Danish Royal roundup #11

Crown Princess Mary knew something we didn't - see below (but suspicions? we had a few!)

It is time to roundup the Danish royal news once again!

At the end of September (the 19th) The Queen and Prince Henrik celebrated the ending of the season for the Royal Yacht The Dannebrog, with various formalities including a salute from the Sixtus Battery and a lunch for the crew. As you can see a formal photo was also taken to mark the occasion. Captain Kai Rasch is next to the Queen and the second-in-command Ole Petersen is on Prince Henrik's left. The crew comprises officers and conscripts from the Danish Navy. As Queen regnant and commander in chief of the military, Queen Margrethe is 'in command' when on board. The Dannebrog sailed more than 10,500 nautical miles this last season which included an official visit to Athens. (Thanks Muhler)

We have mentioned it before but a reminder that the Royal Family has decided to spend Christmas at Fredensborg Palace this year. The custom of spending Christmas at Marselisborg will be broken, although there was a precedent for this when Queen Margrethe decided to have Christmas at Amalienborg Palace in 2000, the first year after Queen Ingrid's death. Frederik and Joachim spent all their childhood Christmases at Marselisborg, but it is now too small to accommodate all the family members who will gather. The Queen has invited her sisters Benedikte and Anne-Marie and their families, who will be able to accommodated at Fredensborg, unlike Marselisborg.
TV2 article

In an update of details about the royal Christmas, Bodil Cath of B.T. , says Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik will host Christmas Eve at Fredensborg and has invited 34 for the party. The entire family is invited, which means sisters, children, sons and daughters-in-law and grandchildren. Princess Alexandra will not take part but will spend her Christmas with her partner Martin Jørgensen. Alexandra had Nikolai and Felix with her last year and this year it is Prince Joachim's turn for them to be with him. Cath says Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary also look forward to the family Christmas with little Prince Christian and the little new one to come.
Queen Margrethe has chosen to celebrate Christmas at Fredensborg for purely practical reasons: there are simply are not enough rooms at Marselisborg for the Queen's two sisters, Princess Benedikte and Queen Anne-Marie, their spouses Prince Richard and King Konstantin, their children and their families.
Margrethe and Henrik also always invite the pastor Reverend Peter Parkov. He is now 69 and has given his notice at Margrethe Church in Valby, Copenhagen, effective from December 1, 2006. In the past, after Reverend Parken gave his Christmas service, he used to take the train (3-3½ hours) to Århus to spend christmas with the royal family at Marselisborg. This year the road to the royal Christmas gathering will be somewhat shorter for him.
It has been quite a while since the different generations of the royal family have celebrated Christmas together around a big old fashioned Christmas tree at the palace -- the last occasions were when the late Queen Ingrid gathered her daughters and their families in The Chancellory House.
Those in the royal family who has been invited this year are:
Mary, Frederik, one year old Christian, Joachim and Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix.
From Germany Benedikte's entire family will come, including Prince Gustav with his girlfriend Carina Axelsson. She was introduced to the family this summer at Gråsten.
Princess Alexandra with her husband Count Jefferson and the children Count Richard, age seven and Countess Ingrid, age three.
Princess Nathalie, age 31, will attend without her boyfriend.
Also the entire Greek Royal Family is invited:
Anne-Marie and Konstantin with their children, children-in-law and seven grandchildren. They are Prince Philippos, age 20, Princess Theodora, age 23 and Prince Nikolaos, age 37 (his girlfriend Tatiana Blatnik will not attend, although she has been to Frederik's and Mary's wedding and Christian's christening). Crown Prince Pavlos and Marie-Chantal and their four children, Princess Maria-Olympia, age ten, Prince Konstantin-Alexios, age eight, Prince Achileas Andrea, age six and two year old Prince Odysseas Kimon.
From Spain will come the Greek Princess Alexia, her husband Carlos Morales and their children, four year old Arrietta, three year old Anna-Maria and one year old Carlos.
(Many thanks to Muhler for translation.)

If you would like to check out the European/Danish royal family tree, click on the link and follow the numbered tree links on the left hand navigation bar. This DR.dk program and history resource is based on Christian IX, the so-called 'father-in-law of Europe'. Send us an email if you would like details on how to order it.

French born Prince Consort Henrik of Denmark and French translator Alain Gnaedig ® share a light moment, when on Monday, 16 October 2006, Gnaedig was awarded the literature prize of the Francophone ambassadors in Denmark in the French Embassy in Copenhagen. The annual prize of around 1500 euro, instituted in 2001, was given to Gnaedig for his 2005 translation of Karen Blixen 's - alias Isak Dinesen - biography Out of Africa for the Gallimard publishing company. (Photos: EPA/Keld Navntoft)

October 16, 2006. Prince Henrik



Billed Bladet #43 reported Princess Alexandra went to London with Princes Nikolai and Felix and boyfriend Martin Jørgensen to visit her sister. The photos are of Princess Alexandra and sons, Prince Felix and Prince Nikolai arriving back at Kastrup, Copenhagen International Airport, on 22 October 2006. They visited Alexandra's sister Martina who lives in London these days with husband Andrew and sons Joshua and Matthew. Martin Jørgensen had to return to Copenhagen a few hours earlier than Alexandra.




Prince Henrik's new Fredensborg wine:



Who? Me?
On October 17 Mary opened the Kopenhagen Studio (see the DRWs post here) and she was asked by Bodil Cath, royal reporter for B.T., Are you pregnant Mary? as she was leaving. Bodil Cath reported that the Crown Princess raised her eyebrow when she was confronted with the pregnancy rumours. Mary exclaimed "Oh!" a little despairingly and smiled, but kept her mouth sealed. Both Danish and overseas magazines (and the internet!) were speculating there was a new royal pregnancy, but, as usual Mary didn't reveal anything. Mary was also asked if she was looking forward to the up coming trip to Tasmania. "Yes, of course," she replied. What are you looking forward to the most? "What I am about to see now!" she said and Bodil Cath remarked that fashion is a business Mary is very involved with and further, that Mary didn't look pregnant at all! (Thanks Summer)

By Thursday October 26 the official announcement was made. Billed Bladet #44 has featured stories about the happy grandparents, Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik, Professor John Donaldson and Susan Donaldson as well a happy uncle, Prince Joachim.




Princess Benedikte attended the FEI World Cup Dressage as its patron, at Vilhelmsborg in Århus from 21-22 October. See World Cup Dressage 2006. Benedikte's younger daughter, Princess Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, competed for Denmark and came fourth in the competition. Princess Nathalie competing:




Prince Henrik has been implicated, by mere mention of his name, in an art scandal. Henrik is not actually involved and police investigations continue without involving him. See this brief account in The Copenhagen Post.


October 23, 2006. Princess Alexandra turned the first turf to start the new building of the Museum of Modern Art ARKEN. The ARKEN expansion will go on until January 2008. The building of the extension will mean a majority of the museum’s galleries will be closed, however there will be a series of special exhibitions in the museum's exhibition areas, the Art Axis and in the Graphics Gallery.

TV2
Alexandra turning the first sod for ARKEN extension
Madeleine Glindorf's gallery


October 25, 2006. Princess Alexandra at RCT in Copenhagen.




October 23, 2006. Prince Henrik at a hunt in Lemvig.




October 24, 2006. Prince Henrik at the Jydske Dragoon Regiment.





November 3, 2006. Queen Margrethe inaugurated a new standard for the Danish Artillery Regiment and even hammered in the nail to display the standard herself.

A new book called Mary - a Princess with style has been published in Denmark and is selling well. The authors are Kig Ind's Jim Lyngvild, who is also a designer, and Ekstra Bladet's Jan Körner (both Danish tabloids). The authors claim Crown Princess Mary is now the best dressed woman in Denmark. The angle taken in the book seems to be that Mary has changed from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan under the influence of the Danish royal court. There are very short interviews with Mary's hairdresser Søren Hedegaard and her stylist Anja Camilla Aladji. There is a review of Mary's wardrobe from before and since she has become Crown Princess, although the authors had no actual confirmation as to designers and brands used by Mary from the court.

During publicity for the book, Lyngvild and Körner claim Mary has a changed style, which reflects the way her dress and her aura have changed since she became a part of the Danish Royal Family. They said she triggered a whole apparatus to change into a Princess when she arrived in Denmark 2002. Mary hired a make-up specialist and a stylist. She lost ten kilos and changed her style completely, they say. Now she is without doubt the superstar of the Danish Royal Family, according to Jim Lyngvild. A translation into English is underway and planned for publication next year. The cover photo is from a photo shoot and interview for Australian Vogue last year. We will be scanning and posting that interview and photo shoot soon and including it here on the blog as a reference of interest, especially for many of our non-Australian readers.


On November 2, 2006 Crown Prince Frederik participated in the 60th anniversary meeting of the Danish Foreign Policy Society. Frederik is patron of the Foreign Policy Society, which met at the University of Copenhagen.
The Danish Foreign Policy Society is a private, non-profit association which was founded in 1946 to stimulate public interest in and knowledge about international affairs. The Society´s patron is Crown Prince Frederik, with Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, former minister for foreign affairs as chairman and the executive director, Klaus Carsten Pedersen. The Society is non-government, non-partisan, and non-commercial. It takes no stand on political issues, but functions as an information centre, a point of contact, and a forum for enlightened debate. The Society currently has 1100 individual members, and further 300 persons are members via 75 institutional and corporate memberships.
(Photos by Lars Nybøll of POLFOTO)



Billed Bladet #45 reported comments by Frederik as he went into the University for this engagement. Like any loving and involved husband and father Frederik was present for Mary's first scan, says Billed Bladet. On being asked by reporters, Frederik remarked how wonderful it was for them to have their first glimpse of the new baby, complete with heartbeat and active movements. It will be good to be parents again said a happy and smiling Frederik, "When I saw the first pictures from the scan I felt enormous joy for our new miracle." In about six months time Frederik can call himself a 'father of two' after Mary has given birth again at Rigshospitalet.

A new ceiling fresco in the Fredensborg Castle Chapel has been celebrated by the Queen, Prince Henrik and others, including Mærsk McKinney Møller. Artist Per Kirkeby has completed a new ceiling fresco in the Chapel at Fredensborg Castle and it was inaugurated recently. The work was made possible by the support of Queen Margrethe's and Prince Henrik's Foundation and also the A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller's Foundation. See Ny loftsmaleri i Fredensborg Slotskirke "New ceiling fresco in Fredensborg Castle Chapel" (in Danish).




November 06, 2006. Queen Margrethe visited the film studio Nordisk Films to help celebrate its 100th anniversary in Valby, Copenhagen.
See A century of the big bear in The Copenhagen Post




Once again Queen Margrethe is involved in her friend Susanne Heering's ballet school's Christmas production. The Queen has been designer and scenographer for many years now for family friend Susanne Heering's Danseinstitut. The ballet performance by the children, called Tolv med posten, will be based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairytales. The Queen has long been involved in this annual production and even donates cloth and bits and pieces of her own wardrobe for costumes and sets. This year the Queen has made the poster advertising the four days of performances to be held at Teatermuseet i Hofteatret at Christiansborg Ridebane. See Dronningens streg bag fortæppet in Jyllands-Posten (in Danish).


November 8, 2006: Prince Joachim has also been to Brussels but to visit NATO. Visit to NATO by Prince Joachim of Denmark - Prince Joachim met with the NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer for a bilateral meeting. (Photos courtesy NATO)



November 07, 2006. Prince Joachim of Denmark also took part in a memorial service of the Blue Berets and the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the first Danish UN command.
Earlier on October 31, 2006 Prince Joachim had formally awarded the travelling grant in remembrance of Queen Ingrid in Aabenraa.


On 9 November 2006 Princess Benedikte officially opened the "Børnehuset Columbus" as the patron of the National Association of Child Care Institutions.
See Madeleine Glindorf's gallery (Thanks Madeleine!)

On Thursday 9 November Crown Prince Frederik awarded scholarships from the Anders Lassen Foundation. See also Anders Lassen Fonden (in Danish).

First Lieutenant Jacob Hou Larsen has received a Foundation grant.

A grant was also awarded to the Jægerkorpset social network (in Danish) which is the army special forces. Frederik belonged to the navy special forces, Frømandskorpset, but he received part of his training, i.e. jump training at Jægerkorpset.

A third grant was awarded to First Sergeant Peter Petersen, from Jægerkorpset. He was wounded in Afghanistan this summer. He was wounded by schrapnel but insisted on staying with his unit. (Thanks to commoner and Muhler for this information).


A little news about Nathalie Prinzessin zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg from Billed Bladet. During interviews to promote the book written about her, Nathalie has revealed she is very happy both professionally and in her private life. Nathalie has a boyfriend, although she doesn't want to say too much yet, her parents have seen him but have not formally met him. Nathalie, 31, who seems very much besotted, said she is not sure who will marry first, herself or her brother Gustav. In a DR TV interview Nathalie said her boyfriend wasn't involved with horses. See DRWs Royal roundup #9 for info about the book. (Thanks elizabeth and Thor.)




November 5, 2006. Princess Benedikte presented the Prince Consort's Cup at the Hubertus Hunt in Dyrehaven (they don't hunt animals, they ride through a course minus hunted or huntees).




November 9, 2006. Queen Margrethe gave a formal lunch for the official visit of the Czech President Václav Klaus at Fredensborg Palace (the photos show the Queen greeting him and his wife Livia at Fredensborg). Crown Princess Mary was present at the lunch, and as we know, Mary recently visited the Czech Republic and met the presidential couple. See our DRWs coverage here and here. And, the Czech President Václav Klaus gave a lecture at the University of Copenhagen the same afternoon after the lunch. Václav Klaus discussed his views of Europe and the EU: Europe needs to change its ways, he suggests. Instead of overregulation, and the creeping development into a United States of Europe, EU needs to become an organisation focusing mainly on free trade between the cooperating member states.
• How does the EU become less bureaucratic?
• How to strike the right balance between free trade and social needs?
• What is the situation in Central Europe 2.5 years into EU membership?




And finally, a little catch up!

DRWs here: Caroline and Peter Heering were among the MTV Europe Awards crowd

DRWs here: Mary quick fast in Brussels!


Add to DRWs here: Gustav and Carina were with Frederik and Mary at the UEFA football match:

To end (see DRWs here) we have a little more detail about Carina and Gustav following the birthday party of Queen Ingrid's little brother Count Carl Johan Bernadotte (hence the Danish connection).
Billed Bladet #45 added some new info about the now 3-year relationship between Prince Gustav of Berleburg and Carina Axelsson. The theme of the story was how warmly she has been accepted into the royal fold of Gustav's family. There is still the problem of his grandfather's 100-year-old will, which stipulates the princes of Berleburg must marry an Aryan woman who is both noble and Protestant. Carina, 31, is a former model and a children's book author and is half Swedish and half Mexican by birth. Carina does not meet the 'requirements' of the will, but has quite rightly been warmly received by the whole royal family, the Berleburgs, the Danish royals and the Swedish royals. This was very evident, says Billed Bladet, when Gustav and Carina were at the 90th birthday for Count Carl Johan Bernadotte, Queen Ingrid's little brother, when he held a party in Bastad, Sweden, recently. Prince Gustav and Carina Axelsson drove together with Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik in a car from Denmark to the party in Sweden. On the way the cousins could exchange the latest news in their lives and share in each other's happiness.
At the party the couple were quickly found together with Crown Princess Victoria, who came alone to the party and it was clear Carina Axelsson was openly accepted and embraced by the Crown Prince Couple as well as the Swedish portion of the royal family.
Carina's pretty, discrete, uncomplicated and obliging manner seems to have charmed the family and most importantly but not least, Gustav's heart (yes, that is what it says). The couple's obvious happiness and compatability means an engagement can't be far away. The will of Prince Gustav's grandfather, Prince Gustav Albrecht, is still a problem until it is reversed by the German courts, where Prince Gustav and three other noble families are attempting to challenge the stipulations which are so odious.
Perhaps the couple's bond is stronger because of the adversity? They now live together in Prince Gustav's apartment at the castle in Berleburg and enjoy spending each day together. There was no mistaking their contagious happiness and clear love for each other at the Count's birthday party. (Thanks elizabeth.)


Some larger versions and new scanned photos from Billed Bladet to add to the DRWs post here: