Prince Christian of Denmark's 18th Birthday Plans Revealed — with New Photos! How Future King Will Celebrate

The second in line to the Danish throne turns 18 in October

Prince Christian of Denmark can look forward to quite the birthday party this fall!

On Tuesday, the Danish Royal House announced the official plans for the prince’s 18th birthday on Oct. 15 and released new portraits. Prince Christian is second in line to the Danish throne behind his father, Crown Prince Frederik, while his grandmother is Queen Margrethe, and the court will mark the milestone will two events held one month apart.

Prince Christian switched between serious and smiling in the three shots taken by photographer Franne Voigt and shared to the palace's Instagram, which showed him seated in a studio. He sported a navy suit with a blue button-down in one photo and paired an unbuttoned tan jacket with a white tee and black pants in the two others.

“On Sunday 15 October 2023, His Royal Highness Prince Christian turns 18. Authority Day is celebrated with a changing of the guard at Amalienborg, where the Prince, together with his family and Her Majesty the Queen, appear on the balcony of Frederik VIII's Palace. In the evening, the Queen hosts a gala dinner where the guests reflect Prince Christian's own generation,” the Danish Royal House said.

Related: Crown Princess Mary Reveals World Cup Allegiance When Denmark Faces Her Home Country of Australia

The gala that evening at Christiansborg Castle will welcome reps from some of Denmark’s youth organizations plus young people “who have distinguished themselves in the world of sport, art and culture.” Extending the guest list, the Royal Palace will work with local municipalities to coordinate invitations for around 200 young people from the Danish Commonwealth, giving each of Denmark’s municipalities, Greenland and the Faroe Islands the opportunity to invite two 18-year-old guests to the party.

In June 2022, a gala for Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway's 18th birthday gathered royals from around the world to celebrate. Three other future queens and a future grand duke — Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Princess Estelle of Sweden and Prince Charles of Luxembourg — posed with the birthday girl for a portrait.

The event also served as the tiara debut for Princess Catharina-Amalia and Princess Elisabeth.

The festivities continue one month later and take a more formal turn. On Nov. 14, Prince Christian will attend a meeting of the Council of State (which is comprised of government ministers) and declare that he wishes to comply with the Danish constitution.

“Prince Christian will then be able to be appointed as head of state. Prince Christian will not get a seat in the Council of State until a change of throne has taken place,” the Danish Royal House said of the step.

Christian is the eldest child of Crown Prince Frederik, 54, and Crown Princess Mary, 51. He is followed in the country’s line of succession by his younger siblings — Princess Isabella, 16, and 12-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.

Related: Count Nikolai of Denmark Shares Photos of His 'Last Days in Europe' — Find Out Where He's Heading

Just like King Charles and the British royals, members of the Danish royal family traditionally fête special occasions like birthdays and regnal milestones with balcony appearances and glittering galas. The Danish royal family most recently came together for Queen Margrethe’s 83rd birthday in April, where she stepped out on the terrace of Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen with her two sons, their wives and all eight of her grandchildren.

The photo op was poignant as it marked the first time the Queen was seen with all of her family since she stripped Prince Joachim’s four children of their royal titles earlier this year. A father of four, Prince Joachim, 54, shares his two eldest sons, Nikolai, 23, and Felix, 21, with his first wife Alexandra. They divorced in 2005 after a decade of marriage, and Joachim remarried in 2008. He and Princess Marie went on to welcome two children — Henrik, 13, and Athena, 11.

In September 2022, Queen Margrethe unexpectedly announced that she was stripping Joachim’s kids of their prince or princess and "His/Her Highness" titles they inherited at birth and had been styled by all their lives. The Royal House of Denmark said that the siblings would retain their places in the line of succession and would be known instead by His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat starting on Jan. 1, 2023.

Prince Joachim spoke out to the press about the way the situation was handled, claiming that he received “five days' notice” of the major shakeup and that his whole family was “very sad.” Queen Margrethe later made another statement saying she "underestimated" how the news would affect her second son and his kids, but she maintained that the plans were long in motion and stripping the royal titles was “necessary future-proofing of the monarchy.”

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Embracing change, the Danish Royal House announced in March that Joachim and Marie are moving to Washington, D.C. on Sept. 1. Prince Joachim is set to start a new job at the Danish Embassy under the Ministry of Defense, helping strengthen the defense industrial cooperation with the United States and Canada. As the palace said the prince and his "family" will make the move, Count Henrik and Countess Athena are expected to join their parents.

While Count Felix has kept his plans for the fall private, Count Nikolai is embracing a new adventure — studying aboard in Australia!

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.