Prince Henrik's Grib Forest hunt

As we know already the Prince Consort hosted the annual Grib Forest rifle hunt on November 27. The hunt set out around 8am and then later there was the traditional game parade at Fredensborg Palace just before 5pm. During the day the ladies 'did their own thing', hosted by the Queen. While the men were a-hunting the ladies visited the National Museum in Copenhagen and returned to Fredensborg for lunch in the Orangerie (pic 5). Christian was at lunch too, but Mary told the press that Isabella was under the weather with a bit of a cold so couldn't be with them. In the evening there was a dinner after which one of the guests, Fürst Alexander zu Schaumburg-Lippe, entertained everyone by playing the piano. Participants included Prince Gustav zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Carina Axelsson, various German, Italian and French nobility and Danish friends of the Regent Couple and Baron Otto Reedtz-Thott and his wife Baroness Helle Reedtz-Thott. Prince Gustav and Carina Axelsson stayed with Frederik and Mary and the children at Chancellery House. Carina had an unfortunate accident and had to go to Rigshospitalet and have a fingernail removed, which is why she was wearing a bandage on her hand.

And something to look forward to: Frederik has foreshadowed a family visit to Australia in the near future. His humour was clearly "switched on" as he said they would "drop by" for a visit!

The apple Christian was munching on was no competition for the apples in his cheeks:



From Billed Bladet (no. 49 6 December 2007) Christians flotte hjort – Christian’s magnificent deer:

With an apple in one hand Christian shuffled around from animal to animal and pointed eagerly while he asked:
“Look dad, a deer,” said two-year-old Prince Christian with a loud and clear child's voice to a proud Crown Prince Frederik. It was an extremely inquisitive and talkative little prince who was allowed to join mum and dad for the game parade at Fredensborg Palace after the royal hunt ended last week. Prince Henrik was host and Crown Prince Frederik took part in the hunt, but it was very much Prince Christian who was in the spotlight. The delightful little guy strolled merrily around among the eighteen animals the hunters had shot and he was neither afraid of the blood on the animals nor the pointed antlers.
“What’s that, mum? Fox?”
Christian chatted away during the entire game parade and he has already has a fine language and can say many words. Many of the guests thought it was good that as a two-year-old he can say both “deer” and “fox” and know the difference between the animals.
Prince Christian naturally didn’t go on the hunt but he was allowed to go with his mother to the lunch in the Orangerie and the parade afterwards. None of the other ladies brought children, Princess Isabella too had stayed at home.
“She has been a bit under the weather and I don’t know if she is well enough to come out with the rest of us,” said Crown Princess Mary, when in the late afternoon she hurried home to Chancellery House in order to check on her ill daughter. Unfortunately Isabella did not feel better during the day and Mary returned alone.
“Isabella has still got a cold, so I think it’s better she stay indoors,” said Mary when she hastily ran back to the ladies lunch, where the gentlemen had arrived by that time.
The hunt in Grib Forest is the largest of the Danish royal hunts and there are distinguished guests from home as well as abroad. Apart from Prince Henrik and Crown Prince Frederik five foreign princes, two dukes and a baron took part. They and their wives all spent the night at Fredensborg Palace, where there was a lavish gala dinner in the evening. The ladies wore long dresses and the gentlemen tuxedos and after the dinner there was entertainment. Prince Alexander zu Schaumburg-Lippe played jazz on the grand piano and was accompanied by the orchestra of the Life Guards.
But by then little Prince Christian had long since been tucked in for the night, with a smile after all the new experiences and with red cheeks after all that fresh air. (Written by Annelise Weimann and kindly translated by Muhler)

Also in the same issue of Billed Bladet, Frederik I højt humør – Frederik in high spirits:

Crown Prince Frederik was in a very good mood ... for the royal hunt in Valby Wood. Although it was early in the morning, Frederik laughingly fired off a lot of frisky remarks...
Frederik had invited a couple of his close friends ... so he was in cosy company. Among the friends were Peter Heering, baron Johan Wedell-Wedellsborg, Jakob Reese and (defence minister) Søren Gade. The latter brought a greeting from the politician Bendt Bendtsen, who could not attend. He had a couple of important meetings to go to at Christiansborg (the Folketing).
The Crown Prince loves to go hunting and is always in a good mood when he is going out into nature ... But it was not only for that reason that his spirits were high this early morning. Something quite different had also had a positive effect on him so early in the morning.
“Today is the seven month anniversary of Princess Isabella. She accepted that [happy birthday] with a smile this morning at the breakfast table. She just sat there with oatmeal around her mouth. That was cosy. Isabella is incidentally a bit of a mother’s girl, but there is a reason for that [Frederik means that Mary is still breast feeding Isabella]. It is fortunate though that she doesn't start to wail when she see's her dad,” said a happy Crown Prince Frederik, who also proudly told how good Isabella is at sitting up straight. And he also said that he does expect, not before too long, to take Isabella, Christian and Mary on a family visit to Tasmania in Australia.
“We will certainly drop by Australia at some point,” laughed the Crown Prince, before he gathered his hunter mates to attention at the courtyard at Nejlingehus.
[Frederik gave a little speech to the hunting party...]
And then Frederik and his hunting party jumped in a couple of waiting cars and drove deep into the wood... until shortly before sundown, where all the game was paraded in front of Nejlingehus. In the evening the Crown Prince and Mary had invited a couple of the friends for dinner in Kancellihuset along with their wives. Mary and Frederik celebrated the exploits of the hunt during the evening and also Isabella’s seven month anniversary with their guests. (Written by Ulrik Ulriksen and, yes, translated by Muhler!)

The ladies doing their thing, Mary drove herself and Carina Axelsson in her Saab with the safety seats in the back for the kids:



Also see Søren Steffen's photo gallery
Our post on last year's Grib Skov hunt.

Her&Νu video clip of the Grib Skov hunt display (as usual, is slow to load if your connection is slow) - hear Christian chattering away over the display