Christian stole the show

All photos © Mikael Rieck/Billed Bladet

Here is a lovely little story about Christian's reactions at the Christmas concert of a couple of weeks ago (our post is here). From Billed Bladet no. 50 13 December 2007 'Christian stjal billedet' – Christian stole the show:

On thinking about it, you might believe that an hour long Christmas concert where you must sit still and listen to psalms and choirs singing is a long time for a little prince aged two years and two months.
But not for Prince Christian. He handled his first Christmas concert with the Royal Danish Music Conservatory Children’s Choir in Esajas Church at Østerbro with gleeful fortitude.
The prince was with both his parents and grandparents, since Mary, who is patron of the children’s choir, had cajoled Crown Prince Frederik and her father, John Donaldson and his wife, Susan Donaldson to go to Christmas Concert with her. On arrival the Crown Princess received flowers, while Prince Christian was presented with a little prayer book by the chairman of the choir, Jytte Hansen, which he loudly thanked her for.
Prince Christian, who sat most of the time on his father’s knee in the front row, entertained everyone from start to finish. He spoke non-stop [like a waterfall!] and his vocabulary is pretty good considering his age.
Just as soon as Christian had sat down and got comfortable on his dad’s knee, he loudly started to tell his dad about all the exciting things he saw, as he eagerly pointed in all directions in order to emphasise his words.
The big tallship hanging above the singing girls was particularly interesting, thought the prince.
It became really exciting for Prince Christian when the choir came down the aisle in an evocative Lucia procession. The many girls with candles in their hands and the Lucia-bride with “fire in the hair” really got the prince pointing and talking. So much so that his father had to reach into his pocket and find raisins, which for a while quietened the little sonny jim, while a laughing Crown Princess Mary tried to hush her son.
“Gone… now they are gone,” proclaimed Christian loudly and gestured with his arms when the Lucia procession went out to change clothes, while everybody else sang the psalm, “Dejlig er den himmel blå" (Lovely is the blue sky), to which the prince merrily rocked back and forth.
Prince Christian also showed that he is good at applauding. Each time the girls finished singing the little prince clapped and a couple of times he apparently thought it was so good that he raised his hands over his head and clapped so enthusiastically that everyone in the church laughed.
“They are coming back,” said Prince Christian when the children’s choir returned to sing, and he thought it was so great, that they at some point got a standing ovation from Prince Christian.
After having sat with both his father and his mother, and for a short time with his grandfather, John Donaldson, Christian became so bold that he stood a metre from his parents and looked on [a little closer] while the choir sang.
Prince Christian showed great musical abilities, because during several of the songs he sat and clapped with his mother, Crown Princess Mary, in time to the music.
After the concert the Crown Prince Couple and Christian greeted the members of the choir and it was almost impossible to drag Prince Christian home, when mum, dad and his grandparents were ready to leave.
“Goodbye,” said Prince Christian and in a well behaved way shook hands, while several times on the way out he turned around and waved and said:
“Hi, hi. See you again… hi, hi.”
“Come Christian, we will wave goodbye when we get all the way down the stairs,” said Crown Prince Frederik in an attempt to get his son safely down the steep stairs of the church, where several times he wanted to stop to turn around and wave to the girls one more time. (written by Trine Larsen and very kindly translated by Muhler!)

Billed Bladet also reported that Susan Moody had fallen and broken her right hand.

Below: 1) Prince Christian attended his first Christmas concert wearing knickerbockers, a grey chequed pullover over a light blue shirt and a so called “Prince of Wales-chequered” jacket with brown buttons and brown suede-patches on the elbows, 2) Prince Christian looked interested at the Lucia procession and commented on it eagerly and loudly for his parents and grandparents, 3) “Look dad, look, there’s a ship,” said Prince Christian and pointed eagerly at a ship suspended from the ceiling, 4) while Mary sat smiling and beautiful and listened to the choir, Crown Prince Frederik tried discreetly with a finger to steer his son’s interest towards what was going on. Next to Crown Princess Mary sat the chairman of the choir, Jytte Hansen, who got many explanations from Prince Christian and later praised him highly both for his vocabulary and sweet behaviour.

a “kirkeskib”, or a model tall ship, for an idea of what Christian was seeing and for an idea of what a Lucia choir is, this one is from Sweden, which is identical to those in Denmark, and takes place on December 13 each year: Lucia Choir (youtube 02:09)