Queen Mary's Daughter Princess Josephine Has Grown Up So Fast

King Frederik X's relationship with Queen Mary of Denmark started out like a rom-com. The couple first met at a bar during the Sydney Olympics in 2000 with Mary blissfully unaware who she was chatting to. "It was perhaps half an hour or so later that someone came up to me and said, 'Do you know who these people are?'" Mary later recalled in an interview with 60 Minutes Australia. Despite Frederik's status and their physical distance, the duo's instant connection couldn't be shaken. "From the very first moment that we started talking, we never really stopped talking," Mary shared. Soon, she was moving to Denmark, learning the language, and eventually tying the knot with a future king in 2004.

Since then, the couple has welcomed four children, including their youngest, Princess Josephine, who was born in 2011, half an hour after her twin brother. Now fourth in line to the Danish throne, the young princess has grown up in the public eye – and she's grown up fast. Despite being in her teens, Josephine has already taken charge of her future and is pursuing her favorite hobbies with passion. For example, she took part in the Royal Run in 2025, a race that King Frederik founded in 2018 and has participated in yearly, running through Copenhagen's streets. However, she didn't just compete in one event but three, running the 1-mile race, as well as the 5km and 10km. That gusto is reflected in everything she does as she prepares to step further into the spotlight.

There are more royal twins around the world than you might imagine and, on January 8, 2011, Denmark's royal family welcomed its own regal duo. Then-Princess Mary gave birth to Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander and, just under half an hour later, his twin sister, Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda. Then-Prince Frederik shared the happy news from Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark, enthusing, per ABC Australia, "It's a happy occasion to announce that Crown Princess Mary has given birth to perfectly healthy babies: A boy and then a girl right after." The young royals joined older siblings Prince Christian (born in 2005) and Princess Isabella (born in 2007) in the line of succession.

Initially, their names were kept secret and not revealed until their christening at Copenhagen's Holmen's Church on April 14, in keeping with Danish tradition. Josephine, whose full title is Princess of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, received quite the sentimental moniker with numerous nods to her heritage. Her first name is shared with one of her godmothers, Josephine Rechner, who is a close friend of Queen Mary. Meanwhile, Ivalo is a unique name of Aboriginal origin which comes from Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. It is translated to mean "thread," "sinew," or "tendon" and is a traditional girl's name signifying strength. Finally, Mathilda is the Danish spelling of Matilda, which is believed to be a tribute to Queen Mary's native Australia where "Waltzing Matilda" is the unofficial national anthem.

Queen Mary of Denmark lives a lavish life in her new homeland, but she's never forgotten her roots. Over the years, the Australian native has repeatedly returned home on both royal and personal tours and, in November 2011, Princess Josephine visited the country for the first time when she was just 10 months old. Accompanied by her twin brother and their father, the foursome spent a week on official visits to Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra. A week after that, a six-year-old Prince Christian and four-year-old Princess Isabella finished their school term in Copenhagen and joined the family for two weeks of fun in the sun and a visit to Mary's hometown, Hobart. "The family will spend some private time in Tasmania visiting family and friends," a spokeswoman for the royals told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Just before Princess Josephine's fourth birthday, the family once again returned to Australia for the holidays in December 2015, taking in beaches on the Gold Coast before heading to Tasmania for Christmas. They repeated that custom during the Christmas season of 2017 and 2022. The royal family Instagram account posted a snap from the latter trip, showing the now-11-year-old twins all smiles with their parents and siblings. The caption wished everyone a merry holiday season from Tasmania and (when translated into English) quipped, "Here there are neither freezing temperatures nor bare trees but summer and warm weather."

King Frederik and Queen Mary's twins, Vincent and Josephine, are growing up fast. Indeed, a young Princess Josephine took part in her first official visit in August 2014 when she was just three years old. Along with her parents and all three siblings, the young princess took a seven-day cruise on the Royal Yacht Dannebrog to visit various cities in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. Stops included the capital of Nuuk, as well as other locations along the south and west coasts of the county.

While in Qaqortoq, the largest town in southern Greenland, Princess Josephine showed off her penchant for royal duties when she helped plant trees in a poplar grove named after both her and twin brother, Prince Vincent, using their Greenlandic middle names. The area is called Ivalos og Miniks Poppellund, or (when translated to English) the Ivalos and Miniks Poplar Grove. 

Each member of the royal family wore traditional dress for the occasion, with Josephine donning the North Greenlandic national costume, including a beautifully embroidered top and white leather thigh-high booties. After each of the four kids planted their own tree, the two older siblings decided to run around and play in the grove while Josephine and her twin diligently took time to help their mom and dad plant their young poplars.

She may be a member of the royal family, but Princess Josephine is a fearless young lady who loves sports. This was made all too clear in 2015 when she fell from her horse during a riding lesson and broke her arm, but wasn't in the least bit fazed by the injury. Just days later, the four-year-old was spotted at an equestrian parade with her parents, wearing an elbow-length cast which didn't stop her from enthusiastically waving to the crowd and happily engaging with all of the riders.

However, the sport Princess Josephine appears to enjoy most is tennis. In 2019, the then-8-year-old beamed in photos with local junior tennis player Holger Rune and, in 2020, proud mom Mary shared footage she herself shot of a 9-year-old Josephine and her twin playing tennis at Grasten Palace. "My husband's love for tennis has been passed on to everyone," Mary cheekily captioned the Instagram post. 

Indeed, King Frederik X has always been incredibly active and has been spotted at Wimbledon on numerous occasions. However, it needs to be said that Queen Mary also enjoys the sport. In 2015, for example, she attended the Children's Aid Day tennis event in Copenhagen, Denmark while in 2023, she played with local children at the Gladsaxe Tennis Club. More recently, the royal couple attended the tennis semi-final at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France together.

Princess Josephine began her academic journey in August 2017 when, at six years old, she was enrolled in a primary school called Tranegårdskolen, located on the outskirts of Copenhagen. She was joined there by her twin brother, but in 2023, she decided to go her own way. While Prince Vincent continued his studies at Tranegårdskolen, Josephine started the 6th grade at Kildegård Privatskole, a private school founded in 1870 by Comtesse Thusnelda Moltk to educate girls. Now co-ed, the school boasts on its website, "We challenge and develop our students so that they are more than ready for their future education."

However, that transition didn't last long. At just 14, Princess Josephine decided to yet again shake up her education with another surprise academic decision. In 2025, the royal house confirmed in a statement, "HRH Princess Josephine has chosen, at her own request, to continue her education in the 8th grade at Spir Efterskole." The boarding school is located in Juelsminde, about 160 miles away from Copenhagen, which marks a break with tradition as Josephine became the first young royal to study away from home. What's more, the institution itself is unique in that it goes beyond a standard curriculum to focus on social emotional learning. It also requires students to take unorthodox subjects, which include gastronomy, dance, drama, and sports. These subjects are designed to help students find unique interests and expand their talents.

Not only is Princess Josephine in full control of her education, but it seems that she's also already begun exploring various career opportunities. In 2023, at just 12 years old, the young royal made her acting debut during a stage adaptation of "Peter Pan" presented at Copenhagen's Glass Hall Theater. The tween was cast in a small role as one of the Lost Boys living in Neverland and was listed in the credits merely as Josephine Sophia Ivalo.

Just a year later, at 13, she made the move to the small screen, surprising Danish television viewers by appearing in the second season of "Tidsrejsen" (which translates to "The Voyage Through Time"). The series had 24 episodes that ran from December 1 through Christmas Eve and told the story of a boy named Romeo who used his substitute teacher's time machine to search for the father he'd never met. In episode four of the show, fans were first introduced to a character named Kate, a student attending Romeo's school, who was played by none other than Princess Josephine. Lene Balleby, a communications rep for the royal family, told local paper Billed-Bladet that there was no preferential treatment involved. Rather, she said Josephine went to the casting call on her own and auditioned just like everyone else before landing the role.

Denmark's Queen Margrethe II chose to step down from the throne in December 2023 and the following month, her son was crowned as King Frederik X. Soon, he and Queen Mary were thrust into the spotlight even more than before, as were their four children. Being the youngest, Princess Josephine has yet to undertake any official duties in her own name, but she's begun appearing at a growing number of royal engagements since her father's coronation. In July 2024, for example, the 13-year-old and her twin brother, Prince Vincent, took onlookers by surprise when they joined their parents on a royal trip to Greenland. While there, brother and sister took part in a football game, ran a race with locals, and even helped scientists install a new whale microphone.

Jump to June 2025 and Princess Josephine again joined her parents on the road, this time without her brother. The trio took a three-day trip to the Faroe Islands, another autonomous territory of Denmark. While her attendance wasn't announced beforehand, it was clear locals were happy to see her as she waved to crowds of onlookers. However, the young princess didn't simply accompany her parents on their walk-about. Rather, Josephine was also present during the king and queen's important royal engagements, including a visit to parliament.

The children of the Danish royal family live a lavish life to be sure and yet, the king and queen have been doing their best to give them a regular childhood. As Ulrik Ulriksen, a royal writer for local outlet Billed-Bladet, told Australian paper The Advertiser, "Frederik and Mary have said that they are modern people and they want their children to have a normal upbringing." This has included plenty of time spent in nature. As Queen Mary told a local TV station in 2025, per Hello!, "Our children are outside a lot [...] They think it's nice to get fresh air and exercise in nature."

It seems their efforts have paid off as Josephine has regularly been spotted doing everyday teen things, like swapping clothes with her mom. In 2024, a 13-year-old Josephine was snapped wearing Queen Mary's vintage Prada coat while in 2025, it was the queen who wore a top from her 14-year-old daughter's closet. Meanwhile, in May 2025, Josephine went viral when she and a friend arrived at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, casually walked past the royal guards, then proceeded to use the buzzer at the door to be let in. 

The video took off on Instagram with one user writing, "I think it's funny that she is casually walking to her house like we do but she lives a palace." Another mused, "It's crazy that there isn't like a security guard following them."

Following King Frederik X's ascension to the throne in January 2024, the Danish line of succession now begins with the king's eldest son, Crown Prince Christian, followed by Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent, and finally, Princess Josephine. Given that she's fourth in line to the throne, it is highly unlikely that Josephine will ever become queen which, according to royal experts, will give her lots of freedom to build her future as she pleases.

Speaking with Australian paper The Advertiser in 2011, Jes Fabricius Moller, the associate professor of Danish History at Copenhagen University, predicted that Josephine and her twin brother would enjoy a particularly high level of freedom. "What role the twins will have in life and how closely connected they will be to the palace depends very much on their abilities, their education, and their wishes for their own life," Moller speculated. That being said, they will still need to keep their lineage in mind and remember that their actions will always be closely watched. "They can have many different and unusual careers, but they cannot do anything considered immoral," Moller added. However, while royal protocol will always be a consideration, both Josephine and Vincent will have the option to pursue their own passions. "The twins will have to make their own careers," Moller concluded. "They cannot make a living out of just being related to the king."