Mary at the gala dinner/concert for King Carl Gustaf's 60th birthday

30 April 2006. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark arrives for the Gala Dinner at Royal Palace to celebrate King Carl Gustaf of Sweden's 60th Birthday in Stockholm, Sweden. She's seen with Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, and with HRH Prince Nikolaos of Greece.

In the group photograph, left from back is H.R.H Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, H.R.H. Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, H.R.H. Crown Prince Philippe of Belgium, H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, then from bottom left to right H.R.H. Princess Madeleine of Sweden H.R.H. Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, H.R.H. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, H.R.H. Crown Princess Mathilde of Belgium and H.R.H. Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.

Mary and Henrik arrive for King Carl Gustaf's 60th birthday state lunch

30 April 2006. Continuing with the birthday celebrations, today, Crown Princess Mary and Prince Consort Henrik of Denmark arrive at the City Hall in Stockholm for a State Lunch in honor of King Carl Gustaf of Sweden on his 60th birthday. Crown Princess Mary and Prince Henrik look as though they are having a good time representing Denmark at the birthday festivities. Unfortunately, we miss seeing Queen Margrethe at these events because she became ill with a bad cold just before they were due to leave for Sweden. This is quite a pity as she is a first cousin to King Carl Gustaf through her mother Queen Ingrid (who was a princess of Sweden). You can read our post about Queen Ingrid here. There are at least several royal babies in Stockholm which we know of, Prince Christian and Prince Sverre Magnus, so hopefully they are getting to know each other behind the scenes.

Already today the birthday guests have been to a Te Deum service at the Royal Chapel at 10.30am, witnessed a changing of the guard at 11.30am, attended an orchestral and choral musical celebration before going to the State Lunch in honour of King Carl Gustaf's 60th in the City Hall. This evening there will be a concert followed by a gala dinner in the Drottningholm Palace.

Mary and Henrik attend King Carl Gustaf's birthday celebrations

29 April 2006. Crown Princess Mary and father-in-law Prince Consort Henrik of Denmark arrive for King Carl Gustaf's private dinner birthday celebration at the Drottningholm Palace outside Stockholm, Sweden. Three hundred guests were invited to the party for the king's 60th birthday.



guestlist (confirms Christian will be with Mary)
Swedish Royal Court (offical site in English)
The Swedish Royal Family (official site in English-- links to members of the family)
CG's birthday program

Frederik at Rolex Farr 40 sailing competition in Capri

28 April 2006. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and his crew sailing the NANOQ yacht during the second edition of the Rolex Capri Sailing Week, a week of one-design racing in the Bay of Naples, off Capri, southern Italy. The regatta will run from 27 April to 1st May 2006.



Rolex Capri Sailing Week
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda

Crown Princess Mary launches Heart Week 2006

Today Crown Princess Mary has launched Heart Week, an intitiative of the Danish Heart Association, which is one of Mary's patronages (and in Danish Hjerteforeningen). Mary will also launch the Heart Association's drive advocating initiatives for a healthy heart as part of their Heart Week 2006 program. The launch was in Copenhagen.



TV 2 Click on Se også for TV 2's photo gallery

ADDED! Here is a video clip of Mary opening the Heart Association Heart Drive from the Association's website: Kronprinsesse Mary åbner hjerteugen. The video clip is 5 mins 18 secs long. The clip begins with Mary's arrival, short speeches by the president of Codan and the vice president of the Danish Heart Association and then Mary speaks followed by the ribbon cutting and inspection of one of the mobile vans which will be used in the association's 2006 Heart Health drive. (Thanks Lasse!)

Press release and on Heart Association site (in Danish from the Heart Association)
Crown Princess Mary's speech (in Danish)

On another note: Hello! magazine 'Princess Mary shows off her flexible fashion sense'

ADDED - Speech given by HRH Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark at the opening of the Heart Week

We must take care of the hearts of the Danes.

Each of us must. And we must do so together. Both in helping each other to prevent heart disease, and in helping those who have already fallen ill.
This year’s Heart Week reminds us that heart diseases are sadly still the most common cause of death in Denmark. Every third Dane is struck and killed by a cardiovascular disease. This is a grave and painful message.

Today, we mark the opening of this year’s Heart Week with a present for all of those willing to help. Both to those who wants to help themselves and to those who want to help others.

The 'heart cars' are a new health initiative, meant to make it easier to remember the health of the heart in everyday life.

As of today, the 'heart cars' will drive around the country and meet people where they go about and meet. This might be at the market or at the stadium and not least, at places of work.
The 'heart cars' will visit Danish cities and Danish work places with the help to prevent cardiac disorders in everyday life. In this way, the cars are a gift to all Danes.

The gift comes from the Danish Heart Association and from Codan Care who has made the initiative possible though their sponsorship. Other companies also support the good idea.

The cause of fighting heart disease depends on far-seeing companies seeing it as their task to take responsibility for the public health by giving support to both the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

In the 'heart cars', we have all received an important tool for promoting cardiac health every day. It is my hope that enterprises and employees around the country will welcome the cars, and avail themselves of the fine offer that they are.

I am happy to be able to declare this year’s Heart Week open by letting the first 'heart cars' drive out on duty.

Finally, I would like to wish all of those who, together or individually, help fighting cardiovascular diseases a very happy 'Heart Week'.

Thanks to Lasse for the translation!

Mary presents the Crown Princess Mary Scholarship

Today Crown Princess Mary presents the Crown Princess Mary Scholarship 2006 at Copenhagen University. The Crown Princess Mary Scholarship is an exchange student scholarship established for a five-year period (this is the second year of awards) and is to be awarded to students from the University of Copenhagen’s Australian exchange partner institutions in Australia.The scholarship is presented to two Australian students each year and is worth 10,000DKK. This scholarship is a wedding gift to Frederik and Mary from the University of Copenhagen.

This year the scholarships are to be awarded to Danielle Conlan from the University of Tasmania who will study at the Faculty of Law, and, Joseph Kelly from the Queensland University of Technology who will study in the Faculty of Mathematics. Crown Princess Mary will be recieved by the head of the University of Copenhagen and then after the presentation of the scholarships the two recipients will be able to talk with Crown Princess Mary.

ABC News Online 'Scholarship winner looks forward to meeting Princess Mary'
University of Copenhagen

Mary and Frederik receiving the wedding gift from the University of Copenhagen in 2004.









Crown Princess Mary's speech (in Danish)
speech in English

Danish royal roundup # 2

TV 2 and B.T. report on the traditional torchlight procession by local Fredensborg residents to welcome Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik back to Fredensborg Palace for their summer residency (although it didn't look very summery!). You can see a Ritzau video on the B.T. site.



For those of our readers who want to see Princess Alexandra, here she was on 22 April 2006 at an engagement in Copenhagen for the beginning of a weekend seminar with participants in 'Junior Achievement Young Enterprise' at Danish Industry House.




Here's a rundown on the stories in 'Denmark's royal magazine' Billed Bladet this last week.

The last issue of Billed Bladet has a story 'When Mary sat as a model' about her sitting for Jiawei Shen at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney in March last year. It says Jiawei Shen was nervous as he went up to Crown Princess Mary's suite, but that soon disappeared. He worked very fast to produce sketches in the three hours he had with Mary which he then took back to his studio to complete there. A Danish documentary maker is making a program about Jiawei Shen to be shown in 2008.


On the Joachim and Marie front Billed Bladet says they had a private vacation together over Easter. Joachim is said to have left Schackenborg Manor in secret the Wednesday before Easter to keep his date with Marie somewhere in central Europe after both have had some very busy weeks. Billed Bladet repeats earlier reportage of Marie's wish for the relationship to develop and that she had been stunned by her experience with the Danish media.


According to Billed Bladet Princess Alexandra has also had an Easter vacation. Together with her boyfriend Martin Jørgensen and the princes Nikolai and Felix, Princess Alexandra sought out the sun and had to fit the 11 day vacation in with Nikolai's Easter break from school. Also, this is the first time the little princes have not been to Marselisborg Slot with the rest of the Royal Family for Easter and nor did they celebrate their grandmother's birthday with their little cousin Prince Christian. It is agreed between Alexandra and Joachim that they take turns with the boys for holidays and in his gentlemanly way he has no objection to them spending time with Martin Jørgensen. (Note there is no real information about where Alexandra went and this is probably an old photo.)

Billed Bladet also reports on Queen Margrethe's birthday celebration with Christian at Marselisborg, where she was able to give him his first lessons in being royal. Christian behaved perfectly as he was passed between his grandmother the Queen and his parents.

In other snippets:

Princess Benedikte leaves for Kuala Lumpur tomorrow in the hope of winning the presidency of the International Equestrian Federation.

And,a little something to look forward to this coming weekend. The Swedish Royal Court is putting on its party tiaras (well, the ladies will) for the 60th birthday of King Carl Gustaf.

Prince Joachim will stay in Denmark as regent and Frederik will be on his quest in Nanoq in a Farr 40 regatta (he does need to be a worthy representative of Denmark for next year's Farr 40 World Championship he helped win for Copenhagen). Going off to Stockholm for the party will be Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik and Crown Princess Mary, and, probably Christian will go along too (as he always seems to go where his Mummy is!)

.... pregnancy announcement a year ago today...

Left, the headline in Mary's Hobart hometown newspaper.

On this day last year it was announced by press release on the Crown Prince Couple's website that Mary was pregnant.

Announcement from TRH The Crown Prince and Crown Princess

Issued Monday April 25, 2005

Their Royal Highnesses The Crown Prince and The Crown Princess are happy to announce that The Crown Princess is expecting to give birth to a child by the end of October this year.

The childbirth is expected to take place at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen (Copenhagen University Hospital).

P. Thornit
Chief of the Court of
TRH The Crown Prince and
Crown Princess of Denmark

We can calculate that Mary was pregnant (by some few weeks) when she arrived in Australia on 25 February 2005. In addition to many engagements in Denmark, Mary went on a trip to Thailand (tsunami memorial and Danish aid) and to Expo 2005 in Japan before the announcement was made. The announcement came while Frederik was in Greenland with his mother the Queen. Mary was meant to be with them but stayed at home as she was by that time more than three months pregnant. Here is a selection of photos of Mary during her pregnancy-- another request from our readers. The last photo in the series was taken the day before Mary went into labour.

Frederik & Mary go to Red Hot Chili Peppers concert

April 23, 2006. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary attended a secret Red Hot Chili Peppers concert at "Den Graa Hal" in Christiania, Copenhagen. They were accompanied by their friends Caroline and Peter Heering.



Link to article: www.ekstrabladet.dk

Click here to watch the video

Thanks to LotteH for the heads-up!

Changeover of Mary's lady-in-waiting

Many readers have asked for information about the people around Mary and Frederik and might already know the end of this month marks the end of the term of service of Crown Princess Mary's first lady-in-waiting (hofdame in Danish). Countess Victoria Bernstorff-Gyldensteen was appointed Mary's hofdame for a period of two years, which is now up. Victoria's appointment was for two years from the outset.

While the idea of a hofdame/lady-in-waiting seems rather old-fashioned and a little bit out of a fairytale, it is a position of privilege and tradition in the royal world and acts as a kind of companion and confidante to the royal, so discretion is very important. In these modern times the job has a wider function, perhaps like a PA and counsellor, which includes accompanying Mary on official engagements at home and abroad, be on top of event agendas, gifts, handshakes, names and bouquets (as probably the most minor part of the role!). The hofdame makes sure no-one is left out and takes care that the right people get a royal handshake, which might be a bit tricky when considering how frenzied some welcomes of Mary can be sometimes. It is not known whether it is a salaried position, but it is believed the court at least covers the costs and expenses of the hofdame.

Countess Victoria Bernstorff-Gyldensteen

Countess Victoria was born in New Jersey and grew up in California. She has a bachelors degree in Political Science and Art History and like Mary had the experience of settling in Denmark as a young woman when in 1979 she married Danish Count Frants Erik Bernstorff-Gylldensteen. Victoria went through the experience of mastering the Danish language, raising a family (she has two sons in their early twenties, Peter and Erik) and learning to be in a new country. At Gyldensteen Manor Count Frants grows organic broccoli, leeks, etc. among his other agricultural business connections and with Countess Victoria is also part of the royal retinue. Count Frants was once mayor of Bogense for the Conservative Party. Countess Victoria and Mary share an interest in golf, indeed Victoria got a hole-in-one at Odense Golf Club in 2002.


Although there must be much more to the relationship between Mary and her hofdame than might be obvious, as mentioned, the most visible role of the hofdame will be to take the flowers when Mary can no longer hold any more, to take all kinds of gifts, and generally be of help however it is needed. Countess Victoria once famously popped a beer into her handbag given to Frederik when they were in Australia in 2005! She must have toted an awful lot of Fruit Tingles during the Australian visit too. Perhaps we can safely assume though, there is more to the role than is obvious to us looking in from the outside.

On 5 February 2006 Countess Cynthia Victoria Bernstorff-Gyldensteen received the Knights Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog from Queen Margrethe. This honour was given on Mary's birthday.
Link: Gyldensteen Manor
Gyldensteen Estate
Following are some photos of Mary and Victoria together at various engagements over the past two years. No doubt Victoria and her husband will continue to be involved with Frederik and Mary socially and will be invited to the big occaisions (as they have in the past).




Caroline Heering

On 8 March 2006 it was announced on the Crown Prince Couple's website via press release that a new hofdame has been appointed. She is 33 year-old Caroline Elisabeth Heering. Caroline Heering has a degree in business (cand. merc) and is married to Frederik's childhood friend Peter Heering.

Caroline Heering has many links to the Danish royal family. Caroline Heering's mother is Helle Moltke, Countess of Lystrup and Jomfruens Egede. Husband Peter Heering's parents are close friends of the Queen and Prince Henrik. Caroline's mother-in-law Susanne Heering is one of Queen Margrethe's good friends. Susanne Heering has her own ballet school and Queen Margrethe designs costumes and scenery for the annual end-of-year productions.

Caroline and her husband Peter's close proximity to the royals means they are part of the inner circle around Frederik and Mary. Even before moving to Denmark Mary's first public outing there was to attend the baptism of the Heerings' first daughter, so they have been intimately part of the group of Frederik's friends who have helped settle Mary into life in Denmark.

According to Billed Bladet Caroline Heering is ready for her friendship with Mary to enter new territory as hofdame. Caroline told Billed Bladet that she was preparing for her new job and looking forward to supporting Crown Princess Mary with her many patronages. She says she has much to learn. Caroline says she is naturally shy and would like to continue to live her life quietly as far as possible, and that fortunately the focus of attention is not directly on her.

Caroline's daughters are four-year-old Emilie and one-year-old Rosemarie and the family lives in Hellerup in Copenhagen. The rules of rank and etiquette are a part of Caroline's background. She was raised at Lystrup Manor growing up with her sister Marie-Louise Susanne Kjær and her half-brother Joachim Godske Normann Moltke. Caroline's mother Helle Flamand married for the second time to count Norman Moltke from Lystrup in 1987. Unfortunately Norman Moltke died of cancer at age 42 while on his honeymoon with Helle in Sydney in 1988. But Helle was pregnant and their now 18 year-old son Count Joachim Godske Molkte (Caroline's half brother) will inherit his father's title and entire estate. It was at Lystrup Slot that Caroline, among others, had organised Mary's 'hen's night' before she was married in 2004. Caroline is part of the group of three or four close and most trusted of Mary's friends along with Birgitte Handwerk, Rose Gad and Julie Mølsgaard. Billed Bladet says the court selected 55 year-old Countess Victoria Bernstorff-Gyldensteen and this time the choice of Caroline Heering is an open-ended term as hofdame which may well become many years in the position.

Here Billed Bladet described Caroline's first day on the job at the unveiling of Mary's official portrait by Ralph Heimans (wearing the chiffre denoting her position as Mary's hofdame-- this is a blue ribbon with Mary's monogram in gold pinned to her right shoulder).

Lystrup
Caroline Heering's family line
Following are some photos of Mary, Caroline and Peter Heering and some of the estates, including Lystrup Manor, which are part of the Lystrup estate. Note Prince Joachim is in the honour guard at Caroline's and Peter's wedding.


(thanks to many friends of the Danish RF & of this blog for info, pics, translations)

Mary visits horse training exhibition at Vilhelmsborg

This afternoon Crown Princess Mary visited Denmark's National Horsesports Centre at Vilhelmsborg in Mårslet to see a demonstration of horse training. It is a horse show of a different kind because it is an exhibition by the so-called 'horse whisperer' Monty Roberts. Monty Roberts' visit coincides with the opening of a school of horse training based on his technique in Denmark.




About the Danish National Horse Sports Centre (in Danish)
Princess Benedikte is the patron of horse sports in Denmark
Princess Benedikte's new website HRH Princess Benedikte for the Presidency of the FEI
Danish Horse Association (in Danish)
An interview with Monty Roberts
Mårslet (map) is south of Århus between Århus and Horsens.
Århus Stiftstidende
B.T. (in Danish)

Frederik & Mary open health education centre in Odense

Today Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary have visited Odense in Funen to open the new facilities of the Centre for Advanced Health Education. Frederik and Mary arrived in Odense early in the morning and checked in to the Hotel Knudsens Gård with Christian. The Crown Prince Couple have been greeted enthusiastically by hundreds, with many waving Danish flags and Mary happily greeted them right back! Frederik and Mary attended a reception at the Odense City Hall before going to the Centre for Advanced Health Education to inaugurate its new facilities. Little Christian stayed behind at the hotel while his parents were busy. But Christian was by no means forgotten as the students had made him a present, a parachute and a couple of balls to play with, accepted for him by Mary and Frederik.

The centre concentrates on education in four areas: occupational therapy, physiotherapy, radiography and nursing. It is the first centre of this kind in Denmark, combining these areas of advanced professional health care disciplines together in one institution. The centre is beginning a new era in new premises and this arrangement for the Crown Prince Couple to inaugurate it has been highly anticipated since August of last year. From Fyens Stiftstidende


A small sample, to see all the photos in the gallery go to the local paper online: Fyens Stiftstidende

More photos from HM Queen Margrethe II's birthday!

We've just received these pics from one of our readers:

... On April 16, I went to the huge 'garden party' at Marselisborg in Århus, and obviously, I want you to see my pictures.... and might I add, what a fabulous day the sixteenth was! My girlfriend and I were, apart from a family of three, the first to arrive at the gates. Shortly after we saw a pram pushed by a nanny with a bodyguard walking at her side, not for her but for His Little Royal Highness! Later on, when it was around ten, we waved them off to church and were let in around 11 o'clock! A marvellous day!

1. The man in the first photo is a member of the Royal Court taking pictures of the crowd.
2. The Queen's Standard turned upside down, a blooper rectified before Her Majesty returned from church!


Thanks to Lasse for sharing these goodies with us!

Related post: Happy Birthday to HM Queen Margrethe!

Princess Benedikte bets on herself!

Next week Princess Benedikte travels to Kuala Lumpur to participate in the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) – the International Equestrian Federation meeting from 26 April to 2 May 2006, which co-incides with the FEI World Cup 2006

Princess Benedikte has decided to run for president of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). Princess Haya of Jordan is also a candidate. The current president is Infanta Doña Pilar de Borbón (she is the sister of King Juan Carlos of Spain), who is stepping down. The new president will be elected at the 2006 FEI General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur on 1 May 2006. Princess Benedikte has been a keen rider since childhood and is patron or honorary member of eight horse and riding-related organizations. Source TV 2 regionerne.dk

Billed-Bladet has reported:

Benedikte Runs for President

Normally members of the Danish Royal Family are appointed to honourable posts. Princess Benedikte, aged 61, is taking it further and is running for president of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) - an umbrella organisation for equestrian sports worldwide - based in Lausanne, Switzerland. So, the Danish princess is throwing herself into an international election campaign, opposing two other candidates. "To me, it is not a question of 'if' I am elected, but only of 'when' I am elected", says a confident Princess Benedikte. She started her campaign at the annual National Stallion Show held in Herning.

Danish version: Billed-Bladet
Many thanks to Lasse for translation.

This will be an interesting story to follow.

Danish royal roundup # 1

Here is a little roundup of snippets about the DRF, just so we 'stay in touch' with them all.


So what has Prince Henrik been up to? On April 14 (just before Queen Margrethe's birthday) the Prince Consort went to the Århus Tivoli amusement park to 'inaugurate' a new attraction called 'Tyfonen' (The Typhoon) in Friheden. There was a bit of a problem with the ride when the car Prince Henrik was in became stuck for 15 minutes after some celebratory fireworks interferred with the sensors on the machinery. While some technicians anxiously worked to fix the problem Prince Henrik maintained some high amusement park-style spirits by suggesting to the people below he could do with a cup of coffee and when someone offered a brandy he greeted that with big smile too! Prince Henrik seems to have no fear of these dare devil rides, as he has been on quite a few in his time and always appears to enjoy himself (or maybe that is what a royal HAS to do?) B.T. also reports that Prince Henrik will go to Thailand in June for the jubilee celebrations for King Bhumibol along with many other royals and state representatives from all over the world.



You can check out the photo gallery of Prince Henrik's visit here: Jyllands Posten
The story (in Danish): Jyllands Posten Århus
The same story (in Danish) B.T. fokus

In Billed-Bladet the romantic story of Joachim and Marie continues to produce some fodder.
Although it is customary for him to spend his time with the Queen for her birthday, this year it is assumed Joachim is spending time with Marie Cavallier.
It is Princess Alexandra's turn to have Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix (Joachim had them last year), and so she is going to go on a vacation with her boys and her boyfriend Martin Jørgensen according to Billed-Bladet. The regent couple and the crown prince couple went to church (see photos in post below) in Århus before arriving at Marselisborg Slot to mark the Queen's birthday, which fell on Easter Sunday this year.

Prince Joachim was busy before Easter though, opening two attractions in Jutland. On 11 April 2006 Prince Joachim opened the 'African Village' at Aalborg Zoo. At the village you can meet all sorts of animals who live in the African savannah. A very happy prince enjoyed his task, which you can see in some photos included here. The next day (April 12) Prince Joachim inaugurated a new national park in Jutland. The park is situated in an old stretch of bog land and is called 'Lille Vildemose Center'.
Links:
Nordjyske.dk 'Joachim opens zoo exhibit' (Danish)
and Nordjyske.dk home




Meanwhile, on April 18 Crown Princess Mary attended a meeting of one of her patronages, Ungdommens Naturvidenskabelige Forening and The Danish Youth Association of Science (English). There was no fuss around this visit and it is only known because it appeared in the Danish version of the royal calendar, Andre aktiviteter.


Here are Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik receiving a gift of a model of Marselisborg Palace




From The Hobart Mercury (although we wouldn't swear to some of the 'facts' in this story, "kingaroo" = invention by tabloids, cabbage= !!!???, Marselisborg = not Baroque, built 100 years ago, you get the picture):

Young prince a bonnie Easter bunny

By Fiona Hudson
18apr06

PRINCESS Mary's "baby kingaroo" looked more like a floppy-eared Easter bunny at his grandmother's birthday party.
Mary and her husband Crown Prince Frederik proudly showed off their six-month-old son Prince Christian as Denmark's royal family gathered to celebrate the 66th birthday of Queen Margrethe II.
The party at Marselisborg Castle was a double celebration combining birthday and Easter festivities -- including some uniquely Danish traditions.
As well as the usual chocolate eggs and rabbits, Danes enjoy a special Easter beer from their breweries.
The stronger, tastier brew is used to help wash down the traditional Easter Thursday meal of cabbage -- sometimes up to seven different types.
Danes also traditionally do large loads of washing over Easter in the belief that the clothes will stay cleaner for the rest of the year.
The royal family gathered at the baroque-inspired Marselisborg palace, the summer holiday home of Queen Margrethe and her husband Prince Henrik.The Hobart Mercury

Hello! magazine 'Mary's boy helps Queen Margrethe celebrate birthday'
B.T. (Danish) and Analyse Danmark conducted a poll and found nearly 60 percent of Danes think Queen Margrethe should remain on the throne, while 29.1% would like her to abdicate in favour of Crown Prince Frederik. The undecided were 11.9 per cent.

TV 2 some Frederik and Mary and Danish royal links (in Danish but not too hard too follow)
DR.dk more Frederik and Mary links (in Danish but a picture speaks a thousand words!)

Soon we will have some Princess Benedikte news (hint: it involves one of her great loves, horses!).

Happy Birthday to HM Queen Margrethe!

Queen Margrethe II celebrated her 66th birthday at Marselisborg Palace in Aarhus.





36,000 cheers for the Queen

Over 12,000 people turned out to give three cheers for the Queen on her birthday

'Hip, hip, hurrah!' - nearly 12,000 people gathered at Queen Margrethe II's summer residence under sunny skies on Sunday to wish her a happy 66th birthday.

The Queen followed tradition and emerged on the balcony of the palace at precisely 12:00 noon, to receive three cheers from the crowd.

According to an Analyse Danmark/B.T. poll, the Easter Sunday crowd's cheers were a reflection of the entire nation's sentiment for their monarch. Nearly 60 percent of Danes say Queen Margrethe should remain on the throne even as she approaches the mandatory retirement age of 67.

'The poll is proof that the Queen's popularity remains high,' said Jon Bloch Skipper, a historian from the History House. 'She still understands how to play her role and does a good job on all fronts. That must be a wonderful birthday gift for her.'

Some 29.1 percent said the Queen ought to abdicate and allow Crown Prince Frederik, 38, to become king. Another 11.9 percent were undecided.

The Queen Mother, the former Queen Ingrid, died at the age of 90. Should Margrethe live as long and reign until she dies, she would celebrate nearly 50 years as Denmark's monarch. From Denmark.dk

Mary at the Children's Aid Foundation

Crown Princess Mary, as patron, was present for the distribution of the Children's Aid Foundation's Little Brother Prize at Copenhagen Town Hall. The prize, 50.000 kr.(7.500 euro), was given to the the organization SAVN(NEED), which takes care of the children of prison inmates.

The Children's Aid Foundation was a patronage of Queen Ingrid for more than 50 years. Queen Ingrid became patron when she was herself a young crown princess. The Foundation was established in 1904 and has had royal patronage since that time.



www.bhd.dk

Mary opens nursing home in Ringsted

Today Crown Princess Mary has opened a new nursing home in Ringsted. The centre has some impressive facilities for 120 plus 40 self-contained apartments. Mary was greeted enthusiastically by both young and older citizens of Ringsted and she greeted them warmly too as she arrived punctually at midday with her new lady-in-waiting, Caroline Heering. Crown Prinsess Mary greeted a very long line of officials and at the end of proceedings the new centre, named to honour King Valdemar I The Great (1157-1182), was 'launched' with three cheers. From Dagbladet Online



Links:
Ringsted (English)
Knud Lavard Centret, Ringsted (Danish)
Map: where is Ringsted?

Frederik & Mary go to the zoo

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary visited the four newly arrived Tasmanian Devils given to the Copenhagen Zoo as a christening gift to Denmark's newest prince. The small carnivorous marsupials were given by the state government of Tasmania, Mary's Australian home state, to mark the Oct. 15 birth of the couple's firstborn, Prince Christian.
UPDATE! New links below.



Links all in English (including new ones):
Tasmanian Devils (you can listen to their 'interesting' vocalisation)
Wildlife of Tasmania
Nine msn news clip
The Copenhagen Post 'Little devils receive royal welcome'
The Hobart Mercury 'Royal welcome for devlish new Danes'
canada.com 'Royal birthday gift: Tasmanian Devils'
ABC Online 'Mary welcomes devils to Denmark'
Denmark.dk 'Princess thanks her home state for 'royal' devils'

Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik

An update on news about the Regent Couple Queen Margrethe and Henrik, The Prince Consort. Last week they visited Bornholm to mark a special time in its history.

Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik in Bornholm last Wednesday.

Belated Bornholm liberation celebrated

Bornholm waited 11 extra months after the end of the Second World War for foreign troops to leave their soil. Islanders marked the 60th anniversary on Wednesday.
The Queen and Prince Consort travelled to Bornholm Wednesday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the Baltic island.
The Russian ambassador and the minister of foreign affairs, Per Stig Møller, joined the royals in the island's largest city, Rønne, to commemorate the Soviet pull-out.
While the rest of Denmark celebrated the end of the Second World War on 5 May 1945, Bornholm lived in uncertainty, said minister of foreign affairs, Per Stig Møller.
The islanders suffered five extra days of German occupation and a Soviet air raid that killed 10 locals, before the Third Reich's troops finally surrendered to the Red Army.
Stalin's troops replaced Hitler's, remaining nearly a year before returning home. The chaotic reshuffling of alliances after the war's end led many Danes to fear that the island would fall under Soviet control.
'For these 11 months, Bornholm felt as if it was left behind in the shadow of the bombardment and turned over to a foreign power whose intentions were not known,' said Møller.
When the Soviet troops arrived in Bornholm it was a military surprise, he said, but when they left peacefully, it was a political surprise. From The Copenhagen Post



Jyllands-Posten
The Copenhagen Post
B.T.



bornholminfo.dk
about Bornholm's history
Bornholm and World War II
Bornholm map


Meanwhile on a more personal front, Prince Henrik spent a night in hospital last Monday after a cyst was found during a routine check up and a minor operation was needed to remove it. Billed-Bladet reports that the cyst was not cancerous and 71 year-old Prince Henrik returned to Amalienborg from his secret (well, at the time) stay at Rigshospitalet last Tuesday morning. Prince Henrik is said to be well, and of course he accompanied the Queen to Bornholm on Wednesday.

The Queen has also had some health troubles. She has been suffering recurrent pain in her knees because she suffers from osteoarthritis. For this reason she has been forced to be seated at a number of official engagements in recent times and occasionally she has even had to cancel. Most recently Her og Nu (Danish weekly not online) reported that when the Royal Family was waiting inside Kastrup Airport to greet the Bulgarian President and his wife, the Queen was in some discomfort. Frederik was the first to see her suffering and quickly got a chair for her to rest on while they were waiting for the plane to land. Mary had been chatting to Princess Benedikte while they were waiting, but immediately excused herself and went to Queen Margrethe's side to keep her company rather than leave her sitting on her own amidst all the people waiting to greet the Bulgarian official party. The Queen gave Mary a big smile and they chatted amicably while they waited. Because of the Queen's condition, it was the first time ever that Prince Henrik accompanied President Parvanov to inspect the honour guard in place of the Queen.

And, on yet another note, Queen Margrethe will celebrate her 66th birthday next week, on April 16. Margrethe was born in 1940 at Amalienborg in Copenhagen. This year the Royal Family (including Frederik, Mary and Christian) will spend the Queen's birthday and Easter at Marselisborg Palace in Århus. Here is a little preview of Marselisborg, its gardens and parklands, including some of the sculptures in the gardens:

Mary's portrait stirs debate

Reaction to the Ralph Heimans painting has been mixed in various circles. Some seem to like it, while others are not so sure it represents Mary so well. Many agree it is a departure from conventional royal portraiture, which is met more by the Jiawei Shen portrait than by the Ralph Heimans. That is one issue. The other is how Mary is portrayed, with some suggestions we have still to see a portrait which shows her characteristics by looking more 'inside' the subject. To our readers, thank you for your comments, we are happy to receive more so you can share your own different responses.

The Sydney Morning Herald art critic John McDonald wrote:
IS PRINCESS MARY turning her back on Australia, or on the world of padded luxury one associates with the royal lifestyle? There will be a lot of debate about the symbolism of Ralph Heimans's portrait, regardless of any explanations from the artist.
I'm looking at a reproduction, so I can only comment on the quality of the image, not the actual painting. That image, however, is a fascinating, enigmatic one.
Not only is the painting free of the pomp and ceremony one finds in so many official portraits, it shows a kind of disdain for the palatial environment. Princess Mary is half in shadows, like a character in a film noir. She has one glove on, and one off. She is dressed in a demure brown suit, in a room filled with rich furnishings and decorations.
It could be argued that by turning her back on the mirror, Mary shows us she is untouched by her newfound celebrity. She remains, at heart, a straightforward Aussie girl.
On the other hand, if Heimans had called the picture "Homesickness", or "A Study in Alienation", it would be just as credible. Even the fact that Mary is standing rather than sitting suggests that she is less than comfortable in this ornate and artificial setting.
Over the centuries most artists have depicted royal figures as though they were sources of radiant light. By contrast, Ralph Heimans's portrait of Mary is a study in ambiguity, a symphony in shadows.

Meanwhile Sydney's The Sun Herald reports:
Portrait reveals Mary, princess who left her Aussie life behind

Past and present: Princess Mary and artist Ralph Heimans at the unveiling of her first official portrait, in Frederiksborg Castle, Denmark.
Photo: AP

By Rachel Browne and AAP
April 9, 2006

SHE rose from obscurity to become one of Australia's most recognisable women, but the first official portrait of Crown Princess Mary of Denmark says more about her private life than her public profile.
That was the verdict from artists and critics as Princess Mary's portrait was unveiled in Denmark yesterday.
The oil on canvas, which stands at 2.5 metres by 1.75 metres, was painted by Australian-born, Paris-based artist Ralph Heimans. It depicts the princess surrounded by the opulence of the 17th-century Frederiksborg Castle, north of Copenhagen, but turning away and staring wistfully into the middle distance.
While the princess has not offered a public opinion about her portrait, she thanked Heimans as she unveiled the painting in a ceremony at the castle.
She pulled a rope to remove a white cloth covering the painting, which reflects a second picture of the harbour in Hobart, alluding to the life she turned her back on as an Australian commoner to become a princess through marriage with Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik.
Former Archibald Prize winner Wendy Sharpe said the Heimans painting departed from the traditional formula for royal portraiture to illustrate Princess Mary's journey from a suburban upbringing in Hobart to her place in Europe's oldest monarchy.
"It's quite unorthodox. She is looking away from us - she is off to one side and we can actually see three images of her: her front, her back reflected in the mirror and her shadow," Sharpe said. "It makes you wonder what she is looking at. What is she thinking about? Her future? her past?"
An art dealer and author of How To Buy And Sell Art, Michael Reid, said the depiction of Hobart's Constitution Dock was clever.
"I think it reflects where she is now and where she has come from," he said. "Here she is, in this marvellous palace surrounded by all this baroque furniture and the trappings of royalty, and yet in the background you can clearly see Constitution Dock.
"It's quite an emotional portrait. If you look at the expression on her face, she has this distant stare - as if she is contemplating her past."
The painting was commissioned by the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle, and Heimans began work on in May last year.
It will be part of the museum's temporary exhibition, Australian Visits. After the unveiling, Princess Mary walked through the exhibition, which displays 50 portraits of famous Australians including Nicole Kidman, Cathy Freeman, Kylie Minogue, Nick Cave, Dame Edna and the late Errol Flynn.
When the exhibition ends on July 31, Heimans's portrait will remain at the Dutch Renaissance castle.
What the experts say
John McDonald, art critic: "Very ambiguous. You would expect
something much more formal but Heimans has tried to make her look
like an average girl."
Michael Mucci, 2006 Archibald Packing Room Prize winner: "The artist has really pushed the boundaries of traditional royal portraiture. It's quite multi-layered."
Wendy Sharpe, 1996 Archibald Prize winner: "Not the way you see royalty normally depicted. It tells an entire narrative about where she has come from." From: The Sun Herald

Some views of the exhibition, which includes the garments Mary wore for each of the portraits:

Links:
Archibald Prize 2006
Frederiksborg National History Museum

Portrait of Mary: the first reactions

Right, this is Constitution Dock in Hobart, which makes up part of the background of the painting [added: it appears the reports Constitution Dock are in the back ground are untrue].

The Sydney Morning Herald says:
The princess and the little scallywag

Her Serenity … the official portrait of Princess Mary painted by Ralph Heimans; inset, one of the early drawings he gave to his former babysitter Marjorie Green

By Sunanda Creagh
April 8, 2006

WITH three works in the National Portrait Gallery, Ralph Heimans is one of Australia's premier portrait artists. So it was no great surprise when he was selected to paint the first official royal portrait of Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.
But in a little unit in Cammeray, Marjorie Green, 88, proudly displays some rare early Heimans works - childhood drawings by the artist as a bub.
"I have known him all his life and babysat him since he was born," Miss Green said yesterday. "The royal couple love him, and he certainly is brilliant. I have lots of drawings and paintings that he did when he was a little boy.
"He drew funny pictures of me when he was only about 12. He knew that I had never been a drinker but that I liked a drop of brandy in dry ginger ale.
"He drew a picture of me sitting on the floor with empty bottles all around me, my face all crooked and my glasses on sideways.
"I don't see him very often but if he does come to Sydney he's managed to pop in to see Aunty Marj."
Back in Denmark the artist's voice lights up at the mention of his old babysitter.
"I will definitely visit her. I always visit Aunty Marj," he said yesterday from Frederiksborg Castle, where his portrait of Princess Mary was to have been unveiled at the castle's Museum of National History last night.
The 35-year-old Paris-based artist began working on the portrait in May.
Early on, he decided on some rules: no tiara, no polite pose and no sash. "The princess is young and vibrant, so an informal and fresh portrait is befitting," he said.
Not that the princess is looking anything less than composed: standing in the room where her engagement to Crown Prince Frederik was announced, Mary is pictured slipping on some gloves, looking thoughtfully out a window before she leaves the palace. In the foreground is a painting of Constitution Dock in her home city, Hobart.
As usual, she is looking graceful and poised. This is the informal Mary?
Yes, Heimans said. She really is like that. "She has this sense of dignity which she has in real life but it's not an overbearing dignity. Getting a sense of her personality and her spirit through the painting is always the challenge; that's something you don't normally see in royal portraiture."
Heimans met Mary many times during the course of the portrait, sketching her before, during and after her pregnancy. He said she was "the ideal sitter".
"She was great, extremely patient and co-operative and interested in the ideas," he said, adding that the royals let him take creative control.
"Frederik and Princess Mary took a background role. Frederik really just popped in at the end to have a look at the painting, although I met him on several occasions."
His portrait will form part of an exhibition at Frederiksborg Castle called Australian Visit, featuring 50 works on loan from the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.


The Australian says:
Home's not far away in portrait of Princess Mary

Peter Wilson, Europe correspondent
April 8, 2006

IS she thinking of home in Australia or bracing herself for her next appointment as a busy Danish princess?
Princess Mary gazes out the window of a Danish palace in her new official portrait, caught in a moment of reflection on her own extraordinary journey from modern Hobart girl to being the stylish new face of one of the world's oldest royal families.
On the wall behind her is a painting of Hobart's Constitution Dock, a touch of creative licence by Australian painter Ralph Heimans, meant to symbolise her Tasmanian background.
"I don't think the look on her face is being wistful about her past, it's more her reflecting on the changes she's been through and what lies ahead of her," Heimans said last night in Copenhagen, where the princess officially unveiled the portrait.
"She is in a Danish palace putting her gloves on to go out into the public eye and we are invited to think what she might be thinking at this point. I was trying to empathise with her as a person."
The portrait shows the former Mary Donaldson in a classically elegant Danish-designed outfit. The setting for the portrait is the nearby Fredensborg Palace, Mary and Crown Prince Frederick's home.
But Heimans, a 35-year-old who works mainly in Paris, reinvented the room for his own creation, imagining the Hobart painting where Venetian landscapes are actually displayed.
"I have also added a mirror to give it quite a confusing spatial effect, which I think produces a sort of dreamlike, surreal quality.
"I was trying to create a narrative and show something of her life with a sense of transition between her old world and her new world."


The Age in Melbourne says:
Portrait captures Mary's tones of home

By Sunanda Creagh and Chris Lines
April 8, 2006

WHEN Australian artist Ralph Heimans was asked to paint the first official royal portrait of Denmark's Crown Princess Mary, he quickly decided on some ground rules.
There would be no tiara, no polite pose and no sash. "The Princess is young and vibrant, so an informal and fresh portrait is befitting," said Mr Heimans, 35, a renowned portrait painter now based in Paris.
He began working on the portrait in May and has been back to Denmark several times to finish the work. It was unveiled last night at Frederiksborg Castle's Museum of Natural History where it will join portraits of figures in Danish history stretching back to the 15th century.
Mary is pictured standing in the Garden Room of the Fredensborg Palace where her engagement to Crown Prince Frederik was announced. She is slipping on gloves, looking thoughtfully out a window before she leaves the palace.
In the foreground is a painting of Constitution Dock in her home city, Hobart. In a mirror, there is a reflection of the Danish flag.
"In this way, the painting represents the Crown Princess on the brink between the old life and the new, the known territory and the unknown," said a statement by the museum.
Museum director Mette Skougaard said the intention was not so much an official portrait, but a more personal study of her history and background.
"There is a royal framework and a royal setting, and traces of Mary's history in Australia." she said.
As usual, the Princess is looking graceful and poised in the painting. Is this the informal Mary? Yes, says Heimans. She really is like that.
"She has this sense of dignity which she has in real life, but it's not an overbearing dignity. Getting a sense of her personality and her spirit through the painting is always the challenge; that's something you don't normally see in royal portraiture."
Princess Mary was consulted about the choice of artist, as was the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.
Heimans sketched Mary before, during and after her pregnancy. He said she was "the ideal sitter". "She was great, extremely patient and co-operative and interested in the ideas.
"Frederik and Princess Mary took a background role. Frederik really just popped in at the end to have a look at the painting, although I met him on several occasions."...

Landscape view gives Mary a stately shadow
AUSTRALIAN portrait painter Ralph Heimans is a globe-trotting jobbing painter, and now one with a royal warrant from Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.
Heimans has tempered his interest in classical themes and lurid nudes to produce a compositionally clever, dramatically lit portrait.
But what are we to read into the princess' stiffened pose and thrown-back head as she contemplates something out of frame?
Is she keeping a weather eye on things in Denmark?
Heimans' biggest innovation has been to use a landscape rather than a vertical format. By posing Mary to the right of frame, lit by soft light, either early-morning or late-evening sun, she throws a long shadow — and who would deny that she has come a long way?
Penny Webb is an art reviewer for The Age


And from Mary's hometown The Hobart Mercury says:
Mirror image of Mary's past

By Fiona Hudson
April 8, 2006

IT is as much a puzzle as a portrait.
Viewers who look closely at the first official painting of Denmark's Crown Princess Mary will find a series of clues from the painter intended to keep you guessing.
Sydney-born artist Ralph Heimans altered reality to fuse Princess Mary's past and present in the giant oil-on-canvas work.
She posed in the Garden Room of Copenhagen's Fredensborg Palace, but a mirror behind her shows a hazy vision of Hobart's Constitution Dock. A dream-like flag reflected on the roof hints at her Danish ties, and she appears deep in thought as she puts on her gloves to go outside.
"In a way the painting represents the Crown Princess on the brink between the old life and the new," Heimans said last night. "She is about to leave the palace and is standing there reflecting as she heads into the public realm.
"The viewer is invited to imagine what she might be thinking."
Though the Princess was pregnant during sittings, Heimans said the piece was always intended to show Mary on her own and there was no thought of including her pregnant belly or the child.
"It's very different to other royal portraits. There's no tiara or sash she's just really young and fresh. It's her as she is in real life," he said.
"She was so warm and easygoing. We had an easy rapport because of our common Australian background. There' s a lot of buzz about the painting in Denmark; people are very excited to see it. I don't know what the critics will say yet."
The most important critics -- the Princess and her husband Crown Prince Frederik -- seemed thrilled with it, he said.
Paris-based Heimans, who started work on the portrait in February 2005, said he usually considered a portrait a triumph if the sitter walked away smiling after the first peek at the finished work. He confirmed: "Yes, she was smiling."
Prince Frederik also wore a huge grin.
"There was no one to whom the portrait probably mattered more," Heimans said...

Also, similar information in Danish in B.T., DR.dk, and on the TV2 site.

We will bring you more reactions and photos as they come along. You might like to drop us a line about what you think of the portrait and we can publish a snapshot of your views.

First look at Crown Princess Mary's portrait

Excerpt from the National History Museum's press release:

It was the expressed wish of the museum that the portrait was not to be a typical official portrait, but a more personal characterization of the new member of the Danish Royal Family.

Since his first sitting with the Crown Princess in May 2005, Heimans has been working intensively on the portrait and has repeatedly visited Denmark. The result is a resounding success: a work that fuses the Crown Princess’ present day situation with her Australian heritage.

The Princess is seen in the Garden Room of Fredensborg Palace, where Lauritz Tuxen more than 100 years ago painted King Christian IX Danish and his extensive Pan-European family. She is getting ready to leave the palace - her coat lies at the ready over a chair, and she is putting on her gloves. She gazes pensively at something we cannot see. The room around her is multifaceted and labyrinthine: It is reflected outwards and inwards in the great mirrors that Heimans has replaced the room’s actual landscape paintings with. In the mirror behind Mary, a glimpse of Hobart can be seen, and in another mirror, a reflection of the Danish flag can be detected in the ceiling. In this way, the painting represents the Crown Princess on the brink between the old life and the new, the known territory and the unknown. At first glance, it is difficult to find one’s bearing, but the Crown Princess seems calm and confident, ready for her challenge.

Facts about the portrait
HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, painted by Ralph Heimans 2006, oil on canvas, 175 x 250 cm.
From 8 April - 31 July the portrait is part of the special exhibition “Australian Visit”.
From the 1st of August the portrait will take its place in the Modern Collection.

For more information visit www.frederiksborgmuseet.dk




We will bring you more information and reactions!

Royal portraits unveiled tomorrow

Tomorrow at the National History Museum at Frederiksborg Castle, Denmark's first official portrait of Crown Princess Mary is unveiled. It has been executed by the Australian artist Ralph Heimans, who makes links between Mary's old and new homelands in a way which accentuates her particular background.

The Heimans portrait will be the focus of an exhibition called 'Australian Visit' which includes more than 50 works on loan from the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, including the gallery's portrait of Crown Princess Mary by the Sydney artist Jiawei Shen. The exhibition also features a selection of Ralph Heimans' past commissions from London, Paris and Sydney.

The 'Australian Visit' exhibition is a collaboration between Australia's National Portrait Gallery and the Museum of National History in Denmark, which is also the National Portrait Gallery of Denmark.

The core of the exhibition is more than 50 portraits which present an engaging view of Australian achievement and personalities.

The collaboration between the two institutions began when both commissioned portraits of Crown Princess Mary for their respective collections. An Australian artist, Ralph Heimans, was chosen to execute the Danish commission, while the Chinese-born Australian Jiawei Shen made the portrait for Canberra. Both portraits provide an opportunity to compare interpretative approaches to the genre of royal portraiture. The exhibition is intended as an expression of the Danish-Australian relationship as one of many cultural exchanges in the present.

1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

1. and 2. Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV, and is now The Museum of National History.
3. Ralph Heimans, the artist of the Danish commissioned portrait of Mary.
4. Jiawei Shen, the artist commissioned to paint Mary by the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra.
5. Jiawei Shen's portrait of Mary
6. 7. 8. and 9. Some studies and collages done by Jiawei Shen.
10. and 11. Some royals have already seen Jiawei Shen's work. King Carl Gustav and Queen Silvia of Sweden saw the portrait when they visited Canberra last year.

On another note, Billed-Bladet reports that Ralph Heimans has found Mary to be a wonderful subject since they met 10 months ago (last May). During that time he has made five visits to The Chancellery House at Fredensborg, where Crown Prince Frederik dropped in on proceedings to check out how things were going. Heimans says he was nervous to begin with because he hadn't painted a royal before, but Mary was so down-to-earth and charming that she put him at ease and made him feel welcome straight away. So far nothing has been revealed about the painting except that it is painted in oil and is 1.7 metres high and 2.5 metres wide.

A little preview of some of the other works in the exhibit:



(Nick Cave, Ian Thorpe, Cathy Freeman, Jørgen Jürgensen (1780-1841), (_), Gough Whitlam, Germaine Greer, Rupert Murdoch, Peter Doherty, Woureddy)


Links:
Ralph Heimans
The Copenhagen Post: Jiawei Shen
Ann Holt's Circumnavigating the Island (Tasmania)
Australske portrætter– en søgen efter national identitet
Royal Commission - Jiawei Shen
Portrait painter Jiawei Shen
Jiawei Shen portfolio
National Portrait Gallery - Portrait Features
B.T. 'Mary unveils herself' (in Danish)
Sydney Morning Herald -- 'Portrait of man on train about to paint Princess Mary'

Prince Christian goes swimming!

Billed-Bladet reports today that Mary and Frederik are taking six-month-old Christian to baby swimming sessions. Of course Christian is too young to actually learn how to swim but he is getting in some splashing and diving practice with his parents who are accomplished in the water, especially his frogman-trained father.

Christian is having his introduction to water in a pool warmed to 34 degrees C. The Crown Prince couple's good friend Cathrine Moltke-Leth is the expert guiding the fun and games. Cathrine, who is married to the commando and adventurer Nicolai Moltke-Leth, is a teacher in relaxation and expert in both ante-natal classes and baby-swimming. The Moltke-Leth's have two young daughters themselves. Cathrine is well-respected, so Prince Christian and the Crown Prince couple are in good hands.

Thanks to Lasse for helping with the translation!

Mary at Brain Injury conference

In Denmark more than 50,000 people live with the consequences of a suddenly occurred brain injury and this corresponds to the number of inhabitants in a medium size town outside of Copenhagen. The entire family is struck when a member gets a brain injury.

Today Crown Princess Mary is attending the opening of a two day conference for the Brain Injury Association which is one of her patronages. The Brain Injury Association's Active Relatives conference is being held at the Hotel Nyborg Strand.




You can also see more photos from this, and past royal events, at Gert Blume's website.

Links:
Danish Brain Injury Association
Mary as protector/patron

Fyens Stiftstidende says Mary has cast her glow over Nyborg. Reporter Mogens Rasmussen says Mary attended the opening of the conference and spoke of the need for professional care and support for people affected by brain injuries, including relatives. Mary spoke to the mother of a 20 year old from Aalborg who was run over when he was five and has been brain injured since then. This emphasised the theme of the conference about 'Active Relatives' and the need for care for them as well as the affected brain injured person.

Frederik sails Nanoq in Saint Tropez

Saint Tropez, France - April 1, 2006. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark took part in the first regatta of the Farr 40 European Circuit 2006 on the Danish boat, Nanoq.

Crown Prince Frederik's boat retired from the last race which means he must have had a problem with the boat, a sail, or some other technical issue. The Farr 40 class is extremely competitive and as Frederik has won the 2007 championships to be held in Denmark, he must be very keen to improve Nanoq's performance. The Farr 40 class is an 'owner-driver' championship so no Frederik, no Nanoq entry. We can expect Frederik and the Nanoq crew to practice as much as possible through the summer in the lead up to the World Championship 2006, to be held in Newport, Rhode Island in September. Last year's world championship was in Sydney.



Links:
Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez
The results
Farr 40 Mediterranean Fleet

The latest on Joachim and Marie

This last week Prince Joachim has been in Greenland for the Royal Greenland Fund visiting various organisations in Nuuk.

There is not really any 'news' to report on the Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier romance. This is more to keep up with the media coverage of what they know, what they wish they knew and, well, what they make up! SE og HØR and Billed-Bladet have encountered/ambushed Marie's father Alain Cavallier outside his apartment in Paris. Marie's father gave several comments (see below for more detail) and said his daughter had been overwhelmed by the attention she has had from the Danish media and was now trying to keep a low profile. Meanwhile, it turns out Marie doesn't drive in Geneva (um, she failed her driving test) and so she walks to her office not too far from her apartment. Of course she needs to walk her dog every day also and this has been the source of many of the photographs we have seen as she must leave her apartment at least a couple of times a day. That she was somewhat unprepared for the onslaught of the Danish tabloids is obvious.

TV2 suggests an uncertain reception for Marie Cavallier in Denmark based on very different interpretations of a remark by Prince Henrik by Her & Nu and Kig Ind. When visiting a French school in Copenhagen just over a week ago, Prince Henrik said he was there to speak about the school, not about the family. Based on this remark and to give an idea how distorted the reporting can be, Her & Nu claimed a chilly reception awaited Marie with the Royal Family, while Kig Ind claims she is already part of the family!

Billed-Bladet says Marie misses Joachim (she hasn't seen him for more than four weeks). The Billed-Bladet journalist caught Marie in a jogging outfit walking her dog on a leash. She is reported as saying things have been very hectic and she needs some time for herself away from media attention to think things through. She says she doesn't know what the future will bring, but she hopes her relationship with Joachim develops in a normal way without the manipulations of the media. She says she has learned the hard way what the media can do, and that she wasn't prepared for how her dealings with the media would be presented in Denmark. She feels only positive things about her relationship with Joachim and is very upbeat about it, hopefully with his shoulder to lean on!

It is a dog eat dog world with the tabloids. Ekstra Bladet reports on an interview with Marie's father Alain Cavallier in Paris, but fails to mention they have lifted the interviews SE og HØR and Billed-Bladet managed to get without any Ekstra Bladet involvement at all. However, Ekstra Bladet has spoken with Marie's stepdad Christian Grassiot over the phone. His company is REInvest and is Marie's workplace on the fifth floor. Marie works as a partner in the firm. He told Ekstra Bladet that Marie is grown up and in charge in her own life and what's most important for him is that she is happy. SE og HØR caught a few remarks from Alain Cavallier when he left his building to get in his car. He confirmed Marie's mother had met Prince Joachim and that Marie had called him to say how sorry she was to have caused so much media trouble.

According to Billed-Bladet the cheerful Monsieur Cavallier says his daughter is young, in love and in need of private time with Prince Joachim. He says she is concerned about all the commotion she has caused by speaking to the media and wants to retreat for some peace and quiet. This was all he said, but Billed-Bladet gives a bit of information about him being semi-retired, in advertising, a member of an exclusive golf club Saint Cloud with a very good handicap, divorcing from Marie's mother 17 years ago when she was thirteen, etc. He was born not too far from Cahors in south-west France, the location of the DRF's wine estate, Château de Cayx and Château de Caïx, Cahors and the winery estate. Marie's mother, Françoise, moved to Geneva and remarried, to Christian Grassiot, with whom she owns a real estate investment business. Marie went to an exclusive boarding school called Beau Soleil in the Swiss Alps. She did well at school and engaged in a wide range of sports and other extra-curricular activities. She went to Boston College and university in New York, studying commerce and marketing. Okay, hope you can follow all this! Billed-Bladet has given Marie a nice school report.

We haven't yet seen Marie's mother Françoise (as we know she has met Prince Joachim and it is nice to have some more surprises to come). Without having Marie's mother to compare to at present, let's go out on a limb and say Marie has a strong resemblance to her father!