Danish Royal roundup # 9

On August 4, 2006 members of the foyal family attended a concert in the chapel in Gråsten Palace.



On August 9, as we already reported here , Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik gave their annual press conference. Billed Bladet gave it more extensive coverage after that post. The Queen said the knee replacement had gone very well and that it had been a pretty good recovery experience all things considered. Prince Henrik was asked how his leg was and the Queen interjected that his was in solidarity with hers, and the same leg too. Prince Henrik said he had not been able to play tennis and he hoped the press would pass on commenting about his larger belly! The Queen was asked about the press pairing Prince Joachim with a tennis player and she replied that certain magazines were in more of a hurry to pair him up than he was himself. This got a laugh from the press. Asked about the Crown Prince, the Queen said he was so very happy because he has a lovely wife and a lovely child and that since the period preparing for the wedding, Frederik has become a happier and happier person, which is lovely to see, she said.

Click for a DR.dk video clip (3 mins) of the press conference at Cayx and some snippets of earlier ones too, dating back to 1999 when they were about to become grandparents for the first time.

It was also revealed that several of the quite impressive bronze statues in the gardens at Cayx had been made by Prince Henrik. He was asked why he had kept this a secret and he replied that it is a hobby and that he does not take himself seriously, but he likes to work with his hands. Why secret? To avoid being criticised!
(With thanks to Muhler, Jema and Lasse.)

Some photos from the Billed Bladet coverage:



On August 2 Queen Margrethe attended a celebration of the 50th anniversary of King Christian X's Gigthospital in Gråsten.



Peter Schiødt of TV 2 reports that with his relationship over with Marie Cavallier, Prince Joachim cut loose in early August at the Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix. Joachim put his "pedal to the metal" and came fourth in his race, which helped the Cortina Racing Team to a respectable sixth placing. Joachim's nerves were settled with lots of cigarettes amidst the petrol fumes and blokey atmosphere.


On August 12 Crown Prince Frederik and the Prince Consort (Henrik) attended the wedding of Fleur Just & Anthony Foreman at Holmens Church in Copenhagen. Fleur Just is Prince Henrik's goddaughter and she has known Frederik all her life. Prince Henrik returned from France for the wedding and then went back to his vacation with the Queen. Reported in Billed Bladet no. 33.



Still on a wedding theme, Prince Joachim attended the wedding of his friend Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille last week to Caroline Ohlsen, Billed Bladet reported.



Crown Prince Frederik has been regent for most of August while Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik have been holidaying in France at Cayx. Frederik is now in Newport, Rhode Island, sailing in the Farr 40 World Championship and Joachim is acting as regent while the Queen and Prince Henrik are in Greece celebrating Queen Anne-Marie's 60th birthday. We will bring you news of Frederik in Newport on the Nanoq (the Greenlandic name for polar bear). So far, in the pre-regatta competition, Frederik and his crew are doing quite well amongst a feild of 38 competitors. You can keep up with the Farr 40 news here. While he was regent Frederik had one of the regent audiences which Queen Margrethe adheres to as a traditional role of the monarch. Any citizen of Denmark can ask to have an audience with the Queen, and they do. The Queen usually sees a number of people for all sorts of reasons during the fortnightly audiences.


On August 9, 2006 Prince Henrik of Denmark went shopping at the local market of Luzech while he and Queen Margrethe were on vacation in their Caix Castle near Cahors.


Then, on August 10, Prince Henrik of Denmark is photographed at his vineyeard with his labrador dog Pollack in front of the Castle of Caix near Luzech.



A new book about Princess Bendikte's daughter Princess Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and her horses is to be released this month. Princess Nathalie is an accomplished horsewoman and competed in the recent Equestrian World Games in Germany. The book is written by Vivi Sjøner in co-operation with Princess Nathalie. Princess Benedikte attended the games to watch her daughter represent Denmark on her horse Digby. But, it was another royal, Zara Phillips, who won the three day eventing competition. But Denmark did come fourth in dressage! You can check Princess Nathalie's site here, but it is in German.


Prince Joachimof Denmark opened the cultural festival "Images of the Middle East" on August 12 in Amager Strandpark. The festival will run until September 20, 2006.



The recent fashion events in Copenhagen are considered to have been very successful. Crown Princess Mary's involvement as patron of CIFF, CPHVision and Designer's Nest is having the same effect on Danish exports as support by other members of the royal family on sectors of Danish exports in agriculture and heavy industry. According to a report in Billed Bladet by Dorte Quist, in the two years since Mary has been patron and attending the fashion fairs twice yearly, Danish clothes exports have increased by 27 per cent. The hard-nosed fashion press is focused on the quality and development in Danish fashion. It is now Mary's face which is associated with Danish fashion. Eva Kruse, fashion manager for the Danish Fashion Institute, said that Danish fashion was in the ascendency when Mary arrived in Denmark, but that it was now stimulating much more interest in Danish design abroad. Kruse said Mary's style and interest lifts up the clothing industry and creates appeal to wider target groups in Denmark and abroad.


B.T. reports Queen Margrethe has paid JJFilms for the completion of a film portrait on Hans Edward Nørregård-Nielsen. JJFilms, owned by Princess Alexandra's partner's father (or father-in-law as B.T. puts it), has completed a number of royal film projects. The film company received 25,000 kroner from the Queen for work done on the commissioned project. Alexandra's partner Martin Jørgensen works in his father's company, which has established a relationship with the court on various films.


On August 20, 2006 Princess Alexandra was at the opening of the Ecco Walkathon. She was accompanied by her sons, Nikolai and Felix, who did the 6 km walk at the Ecco Walkathon in Copenhagen (although Felix was sleeping on four wheels by the end!). To see many more photos go to Madeleine Glindorf's site and click on 'Photography' and then select Ecco Walkathon, Copenhagen. Thanks Madeleine for such great photos!


Then the next day on August 21, 2006 Princess Alexandra awarded the Gerda Prize.


and on August 30, 2006 Princess Alexandra attended the opening of the Sea Festival in Odense Harbour, Denmark.



Princess Alexia was hospitalised in Greece recently suffering from pneumonia. Alexia is well now but became ill when a previously poorly treated respiratory infection resurfaced while in Greece for the family celebration of Queen Anne-Marie's birthday. Alexis had been in Gråsten with the family before travelling to Greece. She was discharched on August 18 accompanied by her father King Constantine. She was tired but eager to return to her children who had sent her drawings and letters while she was in hospital. Alexis continued medication treatment after leaving hospital and was well by Queen Anne-Marie's birthday (although she still looks pale in photos).



Back to school for Nikolai. Prince Joachim had picked him up from his last day before summer vacation and Princess Alexandra dropped him off for his first day back for the new school year at Krebs School, not too far from home in Copenhagen.



Susan Moody, Mary's stepmother, in writer-mode, has just had her latest book, her 26th, Kirsten's Letters, published in Danish as Kirstens Breve. Billed Bladet has a feature story to co-incide with the release of the book. Susan tells of the retirement plans she and John Donaldson have after John Donaldson finishes the two year commitment he has as a mathematics professor at Århus and Copenhagen Universities. They have given a lot of thought about what to do. They have seven children between them spread out all over the world in Australia, California, England and Denmark. So, surprisingly, says Billed Bladet, they have chosen France as the place they will settle. Susan and John celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary this week.


Billed Bladet reported in a cover story last week, for Prince Nikolai's seventh birthday, that Prince Joachim joined 'stepfather' Martin Jørgensen in a harmonious family occasion at Princess Alexandra's house in Copenhagen. Hello! magazine also reported the story 'Alexandra's friendly greeting for ex-husband Joachim', but it is easy to see from the photos the two happiest at the family celebration were Nikolai and Felix, content in the knowledge that the important people in their lives are focused on their wellbeing.

Although he is not 'officially' recognised, privately Martin Jørgensen has become a fully fledged member of the family. Martin lives with Alexandra and the boys at Østerbro in Copenhagen, shares duties of taking the boys to school (Felix goes to kindergarten/pre-school) and does many of the things any dad would do. On the morning of his birthday Nikolai was surprised and delighted by his father who was waiting for him with a birthday greeting as he was dropped at school by Alexandra and her mother. Nikolai had chocolate cream-filled buns with him to share with his class and the birthday celebrations went into full swing when he arrived home from school after 2pm. Martin had gone to a neighbour's to collect some sand for the base of the umbrella stand for the party (that is what he is carrying in the photo).



In its editorial this week Billed Bladet writes against all the odds these days, when divorce can be so difficult, that Joachim, Alexandra and the third partner Martin have shown the way with an excellent model of how a divorce can be. There is no doubt from the birthday pictures and photos on other occasions that Nikolai and Felix are thriving. The Queen also mentioned the happiness of her grandsons in her press conference in Cayx. Billed Bladet's editorial also commends Mary and her visit to Vollsmose. It is described as a very positive initiative with a significance which should not be undestimated. (Many thanks to Muhler for translation.)


Last weekend Frederik and Mary went to a 20th anniversary party with a difference. Frederik was flying and so were a few others at an 80s-themed party with close friends Baron Ditlev and wife Baroness Dorte Wedell-Wedellsborg on the island of Langeland. Frederik arranged for a helicopter to do a some stunt flying and as a jumping off point into the sea. Frederik was one of the first to jump, along with his mate from the Frogman Corps, Jeppe Handwerk. There was music, singing, dancing and good food in a tent set up on the beach. Many of the circle of Frederik's and Mary's good friends were at the party including Jeppe and Birgitte Handwerk, Helle Joof, Rikke Juul and Michael Brandt, Peter and Caroline Heering, Peter Warnøe and girlfriend Julia Tholstrup, Jule Mølsgaard and many others. Most guests slept off the party at a nearby hotel, while Frederik and Mary stayed with the hosts. They had brunch the next morning, except Mary, who left early to go to one of her official duties. Reported in Billed Bladet. (Again, many thanks to Muhler for translation.)




As we have reported before Mary visited an exhibit of Danish jewellery. Here is a photo which we didn't have access to before now. But more important is an upgraded Arts and Crafts Market website. Mary is the patron.


Looking very well and rested, Queen Margrethe opened the week-long Århus Cultural Festival, of which she is patron, on September 2 says B.T. In the sparkling style she is known for, she made a joke on the theme of this year's festival 'Womania', which focuses on women's art. The Queen wondered if the men from Århus thought women couldn't understand Danish? According to her 'womania' should have been 'kvinderier'. For non-Danes, this should be interpreted as the Queen making a comment on Danish not being corrupted by English. Reported in Århus Jyllands-Posten as well, she attended a banquet and gala musical evening also (photo right).