
Photo: Clément Morin/The Royal Court of Sweden
Below is a list of all the current living royals who have been given the Order of Elephant honor from Denmark.
Denmark Royals
King Frederik IX (1947–1973)
| Royal | Year | Reason |
|---|---|---|
|
Princess Margrethe (Later Queen Margrethe) |
1947* |
King Frederik IX’s Accession (Queen Margrethe is now Sovereign of the Order) |
|
Princess Anne-Marie (Later Queen Anne-Marie of Greece) |
1947* | King Frederik IX’s Accession |
| Princess Benedikte | 1947* | King Frederik IX’s Accession |
|
Prince Ingolf (Later Count Ingolf of Rosenborg) |
1961 | 21st Birthday |
*Prior to 1958, women could received the Insignia of the Order. but were not made knights. King Frederik IX changed this in 1958 in connection with then Princess Margrethe’s 18th Birthday. Women previously given the insignia, were retroactively made Knights.
Queen Margrethe II (1973–2024)
| Royal | Year | Reason |
|---|---|---|
|
Crown Prince Frederik (Later King Frederik) |
1972 | Queen Margrethe II’s Accession |
| Prince Joachim | 1972 | Queen Margrethe II’s Accession |
|
Princess Alexandra (Later Countess of Frederiksborg) |
1995 | Marriage to Prince Joachim |
|
Crown Princess Mary (Later Queen Mary) |
2004 | Marriage to Crown Prince Frederik |
| Princess Marie | 2008 | Marriage to Prince Joachim |
|
Prince Christian (Later Crown Prince Christian) |
2023 | 18th Birthday |
King Frederik X (2024-Present)
| Royal | Year | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Princess Isabella | 2024 | King Frederik X’s Accession |
| Prince Vincent | 2024 | King Frederik X’s Accession |
| Princess Josephine | 2024 | King Frederik X’s Accession |
| – | – | – |
Notes
- The Monarch’s children receive the honor automatically at birth or their parent’s accession. If they are under 18 years old, they will receive the honor, but will not receive the insignia until their 18th Birthday.
- For honors given for a marriage into the Denmark Royal Family, the honor are usually given on or a few days before the wedding. We have listed the person under their titles upon marriage, instead of their maiden names.
Foreign Royals
King Frederick IX’s Reign (1947-1973)
| Royal | Year | Position | Reason/Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Prince Akihito of Japan (Now Emperor Akihito) | 1953 | Heir | Official Visit to Denmark |
| Crown Prince Harald of Norway (Now King Harald V) | 1958 | Heir | State Visit |
| Empress Farah of Iran | 1963 | Consort | State Visit |
| Princess Irene of Greece | 1964 | Extended Family, In Wedding Party | Marriage of King Constantine of Greece to Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark |
| Crown Prince Carl Gustaf of Sweden (Now King Carl XVI Gustaf) | 1965 | Heir | ? |
| Prince Hitachi of Japan | 1965 | ? | |
| Prince Albert of Belgium (Now King Albert II) | 1968 | Heir Presumed | State Visit |
Queen Margrethe II’s Reign (1973-2024)
| Royal | Year | Position | Reason/Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princess Christina of Sweden | 1973 | State Visit | |
| Crown Princess Sonja of Norway (Now Queen Sonja) |
1973 | Heir’s wife | State Visit |
| Prince Charles of UK (Now King Charles III) |
1974 | Heir | State Visit |
| Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands (Late Queen Beatrix) |
1975 | Heir | State Visit |
| King Juan Carlos I of Spain | 1980 | Monarch | State Visit |
| Queen Sofia of Spain | 1980 | Consort | State Visit |
| Queen Silvia of Sweden | 1985 | Consort | State Visit |
| Crown Prince Haakon of Norway | 1991 | Heir | State Visit |
| Princess Märtha Louise of Norway | 1992 | State Visit | |
| Queen Paola of Belgium | 1995 | Consort | State Visit |
| Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden | 1995 | Heir | 18th Birthday |
| Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece | 1997 | Heir to Defunct Monarchy / Nephew | Queen Margrethe’s Silver Jubilee |
| Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands (Now King Willem-Alexander) |
1998 | Heir | Queen Beatrix’s 60th Birthday |
| Queen Noor of Jordan | 1998 | Consort | State Visit |
| Empress Michiko of Japan | 1998 | Consort | State Visit |
| Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand (Now King Maha Vajiralongkorn) |
2001 | Heir | State Visit |
| Prince Philippe of Belgium (Later King Philippe) |
2002 | Heir | State Visit |
| Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg | 2003 | Monarch | State Visit |
| Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg | 2003 | Consort | State Visit |
| Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan (Now Emperor Naruhito) |
2004 | Heir | State Visit |
| Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway | 2014 | Heir’s Wife | 200th Anniversary of Norway’s Constitution |
| Queen Máxima of the Netherlands | 2015 | Consort | State Visit |
| Queen Mathilde of Belgium | 2017 | Consort | State Visit |
| Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway | 2022 | Heir to Heir | 18th Birthday |
| King Felipe of Spain | 2023 | Monarch | State Visit |
| Queen Letizia of Spain | 2023 | Consort | State Visit |
King Frederik X’s Reign (2024 – Present)
| Royal | Year | Position | Reason/Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Daniel of Sweden | 2024 | Spouse of heir | Sweden State Visit |
| – | |||
| – |







Leave a Comment!