The Danish Royal Family’s Festive “Little Sibling Challenge” Gets Heated

King Frederik and Queen Mary’s four children are getting into the Christmas spirit at Amalienborg Palace in Denmark. After last week’s Christmas tree decorating video, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent, and Princess Josephine created “julekagenhus,” gingerbread houses, in a boys versus girls competition shared on Instagram.

“Are you ready for a little sibling challenge?” Crown Prince Christian asked his younger siblings, as they were divided into two teams. In their private kitchen at Amalienborg Palace, the princes and the princesses were divided by a wood panel so they couldn’t peek at the opposing creations. “You’re not allowed to look at each other’s,” Princess Josephine declared in Danish as the competition began.

Princess Isabella and Princess Josephine worked hard to create a gingerbread house creation from cookies, icing, and doughnuts. The family’s dog, a border collie named Coco, looked on, hoping for a crumb to fall from the immaculate, modern kitchen counters.

Meanwhile, Prince Christian and Prince Vincent’s construction kept falling down, until they magically pulled a beautifully decorated “julekagenhus” from beneath the kitchen counter. When the two teams revealed their creations, Princess Isabella exclaimed in Danish, “Oh come on, why is theirs ten times nicer?” Accusations began to fly, with the elder princess saying “you didn’t make that one!”