Danish royal roundup # 4

It is time for another Danish Royal roundup!

Crown Prince Frederik is regent from May 14 to May 29 while the Queen is away. Frederik will celebrate his 38th birthday privately on May 26. The Queen and Prince Henrik have a busy couple of weeks ahead. From yesterday until May 21 Prince Henrik is attending the Europa Nostra Congress, a pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage made up of over 200 non-government organisations which campaign the European Union, the Council of Europe and UNESCO for preservation of European heritage. The Congress is being held in Malta.

Meanwhile Queen Margrethe will be in Florence/Firenze May 17 at the Museo Stibbert and Museo Stibbert 2 where she will have a press conference during the day and in the evening will open an exhibit of her own works. May 18 the Queen heads to Rome where she will open an exhibition of Danish art from the golden age at the Vittoriano Museum. On May 19, according to the Royal calendar and Jyllands-Posten, she will visit Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. Could be an interesting conversation in the Vatican with the opening of the movie The Da Vinci Code this week!

On May 20 The Queen will celebrate the 50 year jubilee of the Danish Institute in Rome and attend a concert in the evening (a part of the international culture program of the Ministry of Culture.)

Billed Bladet reports that Queen Margrethe is close to needing surgery on her knees. Billed Bladet says it takes a lot (certainly more than a cold) to keep the Queen from doing things, so more than likely the Queen was suffering severe arthritis for her to have cancelled attending her cousin King Carl Gustaf's birthday celebrations of just over a week ago. The Queen has had surgery on her knees and spine before, some three years ago now.

Before heading to Italy, Malta and Greece, Queen Margrethe attended a Handcrafts Association awards function on May 9 in Copenhagen. It was obvious at this event that the Queen sat rather than stood to greet honourees.
See link on TV 2



B.T. and B.T. reports Alexandra is doing very well financially (in true tabloid style she is being portrayed as richer than Joachim) and that the value of her house has appreciated markedly in the two years since the divorce (same as property in the rest of Denmark?). With her generous appanage (payment from the state) and alimony from Joachim she receives more money than either Joachim or Mary. Billed Bladet takes a different tack and says Alexandra has reason to feel happy and fortunate because Joachim and her boyfriend Martin Jørgensen have a good and friendly relationship. Joachim is gentlemanly and accepts that Martin Jørgensen has a role in the lives of Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix.

On May 6 Princess Alexandra attended a Race Against Breast Cancer fundraiser.



On May 9th Princess Alexandra, pictured with Jens Broman, the President of the Danish Association of the Blind (DAB) attended a reception at the DAB in Copenhagen. The princess, who is the patron/protector of DAB, was there to donate 1.260 million Danish kroner (approx. 168.000 Euro) to different research programs for the blind.



Uddeling af midler fra Øjenfonden 2006 (related article)
photo gallery from the event
Dansk Blindesamfund (in English)
Billed Bladet (in Danish)

On May 9 Mary attended a WHO working meeting in Copenhagen. The World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe is based in Copenhagen and Mary is patron.

WHO/Europe media release
WHO Move for health 2006

On May 9 Prince Joachim attended the 60th anniversary of Care Danmark


On May 16 Prince Joachim presented awards to the 25 top trade and crafts performers of Danish Industry and Trade at Århus Town Hall. Prince Joachim honoured their achievements and teaching.



According to Billed Bladet Marie Cavallier is still sort of in the picture. The headline says she misses Joachim. Marie remains enamoured but she is just going about her everyday life and says Joachim is a fantastic man. Life in Geneva goes on with its normal routine, walking to the investment firm where she works (owned by her step-father and her mother) and spending her free time with friends and her dog Apple and going to the gym. Life hasn't changed very much for the 30-year-old who still has hopes of a future with Joachim.

On May 12 Mary, Frederik, Christian and grandpa John Donaldson went to a horse show last weekend at Bernstorffsparken in Copenhagen.
story online on DR (in Danish)



On May 13 Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary attended the wedding of their friends Annette and Thomas Olsen at the Holckenhavn Manor.



Hello! magazine 'Mary's cool look for a white wedding'
Princess Mary wows fans
Billed Bladet 'Romantic wedding in the rain' (in Danish)

So, expect to see some Danish royal action from the Mediterranean in the next couple of weeks!