switzerland, over the years, and the twins began participating in Denmark's Royal Run at a young age.

In 2018, for example, they took part in the annual event with their older siblings, and the four proudly posed with their medals together afterward. A few years later, ahead of the 2021 Royal Run, Vincent and Josephine were seen taking a snowy jog with their father to prepare for the race. And in 2024, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine shared their Royal Run medals with the family's pet Border Collies.

While the twins have gotten involved in multiple activities themselves, they have also enjoyed being spectators and going to sports games together. In October 2021, Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent attended the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers football match with their mother. The royal twins were decked out in scarves sporting the Danish team's logo at Parken Stadium while they cheered on their home team in the football match against Austria.

As the current third and fourth royals in Denmark's line of succession, it is only fitting that Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine have their own royal monograms. On their 10th birthday, the royal palace of Denmark shared adorable pictures of King Frederik and Queen Mary's twins that showed just how fast the young royals are growing up. Photographer Franne Voigt captured images of the royal twins together and also photographed Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine for individual portraits.

However, more than just official birthday portraits of the twins were released on their birthday in 2021; Vincent and Josephine's official monograms were also revealed. Per tradition, each member of the royal family of Denmark has their signature monogram, each stylistically different from the others. King Frederik and Queen Mary also have a joint monogram.

Designed by graphic designer Charlotte Søeborg Ohlsen, the monograms feature Christian the fifth's royal crown over each of the twins' first initials. Both Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine's monograms were elegant and timeless yet clearly distinct from one another. Princess Josephine's monogram was a loopy, italicized cursive letter "J" while the style of Prince Vincent's monogram was a bit simpler. Designed in a more classic style, the young prince's monogram was not italicized and simply featured a double line on the right side of the letter "V."

The royal palace of Denmark often releases portraits of King Frederik and Queen Mary's twins on their birthday. The portraits mark their transition throughout childhood and are often met with awe over how fast Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine are growing up. On the young royals' 12th birthday, the royal house Kongehuset released multiple photos of the two siblings once again. 

Although taken only two years after their last portraits were released, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine certainly looked more grown up. Josephine's hair was longer than it was in her 2021 portrait, and her crisp white blouse and pearl necklace brought the quiet luxury. Vincent's attire for the portrait was more relaxed; he wore a simple purple hooded sweatshirt.

Each year, their royal highnesses resemble their parents more and more, in both appearance and manner. In her 2023 portrait, Princess Josephine, with her long brown hair and poise, was the spitting image of her mother. According to Danish royal expert Lars Hovbakke Sørensen, by age 12 the twins were already taking lessons to build their confidence and perfect the art of public speaking (via Mamamia). "Frederik and Mary have made big efforts to protect their children from the harshest elements of royal life — namely cameras — but they've also endeavoured to bring a healthy understanding of their public roles," Hovbakke Sørensen explained. While it seems as though King Frederik and Queen Mary try to preserve their twins' childhoods as much as possible, it also sounds like they are still realistic about the royal expectations set on them.

In July 2024, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine joined their parents King Frederik and Queen Mary for a summer trip. Rather than grabbing their swimsuits and embarking on a lavish beach vacation abroad for some relaxation, the royal twins and their parents donned rain jackets for a tour of Denmark's self-governing territory of Greenland. The king and queen of Denmark regularly visit Greenland to strengthen ties between the two places. However, the appearance of their youngest two children on the trip came as a surprise to the public since they were not included in the official itinerary.

During the week-long trip, the four royals explored Qeqertarsuaq, the country's largest island. The trip to Greenland was an educational one; the Danish royal family visited an Arctic research station in an effort to publicize and promote more natural science research. The family explored the marine life at Disko Bay and helped in the installation of a unique new whale microphone.

King Frederik, Queen Mary, and their youngest children also explored the city of Sisimiut where they learned about Inuit culture and soaked up knowledge with a visit to a local museum. The Danish leaders and their twins also toured a technology college and visited Handicap Center Pissassarfik. While the majority of the trip was spent soaking up scientific information, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine made time for play as well. The teenagers showed off their impressive foot skills in a football game and later joined in the family mile race with their parents while in the Greenlandic city.

King Frederik and Queen Mary's twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine are no strangers to the limelight. While their parents try to shield them from the public eye as much as possible, Denmark's royal twins are used to posing for photographs, whether they are waving to reporters from the balcony of the royal palace or sitting for portraits. However, Princess Josephine showed her country that she can do more in front of the camera than simply pose; she can act as well.

In late 2024, the Danish princess appeared in an episode of DR's Christmas calendar series "Tidsrejsen" ("The Voyage Through Time"). Her part in the episode came as a surprise for viewers, as the royal palace did not announce Princess Josephine's supporting role beforehand. Lest anyone assume her family pulled some royal strings and secured the gig for her, she reportedly attended a casting call like any other aspiring acting might.

"Tidsrejsen" was not the young princess's first foray into acting. She was in a stage production of "Peter Pan" at Tivoli Copenhagen in 2023, and her family was in the audience cheering her on. Princess Josephine may have gotten her love of the performing arts from her grandmother, the former Queen Margrethe II. In addition to appearing in the film "The Wild Swans," Margrethe II has done some behind-the-scenes work as a screenwriter and set designer. Whether her granddaughter decides to continue on the path toward becoming an actor or decides to step back from the spotlight, it seems her supportive family will be by her side.

On December 31, 2024, the royal family of Denmark rang in the new year with a lavish celebration. King Frederik and Queen Mary hosted their first banquet as king and queen at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. All four royal children, including twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent, were in attendance for the historical moment that night when their father made his first ever speech as Denmark's new monarch. In his speech, King Frederik touched on a number of subjects, including his role as a father.

"As the parents of four teenagers, Mary and I have learnt that it does help to listen," the king of Denmark said. "To ask questions without making assumptions. To give a hug instead of taking immediate action." He continued by remarking on how courageous he found the country's youth, including his own children. "We get the best idea of who young people are by letting them speak, each individually. Time and again they impress us with their understanding of themselves and of others," King Frederik said (via Kongehuset).

Although only 13 at the time, Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent looked glamorous and grown up in their party attire. On the twins' 14th birthday less than two weeks later, the royal palace of Denmark released portraits of the two from the elegant night. Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent both dazzled in the portraits showing off their formalwear. The young princess sparkled in a black dress with gold jewelry accessories, and her twin brother wore a sleek black tuxedo with a velvet bow tie for the holiday.