Danes look forward to the coronation of King Frederik

Thousands of people are expected to hail the new king on Sunday, with a huge fireworks show, and hotels in Copenhagen selling out.

Crown Prince Frederik was known in Denmark as somewhat of a party prince in the early 1990s, but perceptions started to change after he graduated from Aarhus University in 1995 with a master's in political science. He was the first Danish royal to complete a university education.

During his studies, he spent time at Harvard in the United States, where he enrolled under the pseudonym Frederik Henriksen.

He later served in the Danish navy, where he was nicknamed "Pingo" - which was earned after his wetsuit filled up with water during a scuba diving course and he had to waddle like a penguin.

The 55-year-old has earned his name as a daredevil, taking part in a four-month ski expedition across Greenland in 2000. He has been hospitalised in sledging and scooter accidents.

Crown Prince Frederik, like Britain's King Charles III, is known for his passion for the environment. He has vowed to "guide the ship" of Denmark into the future.

His Australian-born wife, Princess Mary, grew up on the island of Tasmania and was working as a lawyer when the pair met in 2000, at a bar in Sydney during the Olympic Games.

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Unlike British royal tradition, there will be no formal crowning ceremony for Crown Prince Frederik. Instead, his accession will be announced from Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen on the day.

He will become King of Denmark and head of state in the country - which is a constitutional monarchy - as well as in Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

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