Danish Royal Media Watch: RIP: Count Christian of Rosenborg: Daisy's First Cousin Was Her Outcast: Make Up For It at the Funeral, Girl Since You Won't Fly the Flag Half Mast Over Amalienborg

Count Christian and Countess Anne-Dorte of Rosenborg

Last night at 11pm, Count Christian of Rosenborg passed away at Gentofte Hospital. He had been suffering from cancer and had endured 33 chemo treatments, to which his wife accompanied him every time, despite her own struggles with throat cancer. (Christian had smoked since he was eight years old.) Daisy's flag remains at full staff over Amalienborg Palace, nor with a black streamer atop her flag. The funeral will be held 29 May at 11am at Lyngby Kirke.

He was born 22 October 1942 at his parents' home, Sorgenfri (Sans Souci) Palace, as HH Prince Christian Frederik Franz Knud Harald Carl Oluf Gustav Georg Erik of Denmark and Iceland. His father was the younger brother and only sibling of Crown Prince Frederik, the future King Frederik IX (Derf's grandfather). As the throne was only inherited by men, even in the absence of male siblings, Christian's father Prince Knud was the Hereditary Prince and heir to the future King Frederik. Knud's oldest son Prince Ingolf was his father's heir and seen as the future of the Danish Royal Family. Knud had also married equally, a requirement of Danish royal house membership, to Princess Caroline-Mathilde, his first cousin.

All that changed in 1953 when the constitution was changed to allow women to inherit the throne in the absence of male siblings (but still with preference to younger males over their older sisters). There is strong anecdotal evidence that Queen Ingrid was the reason behind this change, wanting her awkward daughter Daisy to inherit the throne over her brother-in-law Prince Knud's less than glamourous brood.

In February 1971, Christian married Miss Anne-Dorte Nielsen. Since she was a commoner, Christian lost his styling of Highness and his title of prince. This was in accordance with house rules, despite an appeal by Prince Knud to his brother the king a few years earlier to allow Ingolf (and therefore later Christian) to retain his princely title. In 1967, despite the flawed argument that the Laborde de Monpezat's had a countly claim, the king had allowed Daisy to stay his heir by fudging the rules for her; King Frederik would not do that for his nephews. More reason to love badass Princess Elisabeth for never marrying and therefore keeping her title and her elephant!

Despite this precipitous fall from the social ladder all within the course of his early lifetime, Christian seemed to go on to have a happy family life. He and Anne-Dorte had twin girls Josephine and Camilla, and then a final child, Feodora. Despite the whispers that none of the girls were great beauties, they have all grown up to have partners and children and the extended family of Knud and Caroline-Mathilde seem to show up for each other and have a certain solidarity. That has surely been because of and in defiance of Daisy's (and her father's) somewhat outcast treatment of the Knud Brood.

Quite famously, Trine Villemann opened her royal tell-all 1015 Copenhagen K book with the story of Derfie and his cousin Josephine talking over the loud music at Club Vega during the "Youth Party" before Derf's disastrous wedding to Mary Boganson. Freddles told Josephine that he looked forward to catching up better at the reception and dinner after his wedding in a few days. That's when Josephine dropped the bomb that although she and her sisters and parents had been invited to the wedding, the girls and their husbands were not on the guestlist for the reception afterwards at Fredensborg. Awkward!

Daisy, your first cousin has died. He was born a Prince of Denmark. 100% royal blood. Can't say that about yer own grandbogans or even the beautiful Schackenborg grandchildren, despite their elegance and inner nobility. Please give him a proper send off. Make up for the cold-bloodedness of the treatment of Princess Caroline-Mathilde after Knud died when her guards were told to stand down as she arrived home from the funeral. Make Derfie go so he can say kind words to his "beloved" cousins. Let Ingolf and Elisabeth know that they too will get dignified send-offs. They don't have children, so you will be it.

Baby Prince Christian with his two royal parents in the christening gown of Danish kings

Prince Knud's three children

King Christian, Queen Alexandrine, and their six grandchildren: Elisabeth, Margrethe, Ingolf, Christian, Benedikte and baby Anne-Marie

The rejected branch of the royal family: Prince Knud, Princess Caroline-Mathilde and their three children, Princess Elisabeth, Prince Ingolf and Prince Christian