Mary, Frederik & 'lille pige' arrive at Fredensborg

Crown Prince Frederik with his son Prince Christian on his arm and Crown Princess Mary present their new born daughter on 23 April 2007 at their home at Fredensborg Palace, north of Copenhagen. Before returning home Mary told the press at the hospital that they were calling the new little member of the family "lille pige" which means little girl in Danish. This matches their name for Christian before he was christened - Mary said she callled him "lillemand", or little man.



* Madeleine Glindorf's gallery (thanks Madeleine!)

The Copenhagen Post:

Royal salute for newborn princess

23 April 2007

Palaces across the country Sunday fired a royal salute in honour of Denmark's new princess.


The first princess born into the Danish royal family since 1946 was born to Crown Princess Mary and her husband Crown Prince Frederik Saturday, giving the old canons at the nation's castles and palaces cause to fire away in honour of the event.

As with every significant event in the royal family, canons at the nation's palaces, forts and castles - some dating back to the 1700s - fired a 21-gun salute to celebrate the birth. In the past, the births of princesses used to receive only a 17-gun salute, but the tribute was made equal just prior to the birth of the new princess's older brother, 18-month-old Prince Christian.

The baby girl arrived two weeks early but was in good health, as was her mother, according to the royal family's spokesperson. The new princess weighed in at 3350 grams and was 50 cm tall. She is the first girl born into the royal family since Queen Margrethe's sister, Princess Anne-Marie, was born in 1946.

Shortly after the birth, Crown Prince Frederik met a throng of reporters gathered in the lobby of Copenhagen University Hospital, joking that the princess 'looked like a baby' and had a full head of dark hair.

'It was just as fantastic and beautiful as the first time,' he said. 'There might have been a bit more routine on the father's part. It at least felt as if I was more in the moment.'

Danish flags, the Dannebrog, decorated public buildings, as well as many private companies and homes in honour of the birth, as dictated by tradition.

The name of the new princess will not be made public until she is christened - which in big brother Prince Christian's case took place three months after he was born. The name 'Margrethe' has been mentioned as a possible candidate, as well as 'Ingrid', the name of the late queen mother. Another possibility is 'Henrietta', the name of Australian-born Crown Princess Mary's late mother, as is the crown princess's middle name, 'Elizabeth'. All of the names could wind up in the princess's name, as members of the royal family typically have four given names.

News of the birth quickly spread throughout the world and John Howard, Australia's prime minister, was one of the first to wish the royal couple well.

'On behalf of all Australians I send them my very warm congratulations. Crown Prince Frederik looked like a very happy father on the television,' Howard told Australian reporters.

The new princess is third in line to the Danish throne behind Crown Prince Frederik and little Prince Christian.

The Copenhagen Post

From The Mercury (Mary's hometown newspaper in which her own birth was announced 35 years ago):
Mary shows her little princess

FIONA HUDSON
in Copenhagen
April 24, 2007 12:00am

PRINCESS Mary's newest crown jewel shone brightly last night as the newborn girl left hospital to begin her fairytale life.

New mum Mary cradled the tiny daughter she's nicknamed little "Pigen" -- Danish for girl -- for a crowd of hundreds gathered for the first glimpse.

"She's been good, very good for her mother. Only up once a night," the radiant former Tasmanian princess said.

"I breastfeed her ... and she has a very good appetite."

The baby's tiny hand hung onto the neck of mum's top throughout the 15-minute press call, but she appeared to be asleep most of the time.

Barely two days after she was born, the baby princess handled the media like a pro.

Dubbed "Mini Mary" by the Danish press in the absence of a formal name, she reportedly has dark, curly hair but it was hidden under a cap. She was wrapped in an antique lace blanket.

"We're calling her little girl at the moment, which is quite sweet in Danish," Mary said.

The princess said she had thought about her late mother Henrietta as she gave birth.

"The birth went really well, it was easier this time, even though the word easy is not one that you use about giving birth," she said.

The relaxed-looking royal couple knocked back the offer of a tube of Vegemite from two Aussie backpackers in the crowd.

"She's a little bit young isn't she," joked Mary, who wore a loose grey top and stylish slim-fit blue pants.

She said the new baby's brother, Prince Christian, had already shown interest in her, "a little bit of boyish love".

Mary said a trip Down Under to show off the new addition wasn't on the cards for now.

"We don't have any plans," she said.

She said she was proud to have delivered the first princess for many years into the Danish royal family.

She is the first daughter born into the royal family since 1946.

"We didn't know we were having a girl," Mary said before her husband chipped in: "We are very fortunate, very lucky to have a girl."

Prince Frederik was a good coach throughout the six-hour labour, Mary said.

"It's lovely to have one of each sex," she said.

She said it would be a great advantage for the little girl to be so close in age to older brother Prince Christian.

"But I will love them equally," she said.

She refused to comment at all about the child's formal name.

"We're going to go home and relax and ... return to our everyday lives, even though the past couple of days have been wonderful," she said.

Prince Frederik said Crown Prince Christian was looking forward to having his mum home.

The princess spoke Danish easily to the crowd, with a hint of an accent the few times she switched to English.

The couple stopped to thank the medical team before they stepped into waiting cars to drive home to their Fredensborg home.

Excited members of the public waved flags outside the hospital.

The couple's palace has been transformed with hundreds of bouquets, teddy bears and other gifts delivered in the past couple of days to celebrate the birth.

The baby's formal name will not be revealed until her christening, probably within three months.
Possible names include the traditional Danish royal tag Margrethe -- the same as the current Queen -- or Ingrid, after the baby's great-grandmother.

Princess Mary is said to favour the name of her late mother Henrietta, and an outside chance is the Greenlandic name Aziaja.

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