The Royal Castles and Palaces of Denmark

Denmark, like many of the former great European powers, is a monarchy.  And as such, Denmark's main (and largest) island, Zealand, is dotted with gorgeous Royal Castles.

* Such as the incredible, Frederiksborg Castle, the largest Renaissance castle in all of Scandinavia.

* What a resolute looking chap! Dream big, fine sir!

* Built in the 17th Century, the Castle was the royal residence of King Christian IV, then monarch of a united Danish-Norwegian kingdom.

* For 434 years, Denmark and Norway were actually one country; along with Greenland (which is still part of Denmark).

* This union ended in 1814 when Denmark, an ally of Napoleon Bonaparte, was forced to surrender Norway to Sweden at the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

* The parental units being ushered into the Age of Instagram!

* The kids showing how it's done!

* Dramatic! Prepare to gasp upon seeing the remarkable Chapel.

* Everything looks like it's in High-Definition!

* Preservation work is currently ongoing throughout the Castle. Here's one gentleman that looks very much like Vlad Tepes, Dracula.

* The Great Hall was another room that very much looked CGI'd / out of this world.

* Marvelous!

* Some of my favorite murals include this group of dashing gents having drinks over lobster.

* And this suckling pig / wild boar, being blessed by the King!

* Artworks adorn every wall of this Castle's rooms.

* A man can get serious work done with these surroundings!

* Life-like! And worth more than your house!

* Eat-all-you-can buffet, medieval style!

* Amazing painting of a parade in Copenhagen. Even more amazing is that most of these buildings are still standing!

* Having an Imperial Navy was a must for any self-respecting empire.

* Here's one of their ships which apparently got stuck in the North Pole (probably!).

* All this table needs is a laptop, notepad, and a warm cup of coffee!

* Our room for the night?

* MUCH BETTER!

* A table for serious conversations and libations. No smartphones allowed!

* The current Danish Royal Family is beloved by its people! Enjoying a rather remarkably high approval rating!

* And the current monarch is Queen Margrethe II, of the House of Glücksburg.

* Interestingly, by law, Danish Kings can only take one of two names: Frederick or Christian.

* We are now up to the 9th Frederick and the 10th Christian!

* Another interesting fact is that the current Royal House of Greece is a branch of the Royal House of Denmark.

* Thus members of the Royal House of Greece are referred to as the Prince or Princess of Greece and Denmark.

* Even more interesting is that a former Prince of Greece and Denmark is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

* Making Charles, William, Harry, and George members of the House of Greece and Denmark!

* Talk about marrying into the right Royal House!

* While less opulent as compared to Frederiksborg, Fredensborg is the Royal Family's favorite residence! They spend most of their time away from Copenhagen here.

* And that is why we were forbidden from crossing this very intimidating barrier.

* This did not stop the writer from having a photo by this picturesque dirt road. I'm not grumpy, I just need coffee!

* Provocative!

* A final castle we spotted was Kronborg Castle. Also known as the home of Hamlet, of William Shakespeare lore! 

Insert best "To be or not to be!" impression here!