Gråsten Palace

Tomorrow there will be a Danish royal family gathering at Gråsten Palace so we thought we would give some background. As Danes well know Gråsten Palace was Queen Ingrid's favourite place. Queen Ingrid loved gardening and she left her mark on the gardens at Gråsten. The palace is also closely associated with Queen Ingrid because, although it belongs to the state, it was renovated as a summer residence for Crown Prince Frederik (Frederik's grandfather, later Frederik IX) and Crown Princess Ingrid when they were newlyweds. The state presented Gråsten as the gift from the people in 1935 and it has been used as a summer residence ever since. It remained Queen Ingrid's until her death in 2000 and since then it has been used by Queen Margrethe at this time of year for family gatherings. After the death of Queen Ingrid November 7, 2000, Queen Margrethe gathered most of Queen Ingrid's descendants in the place which was so strongly identified with her for a special family Christmas.

The interesting thing about this castle is the assumption (stated by the Queen in 2004) that Frederik and Mary will take it on as their summer residence. They have received wedding gifts specifically for the castle, such as the county Sønderborg gift of a tennis pavilion to Frederik and Mary last year.

The garden was designed by Queen Ingrid and now has tens of thousands of flowers and plants which are cared for today by a large staff and the Royal University of Agriculture. This is a link to Her Majesty Queen Ingrid's Herbarium (it is in Danish though).

So, from Tuesday to Friday of this week many members of the family will be at Gråsten. Queen Ingrid enjoyed the company of her daughters, their husbands and all her grandchildren at Gråsten every year, but since her death some of the family have dropped away (for example, some of the Greek side of the family). Some reports have it that 50 family members will be present, while other reports have said far fewer than that.

We will have to wait and see. We do know that Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik have been there since July 21, and so has Princess Benedikte. Frederik, Mary and Christian will join them tomorrow.

Billed Bladet no. 29 has a feature about the gathering, headlined 'Christian to meet the whole family'. Billed Bladet suggests there will be many cousins and their children, so many, many little ones once again running around at Gråsten. There are many paragraphs about all the Greek side of the family being present, some Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg's and Joachim with Felix and Nikolai. We will have to see if everyone is free to go to Gråsten, as while it would be a great family moment, it is not at all clear that everyone can be present. So, we wait and see.

Gråsten Palace and Palace Gardens (in English)
Gråsten Gardens (in English)

At Gråsten Palace in 2004:




At Gråsten Palace in 2005 (Frederik and Mary receive the gift of the tennis pavilion):



Photos of the palace, the chapel and the gardens. On the maps you can see Sønderborg/Gråston south near the German border:



Queen Ingrid at Gråsten:

Danish Royal roundup # 8

Crown Prince Frederik at the H.C. Ørsteds Youth Laboratory in the Science Faculty at the University of Copenhagen last April. See below for the story.

Yes, although it has been quiet during the summer holidays, it is time to roundup some Danish royal news before August gets underway!


Kig Ind reports while at the Château de Cayx earlier this month, Prince Joachim threw a birthday party for one of his old school friends from Øregaard Gymnasium (high school). He raised the Danish flag the Dannebrog in typical Danish fashion for the celebration, with many invited friends and their families. That ensured lots of kids were around for Nikolai and Felix to play with in the château's swimming pool.


Prince Joachim and Princess Benedikte are keen on opera and they will be at a concert to be performed by Placido Domingo in Esbjerg on July 30. After the concert they will go backstage to greet their idol. (offline in Billed Bladet # 29)


Queen Margrethe and Prince Consort Henrik wave from the royal yacht Dannebrog as they arrive in the southern Jutland city of Sønderborg near the German border on 21 July 2006. The royal couple will spend their summer vacation at nearby Gråsten Castle.


TV2 Syd video clip (just under 4 minutes) of the arrival of Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik in Sønderborg Harbour on the Dannebrog.

Prince Henrik cancelled July trips to Madrid and to Mongolia but he did make it to Århus Harbour for some Dragon class sailing while at Marselisborg. TV2 Østjylland video clip (just under 3 minutes). Visit East Jutland to check out about this area.

B.T. reports Queen Margrethe is a fine summer mood and has almost discarded her crutches.
The Queen arrived on the quay in Sønderborg and showed she is now able to walk without crutches. There were lots of locals to greet the regent couple as they arrived on the Dannebrog to begin their summer stay at Gråsten Castle on Friday (21-07-06). The Queen didn't disappoint the locals as she was given flowers and smiled and waved and greeted people. The Queen especially greeted those in wheelchairs.
The Queen has learned the hard way, even for a short time, what it is to be unable to walk. But the Queen is fortunate because her new knee is working well and her recovery has gone to plan. The hardest thing for the Queen is going down stairs, so she used her crutches a little to disembark. But everyone knows the Queen is determined and dislikes fuss.
After the greetings, the regent couple went by car to Gråsten, where the royal family will gather together for the holidays.
Prince Henrik, who has had a problem with an ulcerated wound on his leg is now rested and fine again.


Both Prince Henrik and the Queen have carried out a few engagements during the holiday period. Left, Prince Henrik opens a European falcon championship in Forum Horsens July 8, 2006 where 400 attended from six European countries.
Prince Henrik cancelled a few things including a Europa Nostra conference in Madrid and a trip to Mongolia while his leg healed (the photo, right, shows said leg!)



Not royal but related, Professor John Donaldson has been appointed a 'wind ambassador' by the windmill industry in Denmark, which has launched a campaign called 'Crazy about wind'. The idea is to promote wind power as one of the alternative energy sources to overcome the effects of fossil fuel energy production and consumption (coal and petroleum) on the environment. As an applied mathematician Professor Donaldson expressed interest in one of the important components in windmill design: the wings, which have similar aerodynamics to aircraft wings. Among other ideas about targets for energy efficiency in a number of countries, he said he finds the turning windmills meditative.

Denmark is a world leader in windmill production and controls 50 per cent of the global windmill market which has been growing rapidly since the late 90s. Denmark has a long tradition for developing green technologies and sustainable resource management.
Links:
Marys far ny ambassadør 'Mary's father new ambassador for windmills' (in Danish)
Danish Windmills photos with some info.
(Thanks to Muhler and cph)


Left, Professor John Donaldson giving a lecture at the University of Copenhagen last April (reported in the current University News (page 6, pdf). The lecture was about chaos theory, its mechanism and practice. Professor Donaldson's wife and Mary's step-mother, Susan Moody, is also a visiting fellow at the University of Copenhagen. She is teaching in the Institute for English, German and Romance Languages.


We don't always know about all the things Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary do because they don't always announce it in their calendar. Just such a thing happened last April when the Crown Prince Couple visited the University of Copenhagen. We know about it now because it has been reported in the just published University News (page 7, pdf in Danish). The story also reports on the Crown Princess Mary Scholarship and the recent presentation of awards to two Australian students by Mary at the university (we posted this news here).

Frederik and Mary visited the university on 24 April 2006 and looked at newly inaugurated university buildings and a new nano technology laboratory. They had a guided tour of historic university buildings at the inner Copenhagen campus which is right next to the Copenhagen Cathedral where they married. They also visited the Science Faculty, where John Donaldson works, and all together they toured the H.C. Ørsteds Youth Laboratory.

Both Frederik and Mary have various science-based patronages and last year during their visit to Australia they signed agreements on behalf of the University of Copenhagen and the University of Aarhus for reciprocal bi-lateral relationships with the Australian National University in Canberra.




In its last edition SE og HØR did a tabloid 'treatment' of Mary's friend Amber Petty. The story is a rehash of recent reports in Australia concerning Amber Petty's love life and career moves. National Nine News 'Amber Petty tries not to embarrass Mary' and The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 'Amber's bikie ban' touches on some of the recent gossip. Amber is about to appear in a reality TV show in Australia and has apparently formed a new relationship with a New Zealand crew member she met on that show. It is difficult to say what is and what is not right about the recent reports, because it is all in sensationalistic tabloid mode and as always we cannot know what is what. One thing which does stand out is Amber herself stated at least three times she did not expect to be a godmother to Christian before the christening. It has always been obvious that conjecture about Amber being chosen as a godmother was media speculation, so that part of the recent reports can be taken with a grain of salt. As always, we will keep a weather eye out for news. Right, the latest - click on thumbnail (sorry for the quality -- it is scanned from a newspaper).


Still on a tabloid theme, SE og HØR is reporting that Martin Jørgensen has proposed to Princess Alexandra. This is a tabloid. Enough said perhaps. Remember Kig Ind had Alexandra throwing Martin out one week and taking him back the next a month ago? Also, Martin has denied it and the editor of SE og HØR was embarrassed on Danish television last week by the denial. Not a reliable source, so we'll wait for the good oil on this one!


Politiken has reviewed a book of accounts of 17 refugee experiences collected by Charlotte Torpegaard. The proceeds will go to the Danish Refugee Council and as patron of the Refugee Council Mary has written the forward. The review says it is kind of using Mary's pulling power but it is in a good cause. There is a scheduled visit by Mary to Vollsmose, in Odense, at the end of August where she will be shown around by a Somali woman (refugee) and have lunch with a family of Palestinian background.


There is extensive reporting in the Danish media following Billed Bladet's scoop this week that Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier have parted ways. Some of the reports are suggesting Marie had talked to the media too much and Prince Joachim did not approve. (Of course, we can't know what the real issues are.)


July 27, 2006 Prince Joachim out and about in Copenhagen, Denmark.



On 28 July 2006 Prince Henrik inaugurated the new neuropsychiatric ward in Sønderborg. Click to watch a 2 minute video clip TV2/TV SYD and you can see royals forget to turn off their mobile phones like the rest of us! (Many thanks to Jema for link and sreencaps.)



Snippets:
*Not at a all royal but some might find this of interest.
University of Leicester 'World map of happiness' - Denmark is the happiest.
*This is old (from 2004) but if you would like to see U.S. ABC's 20/20 story on Frederik and Mary it gives a chance to look back. Reporter Deborah Roberts gets a few things wrong and the comparison with the rather diabolical Julia Stiles movie is cringeworthy. Roberts says, for example, that Frederik used the name 'Frederik Henderson' at Harvard. Not true, he was Frederik Henriksen (son of Henrik). Thanks to MihoshiMarie for uploading this to YouTube:
20/20 'Cinderella Story'. It is about 8 minutes long and Roberts interviews Frederik and shows something of his history.

A tale of two holidays.....

Mary and Christian at Château de Cayx last week.

The end of July means the end of the summer holidays for Frederik, Mary and Joachim. The Queen and Prince Henrik will have a break (most probably at Château de Cayx, as is their custom) and Frederik will act as regent while the Queen is away after the family festivities at Gråsten.

So, what news? Well, there is some. Billed Bladet (a generally reliable source on matters royal) has reported this week that Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier have ended their relationship. Marie Cavallier has told a Billed Bladet journalist that they are no longer dating while walking with her from her local patisserie in Geneva. She said they had agreed to separate and as two reasonable adults, it was not a problem. The Billed Bladet reporter said she seemed pensive and suggested they ask Prince Joachim if they wanted more information. (Somehow, we doubt he will give it!)

Although they end as good friends she said it is always difficult to say goodbye to someone with whom you have shared inner feelings, joys and sorrows. The photos from Billed Bladet # 30 show Marie returning from the patisserie with her dog Apple and Prince Joachim returning from Geneva to Kastrup Airport, Copenhagen, last Sunday.



Also confirmed in The Copenhagen Post 'Long distance ends Prince's relationship'

The holiday of Frederik, Mary, Christian and Ziggy is another story. The Crown Prince family began by visiting John and Susan Donaldson in Nyhavn in Copenhagen (see the post here). They went to a Robbie Williams concert with friends in Copenhagen (see here). Frederik was in high spirits when asked by a journalist who the fan was. He teasingly 'hinted' it was Mary and 'the girls' and did a bit of mimicking of the Robbie Williams style.

The family then visited Mary's former lady-in-waiting Victoria Bernstorff-Glydensteen and her husband Frants at their estate on North Funen. They then went to Marselisborg Castle near Aarhus and visited Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik. After this they went to stay at the farm of friends Jørgen and Marie Louise Skeel. Frederik played football and Helle Reedtz-Thott was among the visiting friends. After this stay they went to the coast of north Jutland at Blokhus and spent time at the beach with friends (see here). Some of the friends included Ditlev Ahlefeldt-Laurvig and Jean Mensah and Ellen Hillingsø and husband Christoffer Castenskiold.

This last week the family has been in southern France at the Château de Cayx with Jeppe and Birgitte Handwerk and their baby daughter. They were with Frederik and Mary at the château (and Grandfather's vineyard) last year too, but both couples now have children and they have been having a relaxed time being with the babies without staff (or nanny), looking after themselves, shopping in the market town in the mornings, swimming and cooking on the barbecue on the terrace in the evenings. Jeppe Handwerk was a fellow frogman with Frederik and Birgitte and Mary had their babies three weeks apart. Billed Bladet points out in this week's edition that Christian is the centre of Mary's and Frederik's lives and that this is in stark contrast to Frederik's upbringing. They say this is something new which Mary has introduced to the Danish royal family. They only leave Christian to be cared for by his nanny when it is absolutely necessary, so while they are on holidays they have all their time to enjoy with their son. At the beginning of the month Prince Joachim was at the château with Nikolai and Felix and their two nannies. This is a different situation though, as Joachim is now on his own.

Mary and Birgitte flew to France with Christian and the Handwerk's daughter India, while Frederik and Jeppe travelled separately driving in Frederik's Audi Q7 from Denmark. Mary always travels separately from Frederik with Christian because the two heirs cannot travel together for safety/security reasons. Next Tuesday Frederik, Mary and Christian (and, yes, Ziggy!) will arrive at Gråsten for the family gathering, just as it was in Queen Ingrid's day. (With thanks to Muhler.)
Following are photos from beginning to end of the Crown Prince family holiday. Scans are from Billed Bladet, Se og Hør, Kig Ind and Her & Nu. The photo of the couple with baby is a file photo of Jeppe and Birgitte Handwerk with baby India from Billed Bladet.

Happy birthday Felix!

Today is the fourth birthday of Prince Felix. Felix will celebrate with Princess Alexandra, big brother Nikolai, and with her boyfriend Martin Jørgensen. Felix and Nikolai have been spending time at Château de Cayx in the south of France with their father Prince Joachim during some of the holidays. At the beginning of August Felix, with Prince Joachim and Nikolai will join the 50-strong extended Danish royal family gathering planned to be held at Gråsten Castle.


(From Billed Bladet # 29)

Update: We've added more pics to our F&M at Robbie Williams' concert post. Check it out!

Holiday mode at the beach in Denmark

Frederik, Mary, Christian and Ziggy have been at the beach in northern Jutland in Blokhus. We are posting photos taken in public places and published in Billed Bladet and Se og Hør (hence the quality). On the way north they visited Mary's former lady-in-waiting Victoria Bernstorff-Gyldensteen and her husband Frants at their Gyldensteen estate on the island of Funen and then visited Queen Margrethe at Marselisborg near Aarhus before going to Blokhus to share some holiday time at the beach with friends.

Se og Hør reports Frederik, Mary, Christian and Ziggy have again been staying in North Jutland by the North Sea (which is the West Sea in Denmark, hence Vesterhavet) this year. Last year they were in nearby Skagen. Owner Jørgen Skeel put a cottage at Frederik's and Mary's disposal from Wednesday to Saturday of last week. Also along were some security staff and Mette Hansen, the nanny. On Saturday they were joined by friend and actress Ellen Hillingsø, her husband and two children. Mary continued to have her 'finger on the trigger' as the family photographer when Frederik, Mary, Christian and Ziggy went walking through Blokhus' marram grass dunes.

Billed Bladet reports that Frederik and Mary hit the surf during the holiday on the northern coast of Denmark. Their border collie Ziggy dashed about happily in the dunes and lyme grass along with the the Crown Prince Couple's friends and kids. There weren't many passers by on the sandy beach in Blokhus, but it was a warm and pleasant morning at the beach spent like any other Danish family.

Billed Bladet also reports Prince Christian has had his first holiday at the beach. With his mother Mary and Ziggy nearby he got to see the North Sea up close from his push chair. The Crown Prince family had visited Queen Margrethe (and Prince Henrik presumably) at Marselisborg last week and then like other Danish families they headed for the summer warmth in the north at Blokhus. They stayed at the summer cottage of friends Jørgen and Marie Louise Skeel a couple of kilometres from Blokhus and 100 metres from the shore. Elsewhere in Billed Bladet there is a snippet about Frederik, Mary and Christian also visiting Mary's former lady-in-waiting Countess Victoria Bernstorff-Gyldensteen on Funen before their visit to north Jutland and the beach. On their last Saturday Mary, Frederik and their friends and guests had a barbecue after a visit to the butcher, the men, including Frederik, took control of the tongs. Mary had a last swim in the surf before they departed.

(Above from Se og Hør #29)




(Above from Billed Bladet # 29)

Where's Mary?

So where is Mary? This isn't current, but Danish royal news is very slow isn't it? So, we thought we would provide some 'entertainment'. There might be a little clue as to what Frederik, Mary and Christian are up to in this week's Billed Bladet (out tomorrow) and other weeklies, but no promises, they might not know either!

This photo was taken in the engagement period at the opening of the ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum on 7 April 2004 (more photos on the website).

Family time in Copenhagen

On Sunday, July 9, Crown Princess Mary, Crown Prince Frederik, Prince Christian and Ziggy visited Mary's father John and step-mother Susan in Nyhavn, Copenhagen. John and Susan Donaldson are staying in an apartment in Nyhavn while both have visiting positions at the University of Copenhagen.



Added: Also having family time -- Prince Joachim in Cahors market with Prince Felix.
See Hello! magazine 'Prince Joachim and son Felix enjoy a boys' day out'

Danish Royal roundup # 7

Cousins Frederik and Gustav talking together with Mary and Carina Axelsson at a recent family wedding. Do we have another to come?

Time to roundup some more Danish royal news!

On Tuesday June 13 Mary made an unofficial visit to an exhibition of contemporary Danish jewellery called 'Glimpse of New Danish Jewellery Art' by the Danish Arts and Crafts Association which is one of her patronages.

KUNSTUFF the quarterly magazine of Danish Crafts and Design
Danske Kunsthåndværkere (in Danish)



On June 19 Prince Joachim was the featured speaker at the Forbes CEO Europe Forum at the Copenhagen Opera House.

The Forbes CEO Europe Conference




A snippet from the trip to Bornholm. Netavisen Bornholm reported that at the reception on the first day at the Hotel Griffen in Rønne, Mary was told of a movie called »Bornholm's Stemme« made in 1999 by Lotte Svensden about a fishing community on Bornholm. Mary was interested in seeing the movie and so a copy was found and given as a gift. The movie is a tragi-comedy set in the early 80s when a fishing ban was imposed because of over fishing in the Baltic Sea. The film centres on the adjustment to a new way of life without fishing, but not without crisis. The film has been described as allegorical and emotionally tense. Unfortunately it seems the movie hasn't been sub-titled.


According to a report in Billed Bladet and also published on the Greek Royal Family's website, Queen Anne-Marie's and King Constantine's second youngest Theodora graduated from Brown University in Rhode Island in theatre arts. It seems Theodora has always been attracted to the theatre since she was young. For her final assignment she narrated 'My Odyssey' about the effect Greece had on her after her first visit in 2003 when the family was allowed to return, or for the younger family, go for the first time. Theodora will continue her studies in drama and the performing arts in the future.
Graduation photo gallery click on bottom left


Billed Bladet again writes positively about the good example Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra give as role models for having a 'good' divorce. The emphasis on the well-being of six-year-old Nikolai and three-year-old Felix was maintained by keeping to the family habit of attending the annual circus fundraiser (over $200,000 was raised and presented to the Children's Cancer Foundation) in Møgeltønder. By continuing to do things together with their boys, Joachim and Alexandra are demonstrating to Nikolai and Felix that their parents are friends and that they are secure within the family.


Princess Benedikte of Denmark poses beside a painting displaying Danish king Frederik IV (1671-1730) in Halle, eastern Germany, on June 23, 2006. The Princess attended the 300th centenary festivities of Halle's missionary expedition to Tranquebar, East India, commissioned in the 18th century by Danish King Frederik IV.


Meanwhile, the non-royal side of the family keeps busy. On June 20 John Donaldson was at a Forbes CEO Europe Forum lunch at the end of the recent conference in Copenhagen.

John Donaldson also recently appeared on a Danish TV program called 'Deadline' and talked about the problem of mathematics education and attracting students to the discipline. Professor Donaldson appears to be critical of some of the recent changes in test-driven curriculums and prefers concept-based teaching. Professor Donaldson is an applied mathematician. You can see the interview in English in this DR TV video clip (5 mins). It would also appear that John Donaldson occasionally visits high schools to talk about maths, the photo is from a visit last December to Langkær High School in Tilst in Århus when he was still Visiting Professor of Mathematics at the University of Århus last year (he is now Visiting Professor at the University of Copenhagen).


On June 26 Crown Princess Mary attended a meeting with the WHO Regional Office for Europe which is based in Copenhagen. This is the second behind-the-scenes meeting with WHO (World Health Organisation) in two months. Mary is no doubt establishing her knowledge and relationships in the organisation as one of her patronages in preparation for the 56th Session WHO Europe due to be held in Copenhagen in September.


On June 29 Crown Princess Mary's father John Donaldson and step mother Susan Moody were together at the (slightly early) Independence Day celebration at USA Ambassador James P.Cain's residence in Charlottenlund, Copenhagen.




Princess Alexandra celebrated her 42nd birthday on June 30, so many happy returns to her from DRWs. She was in the south of France with Martin, Nikolai and Felix at the time. But, there are some earlier reports about Alexandra splitting with boyfriend Martin Jørgensen to mention. As always the truth is not in till it is in and it appears the reports by KIG IND and briefly online in B.T. before it was pulled off were the result of some tabloid madness. This is how it works..... tabloid stories 101!


You can see the cover on the left shows a not quite happy Alexandra. Two weeks ago KIG IND declared Alexandra "had thrown Martin out" in "breaking news" and we said we would let you know whether there was any truth in the story. Last week KIG IND's so-called breaking news was, ahem! "Sleeping together again - Alex cannot live without Martin!" The tabloid is so kind as to put a happy picture of Alexandra on their cover as their 'proof' that what they say is, um, true.

How to understand this? Well, it is most likely KIG IND made it up and then needed to save face to solve the problem they had made for themselves by making up the second story to undo the first! Other Danish media did not follow up on the story which indicates there was no substance to it. If it had been true, be sure it would have been quite a big story and all media would have been busy reporting it. So there we have it, no facts, no story but maybe some people bought the magazine! Ekstra Bladet reported KIG IND's little catastrophe as if it had never done such things itself. And that is the rather parallel universe known as the tabloids. Sometime we might visit the Australian tabloid women's magazines to see what crazy mixed up things they get up to. New Idea and Woman's Day already have an illustrious history where Mary is concerned!
(Thanks to commoner)


A little addendum to the visit to Bornholm. Billed Bladet reported how affectionate Frederik and Mary are with each other and that the Bornholmers got to see this during the visit. Frederik often put his arm around Mary and they frequesntly held hands. When they were departing on the Dannebrog Frederik was quite moved and as we have reported earlier, he joined in the singing farewell as they both waved goodbye (until the next visit). The magazine also reported that many children greeted Frederik and especially Mary with questions about how Christian was. Apart from the many flowers given to Mary, the couple also received many gifts for Christian. A little girl gave strict instructions to Mary that a lollipop was just for Christian, they were given teddy bears, childrens' books and drawings. A little girl dressed as a very fine princess who gave flowers to Frederik, became flustered when he patted her on the head and she promptly bit herself on the finger!

The magazine reports on the many sweet moments between children and the Crown Prince couple. Mary sang along at the official reception in Rønne after arrival (Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' and George Michael's 'Freedom'), and was very encouraging when greeting children at each place they visited.

Of course the trip was remarkable for Christian's first trip by sea (getting a good start on the family tradition?) and his appearance to greet the Bornholmers with his parents on arrival in Rønne. Billed Bladet asked the Dannebrog captain Kai Rash Larsen about how he thought little Christian had managed the trip. "Fine, fine," he replied. "I definately think there is a sailor in him." Frederik is a commodore in the navy and wore his dress uniform on arrival. It seems Frederik is not a stranger at the helm on cruises on the Dannebrog, but this time, the captain says Frederik was busy entertaining his son on his first sea voyage. (Many thanks to gudinde, Thor and Muhler.)


Se og Hør reports Prince Nikolai was as 'proud as a peacock' on the last day of school at Krebs in Copenhagen (also alma mater of Joachim and Frederik). As the summer holidays began, Prince Joachim was waiting with other parents as the students appeared with their school reports. Nikolai eagerly greeted Joachim and apparently had a report with top marks to show to his father.

In another offline report in Her&Νu (no. 27) Joachim is already at Château de Cayx with Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix. There is other speculation too about Marie Cavallier selling her apartment in Geneva to move to Denmark. The article also claims Joachim and Marie SMS each other all the time and that the romance between them continues to develop. Except for the part about being in Cahors (where Château de Cayx is), the rest is speculation.

Billed Bladet also reports that Prince Joachim arrived at the airport in the south of France (Nice) to pick up Nikolai and Felix and was met at the airport by Martin Jørgensen. The boys had spent the first week of their holiday with their mother and her partner Martin. Billed Bladet continues with its theme about how amicable the relationships are between Alexandra, Martin and Joachim for the benefit of the boys and for the happiness of the adults as well.


B.T. reports that the trip to Bornholm was practice for Prince Christian's first summer holiday. In past holidays Frederik and Mary have been with their friends who all have children. This summer, Christian will have cousins, the two boys of Holger Foss and Rose Gad, the two girls of Peter and Caroline Heering, Birgitte and Jeppe Handwerk who had a baby at the same time as Christian was born and other littlies to play with. B.T. quotes some family therapists who suggest the contact with other children to be good for Christian's development. Mary, Frederik and Christian are expected to spend their summer in Skagen and Skagen 2, Château de Cayx and finally at Gråsten Castle before the official schedule swings into action again at the beginning of August. At Gråsten Castle Christian will be spending time with grandparents and cousins.


TV 2 and B.T. report Frederik went to Wimbledon 3-4 July to support the young Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki. Frederik is the patron of the Danish Tennis Association. Fifteen-year-old Caroline did very well indeed and finished the tournament as Wimbledon's girls' singles champion. After competing in the U.S. Open junior title Caroline will begin playing in the senior competition. See Wimbledon 2006 'Wozniacki Wins Girls' Title'


Billed Bladet is confirming the romance between Princess Bendikte's son Prince Gustav zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and children's author and ex-model Carina Axelsson. Apparently Carina has moved into the castle at Berleburg and was introduced to the local town's folk of Berleburg which had its festival a week ago and raised money for charity. Billed Bladet suggests an engagement is in the wind and from the photographs and other details in Billed Bladet it looks like that is how things will go. This is nice to see Prince Gustav happy, as he previously had an unhappy time following a broken engagement. There are some unresolved questions concerning his grandfather's will which decrees he cannot accede to the hereditory position of his father unless he marries a royal. There is legal precedence in Germany which challenges such wills, so it is no doubt already legally worked out by lawyers for a marriage to be possible.


Ekstra Bladet, which is not the most reliable source at the best of times, is reporting that Princess Alexandra's secretary Christine Lyng has confirmed Prince Joachim has given the tiara she wears to Alexandra as a gift. There had been some speculation that Alexandra would have to return the tiara but it is now hers unencumbered. As it was a part of the Danish jewels (not crown jewels) it was Joachim's. Alexandra will be able to pass it on to Nikolai for his wife to use in the future. It would have been difficult for any other partner of Joachim's to wear the tiara in the future because of its close association with Alexandra since their 1995 wedding.


Left, then Princess Margrethe wearing the tiara.

The tiara has a distinguished history. Queen Alexandrine, Queen Margrethe's paternal grandmother, was given it as a gift from her parents as an 18th birthday present. It passed to King Frederik IX on the death of Alexandrine and was given to Princess (now Queen) Margrethe on her 18th birthday. The Queen and Prince Henrik gave the tiara to Alexandra to use upon her marriage to Joachim.

On July 3 Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik attended the sports meet Landsstævnet. Queen Margrethe is the patron of the Danish Gymnast and Sports Association. They were at the opening of the 4 day meet and you can read about it here at Denmark.dk/The Copenhagen Post.

Frederik and Mary at Robbie Williams' concert

On Thursday, July 6, Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik attended the concert of British singer Robbie Williams, at the National Stadium 'Parken' in Copenhagen. Friends who accompanied Frederik and Mary to the concert were Peter and Caroline Heering and Birgitte and Jeppe Handwerk.

Prince Christian - new photos for the album!

Some new photos of Prince Christian have been posted on the Crown Prince Couple's website today. The photos have been taken by Frederik and Mary according to the website.
Added: Subsequent press reports in Jyllands-Posten and Expressen (Sweden) reveal all three photographs were taken by Crown Princess Mary with her digital camera.




Here are some more photos from the Bornholm trip on the Dannebrog. The launch which ferries Dannebrog's passengers to the boat leaves from Toldboden. This first group of photos was taken as Frederik (who had just come from a Red Cross engagement), Mary, Christian and Ziggy set off for the Dannebrog.



And these photos are of Frederik, Mary and Christian arriving back in Toldboden at the end of the Bornholm trip. Christian had his first experience at sea and had acquired his sea legs, as reported by the captain of the Dannebrog in Billed Bladet (more in our next roundup).

Summer days for Queen Margrethe & Prince Henrik

Queen Margrethe and Prince Consort Henrik have arrived in Århus on July 1 in the Royal Yacht Dannebrog to reside at Marselisborg Palace.

B.T. and TV 2 reported that Queen Margrethe has gone back to work. The Queen's first official duty since her knee surgery was on June 23. A very well-looking Queen Margrethe was at a bi-annual ceremony at Rosenborg Castle to present the Queen's Watch to the Guard of the Year, although she did sit for the presentation. It had been just over three weeks since the Queen's surgery but she looked very well. The Queen and Prince Henrik have since travelled in the Royal Yacht Dannebrog to Århus to take up their official summer residence of Marselisborg. On crutches on June 30, the Queen hosted a lunch at Christiansborg Palace (the Danish Parliament) of parliamentarians meeting for discussions concerning the future of the EU (European Union).





In other health news concerning the regent couple, B.T. reports that Prince Henrik is sick also. Court spokeswoman Lis M. Frederiksen confirmed that Prince Henrik has a wound on his leg which will not heal and he has been ordered to have intensive wound treatment which includes complete rest of the leg for some weeks. Fortunately, Prince Joachim will be able to take up the duties of his father during Henrik's recuperation.


Right, Queen Margrethe makes her way down the gangplank in Århus on her crutches with Prince Henrik.

Click here to see a video clip from TV 2 ØSTJYLLAND (just over 2 mins) of the arrival.

Just in case some of our readers are unfamiliar with the royal calendar, we should let you know there are minimal official engagements this month. July is the summer holiday month and what engagements there are we will of course report on. Frederik and Mary have no official engagements for the remainder of this month. We may see some photographs and get some reports about the doings of Frederik, Mary and Christian and other members of the royal family, but they will all be in holiday-mode, so it will be haphazard as to when reports and photos appear.

The good news is there are already lots of engagements in the wind from the beginning of August to look forward to and we will post a Danish royal roundup shortly. For those in the northern hemisphere, enjoy the summer! (without too much storm, flood and pestilence) and for those in the southern hemisphere, well, er, enjoy the winter! (without too much shivering).

NOTE: We've added a group photo taken on July 1st -Gala dinner- from the Luxembourg silver anniversary. Click here to see the photo.