Lillepigen update

Some more info - we will bring more from the Danish magazines... Meanwhile we hope Mary is recuperating and everyone is settling into the new change in the family. It seems we will not see formal photos of the new baby, as we did with Christian (for now anyway), which shows the difference between the two babies (one the heir, the other the spare). Mary indicated in the press conference at the hospital that they are calling the baby 'lillepigen', which means 'the little girl' in Danish. The 'g' is imperceptable and soft, so (being Danish!) it doesn't sound anything like its written form.

* Uncle Joachim sent flowers and a teddy bear to Mary and his new niece

* Mary's midwife Birgitte Hillerup is a very experienced royal midwife:

14 September 1999: Count Friedrich Richard Oscar Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (mother: Princess Alexandra zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Princess Benedikte is his grandmother)

22 July 2002: Prince Felix Henrik Valdemar Christian (mother: Countess Alexandra)

16 August 2003: Countess Ingrid Alexandra Irma Astrid Benedikte von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (mother: Princess Alexandra zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Princess Benedikte is her grandmother)

15 October 2005: Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John (mother: Crown Princess Mary)

21 April 2007: Lilleprinsesse (mother: Crown Princess Mary)

* Some comments have been made about the new baby appearing a little yellow. A doctor commented on this two days ago and said it was quite normal for babies to be a tad yellow a day or two after their birth until the liver begins working properly. He said with Prince Christian it was a more serious case (Christian was treated with UV lights after birth, including after he left hospital, he returned to spend a night under UV light a day after going home)

* check here to see the bedding sets used by Christian and the new baby according to B.T.

ABC Online Monday, April 23, 2007. 8:28am (AEST) - 'Princess Mary's daughter's name under wraps'
Denmark's Consul-General in Sydney Jorgen Mollengaard has told Channel Nine there is a lot of speculation about what the baby's name will be. "As far as I understand, the baptism will be in the beginning of July and not until then will be revealed what the name will be," he said.

Some of the best of the clips:

TV2 news clip (4:00) - shows the press conference and the wall of jounalists, cameras (!) which confronted Mary as she departed. Here you see Mary is asked if she was given a present [by Frederik] for the birth, and she points at the baby and says she was her present

TV2 News clip (1:30) - leaving hospital and greeting well wishers in Fredensborg

Jyllands Posten webTV Christian with the royal wave down!

TV2 News clip (4:10) - shows reaction to the birth, including Prince Joachim's (he was 'on duty' at an event, but it seems televisions were on everywhere), he says how wondeful it is for little Christian to have a little sister and wonderful too for the family to have the first litle girl since 1946, also shows and Australian chef and Seven Network Sunrise program (with Aussie jokes about the name). For the record, not too many people are cooking kangaroo and crocodile Downunder, it is a niche restaurant "thing"

Seven News clip (1:39) - the Australian bits in the press conference. The mini-Mary was used once by one Danish newspaper, the name which is sticking is 'lillepigen' (little girl). The Danish media has never used 'Kingaroo' for Christian, although the Australian media says they do. The Australian media should just own it and use it as their nickname for Christian if they insist!

Nine News clip (2:00) - another Australian report of the departure from the hospital, includes a few words from B.T. reporter Bodil Cath

(special thanks to jema! and Benedikte! and cph! and santa!)

The Copenhagen Post:

Princess question mark

24 April 2007
The birth of the royal family's first girl in six decades has the kingdom asking a number of questions.

The days when kings and queens dominated European politics are long since past, with most monarchs reduced to figureheads subject to the good graces of democratically elected parliaments. But the birth of the royal family's first daughter since 1946 is now forcing the Danish kingdom to consider the very political question of gender equality, and whether to make a permanent change to the laws of succession for a monarchy that has existed for over 1000 years.

It's a woman's kingdom - for now
Denmark is currently reigned by Queen Margrethe II. Only the second woman to rule over the kingdom as its monarch, her accession to the throne was secured in 1953 as an exception to the Line of Succession Act, which places male heirs in front of their older female relatives.

Up to now, the act, which states that 'the throne is inherited by the king's son or daughter, with the son taking precedence over the daughter', has escaped serious public challenge, thanks to the fact that Queen Margrethe had two sons but no daughters, and that the current Crown Prince's first child was a son.

But before the new princess's big brother Christian was born in October 2005, debate began to emerge about whether a first-born girl would be allowed to inherit the throne. Parliament eventually set into motion the complex machinery such a law change would require.

Once it was announced that the child was a boy, however, the issue fell somewhat by the wayside, as a first-born male was unquestionably the next in line after his father. With the birth of the new princess the issue has been pushed back into the fray.

Time for a change
Even though a majority of MPs - including the prime minister - support giving princesses equal rights to the throne, the procedure is a torturous one. The proposal has already been passed by the current parliament, but it must also be passed by the next, after which it will be sent to a national referendum in which 40 percent of all eligible voters must give their support.

Royal popularity aside, the prospects of such a referendum attracting enough voters to the polls to secure a change is uncertain, unless it were coupled with a second general election. Barring political scandal, the time horizon for two general elections is over ten years.

Nevertheless, prior to Prince Christian's birth, MPs in favour of the change said that even with the long procedure, time was on their side.

'I guarantee that the child the Crown Princess gives birth to will become Denmark's regent,' Birthe Rønn Hornbech, a member of the PM's Liberal party said. 'Before then, the constitution will have been changed.'

A princess's preparation
Even with the law change, there is only an outside chance that the princess will ever reign as monarch. Still, she is close enough to the throne that she would need to be raised as if she will become queen, according to Steffen Heiberg, head of research for the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle.

'The new princess has to be ready, at least until Prince Christian marries and produces an heir.'

Heiberg added that the days when a princess could be expected to wait around for her Prince Charming were over. He suggested Christian's little sister should be prepared for a career path that begins with an education in the stately crafts: politics and the military.

'The requirements for a member of the succession's abilities have become less dependent on gender than in the past. I imagine that a female in the succession line would also have to receive a continuing military education.'

All bets are in
While some have already begun planning the princess's future, one of the most elemental aspects about her has yet to be decided - or at least revealed: her name.

As the proud parents left Copenhagen University Hospital Monday, the crown princess said only that their daughter was called 'Little Girl' for the time being, but that they were considering 'several' names.

Bookmakers are reportedly even odds on Ingrid, the former queen mother, while the queen's own name and Henrietta, the crown princess's mother, are the other leading candidates.

Many experts believe the princess's name will include all of the above, as royals traditionally have four given names. Susanne Vogt of the University of Copenhagen, said, however, that a less traditional name wouldn't be a surprise.

'When it's child number two, then the parents usually get a little more liberal,' Vogt said.

For the time being, however, the dark haired little girl who slept soundly through her first meeting with the press will remain simply the kingdom's Little Girl.The Copenhagen Post

Want to see photos again?

TV2 photo gallery of Frederik meeting the press after the birth. It seems the piece of plastic behind Frederik on the wall was not part of building works but a modern art installation (!) - it was removed by the time lillepigen left hosptital

TV2 photo gallery of Frederik, Mary and lillepigen leaving Rigshospitalet

TV2 photo gallery of the return home to Fredensborg (59 photos). In a few photos - no. 30 on - you can just see John Donaldson waiting inside the house and having a peek through the door

An article from TV2 24 April 2007: Will it be an Ingrid or a Pipaluk?

”What is the name of the child?” will probably be [an] important question [this] year. It is a question to be asked by the bishop of Copenhagen, Erik Norman Svendsen, and unless Her Royal Highness Princess No Name of Denmark decides to make some noise [in that moment at the christening], it will be very quiet when Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary utter four or possibly five names which will be the official names of the princess.

But what is the child going to be called? All over the country most have begun to guess and already now there are a few favourites for the name.

NordicBet is paying 1.03 for the child to be called Ingrid after her great grandmother. Margrethe pays 1.50, while the third almost dead certain possibility is Henrietta, after the late mother of the Crown Princess which pays 1.50.

As it is pretty certain that the child will have at least four names, the new parents will have an opportunity to put their mark on history with a more personal name that is not inherited within the family. The Greenlandic name Pipaluk repays the a bet 30 times over. While Aziza pays 100 times over.

The names of the royal women:

Queen Margrethe: Margrethe Alexandrine Thorhildur Ingrid.

Princess Benedikte: Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid.

Princess Elisabeth (cousin to Margrethe, Benedikte and Anne-Marie and a favoured grandchild of Christian X when she was a child): Elisabeth Caroline-Mathilde Alexandrine Helena Olga Thyra Feodora Estrid Margarethe Desiree.

Bet24 more believes Margrethe is a favoured name, followed by Henrietta and Ingrid coming in third. Going against Ingrid is the fact Norway already has the patent on the name given to the firstborn of the Crown Prince couple there who is Ingrid Alexandra.

Bet24 pays out by 20 times over if the princess should be named after her mother and 1000 times over if the child will be named Bet24. In the latter case the Danish legislation regarding names* would come into play.

Other royal names like Thyra, Caroline, Mathilde, Benedikte and Alexandrine is also on the list.

* You cannot call your child whatever you want to in Denmark. There is legislation to control the use of names to protect the child from being called something silly, too unusual, offensive, blasphemous or profane. With due respect to the religion of the parents or if one or both parents are foreign, then there is consideration of what is normal in their native country. (thanks Muhler!)

Another article from TV2 24 April 2007: The Crown Prince: It is not a doll!

When the Crown Prince couple left Rigshospitalet shortly after 11am with the little new princess the press showed up in great numbers as expected.

Mary was in good spirits and a smiling Frederik answered the more or less daft questions willingly, which is part of such an occasion.

At some point the madness became at bit too much, when a representative of the media asked to have the cap removed from the newborn “so we can see the beautiful dark hair”.

“Remember, it’s not a doll, she’s a child,” was the commanding reply from the Crown Prince.

Bravo, Frederik! (thanks Muhler!)

And one more from a TV2 article 24 April 2007: Little prince crazy about TV2 helicopter

While mum and dad waved to the crowd gathered outside Kancellihuset in order to welcome the Crown Prince couple and the new princess of Denmark, little Prince Christian lost the concentration and pointed towards the higher spheres.

Little sister was for a moment forgotten when little Christian spotted TV2’s news-chopper, circling above Fredensborg to transmit the homecoming live on TV.

And the concentration became somewhat doubtful when the family withdrew from the crowd. The 18 month old prince much preferred to stay outside to play. But the Crown Prince managed to get him inside, where they were to have a cosy time with mommy Mary.

The Crown Princess had her hands full with the hungry new arrival, who during the presentation at Rigshospitalet had a small hand firmly attached to her mother’s cleavage, as if she was making sure everything was within reach.

“She has a good appetite,” said Mary...who also confirmed to the press that she has sufficient courage to have more children. However “one at a time” she smiled, before she got in the car with her daughter and the Crown Prince in order to go home to to little Christian and the helicopter. (and, of course, thanks Muhler!)