Though typically in more formal attire, the King of Denmark offered a glimpse of his tattoos while on holiday this week.
Danish King Frederik, 56, and his wife Queen Mary, 52, were pictured together on the sandy shores of Nikki Beach in Porto Cervo on Monday.
Wearing his orange swim shorts, King Frederik revealed his small collection of inkings as as he took a dip in the sea.
But King Frederik is not the only royal with tattoos. Princess Eugenie has one behind her ear, Lady Amelia Windsor has more than one animal-themed inking and Princess Sofia of Sweden has a sunburst depiction on her back.
Read on below to see every royal tattoo – that we know of.
Danish King Frederik, 56, offered a glimpse of his tattoos while on holiday on Monday
Princess Eugenie
Wearing her hair down in loose curls, Prince Andrew’s youngest daughter debuted a small circle tattoo behind her ear last year as she attended the Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the Queen’s reign.
The black circle inking was also visible when she attended a vigil at Westminster Hall to pay her respects to her late grandmother, the Queen after her death last year.
Princess Eugenie: The Duke of York’s youngest daughter exposed a small circle tattoo behind her ear at the Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving
Although the princess has never revealed the meaning behind her tattoo, there have been some suggestion it can represent the cycle of life and death, or it can symbolise perfection, wholeness and totality
While it is rare for British royals to be seen with a tattoo, Eugenie is following on from her great-great-grandfather King George V who had a dragon and a tiger tattooed on his arms.
King George V, who reigned from 1910-1936, visited Japan in 1881 with his brother Prince Albert Victor when the pair were teenagers.
The tattoo was also visible just beneath the headband during a vigil at Westminster Hall as the princess paid her respects to the late Queen after her death in September last year
According to the official diary of the tour, compiled by their tutor, the Reverend John Dalton, the princes had their arms tattooed during their stay in Japan – Albert Victor with a pair of storks and George with a dragon and a tiger.
Serving as midshipmen aboard HMS Bacchante, Prince George’s tattoos were chosen to symbolise the East and the West.
He wrote in his diary: ‘We have spent a very pleasant week on shore up at Nara & Kioto (sic), we saw a great deal in the time but we were not long enough, it was too hurried.
‘Nearly every body on board has been tattooed. I have got a dragon on one arm done at Tokio (sic) & a tiger on the other arm done at Kioto (sic).’
Lady Amelia Windsor
Lady Amelia Windsor: The granddaughter of the Duke of Kent was the first royal to show off her tattoos in public
Lady Amelia Windsor, a model and granddaughter of the Queen’s cousin, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, was the first member of the British royal family to show off her tattoos in public.
The stylish socialite displayed a small design on her rib, a parade of three bear cubs on her wrist and a glimpse of a tiger inked on her back while wearing a pink Chanel mini dress at the Serpentine Gallery Summer Ball in 2018.
She told Elle that the bear cubs are a sweet tribute to the bond between herself and her two siblings – Lady Marina and Edward Windsor.
She has a parade of three bear cubs on her lower arm as a tribute to her bond with her two siblings – Lady Marina and Edward Windsor
The stylish model and socialite also has a tiger on her back and a delicate design tattooed on her side
‘One is of three bear cubs, which represent my brother, sister and I because we saw three cubs in Canada when we were really little and thought they were us on the beach,’ she said. ‘It was a really magical moment.’
Grant Harrold, who is known as The Royal Butler, previously told FEMAIL: ‘Lady Amelia Windsor is not a senior royal or a princess.
‘As we know she is not even in the top 30 in line to the throne, so she will be aware that she can get away with personal choices such as tattoos or modelling for international fashion houses.’
Princess Sofia of Sweden
Princess Sofia of Sweden: The royal has displayed tattoos including a sunburst at a number of formal occasions
Sofia proudly showed off her back tattoo on her wedding day to Prince Carl Philip in 2015
The princess has a small tattoo on her ankle but reportedly had a tattoo on her arm removed
Princess Sofia of Sweden showed off the sunburst tattoo at the top of her back at her wedding to Prince Carl Philip in 2015.
She has proudly displayed the inking on many formal occasions, including at the 2019 Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony.
The princess also has a butterfly on her ribcage and a discreet tattoo on her ankle, but is reported to have had a tattoo on her arm removed following her engagement to Carl Philip.
Pauline Ducruet
Pauline Ducruet: The niece of Prince Albert II of Monaco has showed off a number of inks, including on her lower left arm and her right ear
Following on from the example set by her mother Princess Stéphanie who has several tattoos, Pauline also has a daisy inked on her lower right arm
A diver, a designer and niece of Prince Albert II of Monaco, adventurous Pauline Ducruet has shown off a number of bold tattoos in public.
Her inkings include a daisy on her lower right arm, a delicate design on her wrist and writing on the inside of her left arm as well as a small tattoo at the top of her ear.
Pauline has previously opened up about her unconventional childhood, living in a caravan with a travelling circus after her mother Princess Stéphanie eloped with an elephant trainer.
She explained to the Sunday Telegraph that while her childhood was ‘random’, travelling around the world also brought her ‘pure freedom’.
Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
Princess Stéphanie of Monaco: The youngest daughter of actress Grace Kelly and Rainier III, Prince of Monaco has exposed a number of tattoos including on her back
She has also shown off an elaborate wrist tattoo on her right arm which is partnered with a ring tattooed on her finger
Pauline clearly followed the example of her mother Princess Stéphanie, the youngest daughter of actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III, who often exposes her various inks.
Dubbed a ‘wild child’, the princess – who has spent time as a model, a swimwear designer and a singer – has a dragon tattooed on her upper back as well as a flower bracelet around her wrist and a ring tattooed on her finger.
17-year-old Stéphanie was in the car with her mother when they were in a crash after driving around a hairpin curve, leading to her mother’s death in 1982.
She was later hounded with false reports suggesting that the princess had been driving the car at the time of the crash.
King Frederik of Denmark
King Frederik showed off his tattoos on Monday at Nikki Beach in Porto Cervo in Sardinia.
On his leg, there’s a shark tattoo which is the insignia of the Danish Navy’s elite frogman corps.
His arm inking, meanwhile, refers to the ‘Pingu’ nickname that he was given after completing his training to become a badged Frogman.
A tattoo referring to a nickname he was given after completing his training to become a badged Frogman could be seen. He also showed off an inked shark on his leg which is the insignia of the Danish Navy’s elite frogman corps and was possibly chosen as a tribute
Frederick enjoying the ocean – his tattoos on his leg and shoulder can be seen
The Frogman Corps are a unit of professional divers and commandos that are tasked with assaulting enemy ships, advanced force and maritime anti-terrorism tasks among others.
The training for the Frogman Corps is notoriously difficult with participants having to complete stages including a scuba diving course, a survival course and a combat swimmer course in nine months.
Only 311 soldiers have been accepted into the unit since its creation.
Prince Frederik’s grandfather, King Frederik IX, who ruled Denmark from 1947 until 1972, also acquired tattoos during his time in the navy, having birds and dragons inked on his torso and arms.