Danish royal roundup # 3

It's time for another Danish Royal news roundup.

First, Crown Prince Frederik news. Before going to Capri for the Farr 40 Mediterranean Fleet sailing competition, Frederik went to a bachelor party/stagnight for one of his friends on April 22. The party began in Copenhagen and ended in Stockholm. The tabloids (especially in Sweden) have made rather a meal of it. There is an attempt to revive the 'party prince' label Frederik had with the tabloids before he married, and an attack on Frederik for participating in the Farr 40 competition rather than going to King Carl Gustaf's birthday celebration. Frederik and his bodyguards met with Frederik's friend at Nyhavn (New Harbour) in Copenhagen, they sat on a bench nearby in the sun and then the twelve friends went to Stockholm, Sweden to celebrate further (the friends were both Danish and Swedish). They went to the same nightclub in Stockholm that the young Swedish royals go to. Mary was attending the Monty Roberts horse show in the northern part of Copenhagen at the time. When Frederik got back to Denmark the next day he went to the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert with Mary.
This is the account in 'What the gossip mags say' in The Sydney Morning Herald:

...After alarming readers with the cover headline, "Prince Frederik's boozy boys' night: shock photos", the truth is one doozy of a letdown. Inside is a single photo of our Frederik at a "recent bucks night" where he is shown having a drink on a couch beside another man who is also having a drink. And that's it. According to "an onlooker", Frederik's debauchery extended to a night of "tall tales and silly games" at the "strictly guys-only celebrations".

Expressen (in Swedish)
Aftonbladet (in Swedish)
Meanwhile the final results of the Farr 40 sailing competition saw Frederik in eighth place. Rolex sailing links.



Now for some Princess Benedikte news, she lost the International Equestrian Federation presidential election.

From B.T. 'Princess loses the presidency' to the International Equestrian Federation to Prinsess Haya Al Bint Al Hussein (married to the Crown Prince of Dubai) at its meeting in Kuala Lumpur last night. The general secretary of the Danish Riders Association, Britta Riis, says they have come to terms with the loss and will focus on the insight into the International Equestrian Federation and learn from the experience of the campaign.

In Kuala Lumpar last night 82 out of 138 voted to elect HRH Princess Haya of Jordan to succeed HRH Doña Pilar de Borbón as the new President of the FEI. She’s the 13th president and the third woman to take over the reins, beating out a determined challenge from FEI First Vice President Freddy Serpieri who conceded with 52 votes following the second ballot. HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark was eliminated somewhat surprisingly after the first ballot having received just 16 votes. Princess Benedikte was very keen on getting this position, so the result must have hurt!

Links:
About the candidates
HRH Princess Haya of Jordan is elected president
Equestrianmag.com
Games bids.com
Middle East Online


Billed-Bladet reports Crown Princess Mary passed an upgraded driving test brilliantly last week . The category she passed is B/E and this allows her to drive a car with a trailer attached, necessary for driving a with a horse trailer in her case. Apparently Frederik also passed the same driving test last week too.


Billed Bladet has a story about Nikolai and Felix going to the Technical Driving Institute in Roskilde with their father Prince Joachim. Joachim was test-driving his classic 1965 Lotus Cortina racing car at the beginning of the racing season. The boys got to see their father in action doing some test drives and between times on the track the boys got to hang out in Dad's car pretending they were themselves behind the wheel. They managed to look very proficient too, as if they had practiced being Michael Schumacher or even Prince Joachim more than once before!


On April 26 Princess Alexandra attended an event at the Australian Embassy in Copenhagen where the finals of the Public Speaking Competition for Schools was held. She attended as the patron of the English Speaking Union.

Last week The Copenhagen Post (in English) reported on the public release of the Danish Royal Family Annual Report 2005 (PDF in English) and in Danish. They are in the black following big expenses in 2004 associated with the wedding of Frederik and Mary. There are some increased expenditures in the Crown Prince Couple's household which is expanding a little with employment of more staff to help with new duties and responsibilities. Politiken also has this story and adds that Princess Alexandra receives just a little less than Joachim, 1.8 million Danish kroner to his 1.9 million DKK.

Now to news of Queen Margrethe and the Prince Consort Henrik. Last week on April 26 (before parties in Stockholm and the Queen's illness with a bad cold) they attended the 400 year anniversary jubilee of Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen.



Finally in this royal wrap, the ceremonial launch of the Royal Yacht for the summer season was a few days ago on April 28. The Royal Yacht Dannebrog is a working vessel in the Danish Navy and it is brought out from winter maintenance each year for the summer season sailing around Danish and other waters as required for royal events. Mary and Frederik have been to Greenland 1 and Greenland 2, the Faroe Islands, and in 2004 on the Summercruise around Denmark after they returned from their honeymoon. This summer they will go to Bornholm on the Dannebrog (which is the name of the Danish flag). The Queen and Prince Henrik also have trips planned on the Dannebrog each season too and this year will go on the Dannebrog on a state visit to Greece.

The ceremony went like this: the Reigning Couple commence the season of 2006 by boarding the Royal Yacht Dannebrog, anchored at buoy no. 1 in Copenhagen Harbour at 12.00. At the same time, the artillery battery “Sixtus” salutes. The Royal Yacht then sales north from Copenhagen to Helsingør (Ellsinore of Hamlet fame) where it arrives at 2.30 with a salute fired from Kronborg Castle. The Reigning Couple disembarks in Helsingør at 3.00pm and the season is 'launched'.

Added link from The Copenhagen Post Long reign the Queen
Despite reaching the age when most people her age have long since planned their retirement, Denmark's Queen Margrethe II has no plans to fade into the shadows - much to the delight of her subjects....

2006 Schedule of the Royal Yacht Dannebrog (link)

April 28
The Reigning Couple commences the season of 2006 by boarding the Royal Yacht Dannebrog, anchored at buoy no. 1 in Copenhagen Harbour at 12.00. At the same time, the battery “Sixtus” salutes. The Royal Yacht will arrive in Ellsinore, and at 14.30, a salute will be fired from Kronborg Castle. The Reigning Couple disembarks in Ellsinore at 15.00.
May 24
The Reigning Couple arrive in Athens, Greece, aboard the Royal Yacht at 10.00. An official visit is paid in Greece until May 26.
June 21 and June 22
TRH the Crown Prince Couple pay a visit to Bornholm aboard the Royal Yacht. The Crown Prince Couple arrive Rønne on June 21 at 10.00.
June 28
HM the Queen arrives in Ebeltoft aboard the Royal Yacht at 09.00. The Royal Yacht anchors offshore at Ebeltoft. On this day, the Queen will visit the “Glasmuseet Ebeltoft” (i.e. a museum for international contemporary glass art in Denmark. The Queen is there to visit the new wing of the museum) and the frigate “Jylland”.
June 29
The Reigning Couple arrive in Haderslev aboard the Royal Yacht at 10.00 on the occasion of the presentation of new colours for Skrydstrup Airport and the National Meeting of the Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (in Danish: DGI).
July 1
The Reigning Couple arrive in Århus aboard the Royal Yacht at 10.00 in order to take up residence at Marselisborg Palace.
July 21
The Reigning Couple arrive in Sønderborg aboard the Royal Yacht at 10.00 in order to take up residence at Gråsten Palace.
September 4
The Reigning Couple arrive in Struer aboard the Royal Yacht at 10.00 in order to participate in the commemoration of the founding of Struer-Holstebro Harbour.
September 5
The Royal Yacht anchors up offshore at Lemvig at 08.00. The Reigning Couple pays an official visit in Hvide Sande.
September 6
The Reigning Couple arrive in Thyborøn at 10.00. An official visit is paid in Thyborøn-Harboøre.
September 19
At 15.00, the Reigning Couple officially disembarks the Royal Yacht Dannebrog at “Nordre toldbod” to mark the ending of the season. The battery “Sixtus” salutes.

(With many thanks to Lasse)