During the 20th century several lines with the title and name Count of Rosenborg were separated from the Danish royal family. There are seven lines of the Counts of Rosenborg, the first of which became extinct on the male side in 1995. The title was first given to Prince Valdemar's son Prince Aage in 1914, after he morganatically eloped with Matilda Calvi, daughter of Count Carlo Giorgio di Bergolo. Most recently, Hereditary Prince Knud's two sons, Prince Ingolf and Prince Christian, received the title in 1967 and 1971, respectively.
Being former agnatic members of the royal house of Denmark, the holders of the title Count of Rosenborg were assigned the highest place in the Danish order of precedence (1st Class, No. 1), as a recognition of their preeminence, and they are consequently the highest ranking nobles in the Danish nobility.
The history of the Count of Rosenborg title is closely tied to the Danish royal family's regulations on dynastic marriages and succession rights. In the event that a member of the Danish royal family enters into a marriage without the explicit permission of the sovereign, that person renounces his or her own right of succession and that of his or her descendants. The Danish monarch's right to exercise this authority is established in the Danish Constitution and the Act of Succession (Danish: Tronfølgeloven).[1] Furthermore, this authority is specifically enshrined in the King's Law (Lex Regia), the 1665 absolutist constitution of Denmark-Norway, which was repealed with the promulgation of the Danish Constitution in 1848, except for two articles, which are still applicable, Article 21 of which reads "‘No Prince of the Blood (...) shall marry (...) unless he receives Permission from the King".[2]
When Prince Aage, son of Prince Valdemar (youngest child of King Christian IX), married Mathilde Calvi in 1914, he did not obtain the necessary permission from the King. He thereby renounced his dynastic right to the Danish throne, the title Prince of Denmark and the qualificationRoyal Highness.[3][4] On 5 February 1914, Christian IX granted him the title Count of Rosenborg. The comital title in the Danish nobility was made hereditary for all of his legitimate descendants in the male line with the rank and precedence (above other counts) of a lensgreve.[5] Subsequently, it became custom in the 20th century to grant this title to male princes, who made unequal marriages.[6]
The wife of a Count of Rosenborg is entitled to use the title Countess of Rosenborg, such as Countess Anne Dorte. Male children of counts will pass on the comital title to their male descendants, whereas female children are only entitled to use the title ‘comtesse’ until they are married, after which they relinquish this title. The original Counts of Rosenborg were placed in the 1st Class No. 1 of the Danish order of precedence, and they were are thus entitled to the style "His Excellency", whereas their male descendants and comtesses of Rosenborg are placed in the 2nd class, No. 2. Count Ingolf of Rosenborg is the only remaining directly created count of Rosenborg, and thus retains the style "His Excellency".[8][9][10]
Recent history
Since the reign of Queen Margrethe II, the custom of bestowing the title has been discontinued, and the Queen has allowed her two sons, Frederik and Joachim, to marry non-princely.
Creations and Rosenborg descendants
In total, seven lines were separated from the Danish royal family, four of which are currently extant. The marriages of Counts Viggo and Ingolf of Rosenborg remained childless. The line of Prince Aage became extinct in 1995 with his only childless son. Count Christian had only female progeny, who all married between 1995 and 2004 and thus lost their titles. The three remaining lines of Counts Erik, Flemming and Oluf continue to flourish.[11]
^Huberty, Michel; Giraud, Alain; Magdelaine, F. and B. (1994). L'Allemagne Dynastique, Tome VII – Oldenbourg. France: Laballery. pp. 288, 306, 329, 344. ISBN2-901138-07-1.
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