Alexandra & Martin: recent media wrap

Here are some stories about Alexandra. There has been a lot of speculation about guests, the Danish media is treating it as a big story, we have much more to come....

Billed Bladet (No. 7, 17 February 2007) has a feature by Annelise Weimann titled:

Goodbye to gala princess

No one will expect that in the future Princess Alexandra will be invited for the grand New Year court at Amalienborg Palace each year on January 1, and she will have fewer opportunities to go to the exclusive dinners held when there are official visits from abroad. Chief of Court Ove Ullerup has made that clear in the week after the news about Princess Alexandra’s new marriage emerged.
“It will naturally have consequences that Princess Alexandra no longer is a member of the royal house. On the official as well as on the formal level we will see her much less,” says the chief of court. He has for a long time been involved in the considerable planning needed in connection with the Princess’ new marriage.
Princess Alexandra left the Danish royal family on 8 April 2005, when the divorce from Joachim was affirmed and in 16 days [now 9 days] she is no longer member of the royal house either. It a situation Alexandra has herself wished for, but it will have consequences for her which will be felt.
One of the more important days in the royal year is the New Year court which Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik have the day after New Years Eve. Here the government is invited along with the top officials of Denmark. Princess Alexandra has attended every single year since she came to Denmark, at Prince Joachim side until 2005 and in the last two years as a guest. That’s over now.
Billed Bladet's Annelise Weimann asked “Princess Alexandra will still have her Order of the Elephant, doesn’t that mean, Ove Ullerup, that she will go to the New Year court?”
“Not at all. Count Ingolf and Count Christian of Rosenborg both have the Order of the Elephant, and neither of them go to the court.”
“But Mærsk McKinney Møller does?”
“Yes, but he has received his order as a private individual. The civilian citizens who have the Order of the Elephant have always attended.”
Some of the largest parties at Christiansborg Palace are held when foreign heads of state pay official visits to Denmark. That will happen the next time on 9 - 11 May, when the Swedish reigning couple and Crown Princess Victoria pay a visit. Neither at the state dinner, held by the Queen or at the return dinner held by the Swedish King, shall we expect to see Alexandra. That would be way too awkward, as Alexandra hardly can be invited without her husband, and the Queen probably has no desire to invite Martin Jørgensen to one of the grandest dinners she will have this year.
Even though the new situation is notable for what is happening among the adults, everyone wishes that Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix will be affected as little as possible by the new changes in their lives.
“There will be no change in regard to the children.” confirmed the Chief of Court, Ove Ullerup.
“Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra have shared custody and that will not change. The status of the children and their place in the line of succession for the throne will also continue as before.”
The children will however probably notice that their mother no longer attends private birthdays in the Danish royal family. Princess Alexandra has so far been invited for several annual important days, but that will hardly be the case in the future. If the children for instance are invited to their grandmother’s birthday (meaning the Queen), it will only be with their father and not their mother. No etiquette demands that the two Princes bring both their mother as well as their father along. Luckily the first big occasion where both Alexandra and Prince Joachim ought to be present is five to six years in the future when Prince Nikolai will be confirmed. Both Prince Joachim and his mother will naturally attend, the Regent Couple will no doubt attend the confirmation of their oldest grandchild. If a lunch is held afterwards Alexandra's house at Svanemøllevej, it is most likely that Margrethe and Henrik will decline, but if Prince Joachim invites the guests to his apartment at Amalienborg, then everyone – including Martin Jørgensen – can attend.
In that case, it would be Martin's first official visit to Amalienborg. He was present when Prince Joachim held a New Year party at the palace less than two months ago, but that was not an official party.
“So far, decisions are being made case by case as each new situation comes along. There is no manuscript for how to handle a royal divorce and a new marriage,” points out press chief Lis Frederiksen, and she adds “We have no particular schedule or plan, the royal family has not wished to do that.”
However, in the end only one person decides, and that’s the Queen. Everyone knows that. So far she has not wished to comment on Princess Alexandra’s new marriage and neither has Prince Henrik.
“I won't say anything about Princess Alexandra,” replies the Prince Consort when asked.



Some notes from our trusty translator:
* The protocol at the DRF regarding ceremony such as who sits where, tradition and ritual, who is greeted in what order and so on, is very strict! The reason according to Queen Margrethe is that no one is considered to be a favourite and no one can feel snubbed when everyone is treated strictly according to protocol.
* A note in Billed Bladet also states that Princess Alexandra will keep her diplomatic passport. She will not be issued a “common” passport. The reason for that is that Princes Nikolai and Felix both have diplomatic passports and it would be impractical and odd if their mother didn’t have one.
* Since the divorce Princess Alexandra has also been issued with the health-insurance-card issued to everyone living or working in Denmark. The DRF have their own appointed doctors.
* Alexandra will also receive the child allowance from the state for Nikolai and Felix, just like any other Danish residents. That will amount to about 5.700 DKK every three months. On top of that comes the maintenance payment from Joachim and the appanage from the state, which to some extent can also be considered child maintenance payment.




From Billed Bladet (No.7, 18 February 2007) by Annelise Weimann:

Wedding at a grand manor

A manor worthy of a true princess will be the backdrop for Princess Alexandra’s wedding on March 3 to Martin Jørgensen. The couple have chosen Jomfruens Egede near Fakse for the wedding party. A few metres away is the idyllic Øster Egede Kirke, where Alexandra and Martin are to be married, so the bridal couple and about 120 guests will not have far to go to the party.

The wedding preparations have been going on for some time and Martin and Alexandra have long since visited Jomfruens Egede and approved the whole arrangement. Niels Peter Schack-Eyber oversees the manor and is a good acquaintance of the bridal couple to be and, on top of that, he is an excellent cook. He has therefore put together an exquisite wedding menu which the bridal couple to be has already test-eaten and approved.

Jomfruens Egede, which in the past years has been transformed into a manor hotel to be rented for large parties is the idyllic setting for a romantic wedding. Apart from the ten fantastic bedrooms, where the nearest family are to spend the night, there is a very beautiful wedding suite in the manor. Here Alexandra and Martin are to spend their first night as proper man and wife. The suite, with classical style, suits the modern furnishing well, and makes the place an exquisite experience, which not least appeals to Princess Alexandra. She is very interested in interior decoration as she was herself in charge of the furnishing of the many rooms when Schackenborg Inn went through a major renovation some years ago.

Even though the 120 wedding guests already had a pre-warning about the marriage and the party afterwards, the official invitations have not yet been posted [by now they no doubt have]. But it won’t be long. There is after all only sixteen days [now 3 days] to the wedding, which will be Alexandra’s final goodbye to the DRF. From then on she is on her own and the security protection she has had since her arrival in Denmark in 1995 from PET (Politiets Efterretnings Tjeneste), will be withdrawn. The wedding will thus be the last occasion for the security details to look after Alex. It is expected that her wedding to Martin will gather quite a crowd, so PET has decided to show up to ensure that everything will go quietly and smoothly.


After her marriage Alexandra Countess of Frederiksborg will discontinue eight out of the 24 patronages she has had up to now. It was inevitable that some patronages would alter their arrangements, but Alexandra keeps 16 patronages which will ensure we will still see her out and about.
Berlingske Tidende - 'Alexandra skipper protektioner'

Many thanks Muhler!

Also, see Lotte Haldrup's Alexandra website for everything Alexandra.

Joachim & Marie: recent media wrap

Here is a look back at the recent articles published in Billed Bladet and Her&Nu about Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier. The writing is a tad soppy, but this is how some of the media which is covering this story choose to do it. There is no shortage of desire for a wedding for this pair from the media!

Billed Bladet's (No. 7, 15 February 2007) Ulrik Ulriksen reported on Joachim and Marie in Switzerland. According to Ulriksen, spirits were high right from the first morning of the skiing holiday in front of the chalet in Switzerland where Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier were staying with the Princes Nikolai and Felix. It didn't take long before all four took the ski lift up to one of the peaks where they put on skis and whistled down the slopes.
As the experienced skier she is, Marie took the lead, while Prince Joachim coached little Felix between his knees, with Nikolai following along side. And, it may well be Marie's skiing ability earned some 'cred' with the boys. And so it was a very happy little family on a skiing holiday which Billed Bladet met during one of the breaks on the slopes.
For the first time all four were together on holiday in the part of Switzerland where Marie grew up. In the early nineties Marie lived in the area of the town Villars-sur-Ollon while she attended boarding school. It is also where her stepfather Christian Grassiot and mother Françoise have an exclusive cabin in the ten million DKK class.
“Good day gentlemen. What a lot snow falling today. But it’s alright, I think the boys are handling it well. We don’t know the place so well. Have never been here before, but then we have a good guide in Marie,” said a cheerful Prince Joachim.
Ulriksen asked “Prince Joachim and Miss Cavallier, as you may be able to guess, there is one particular question begging to be asked. Are you ready to answer?”
“I’m not quite sure. You may prepare yourself for no comments,” said Prince Joachim, while Marie nodded in agreement. (Joachim is very formal and polite and uses the formal 'you', which is not very common in Danish speakers these days.)
In a game of cat and mouse Ulriksen asks “Who of you is the better skier?”
“Ha, ha… oh, is that it. Well, but isn’t that pretty obvious to everyone. There seems to be little doubt that Marie is the better one,” was the reply from Prince Joachim.
“Now, now, Joachim. You are pretty good too. He really is good at skiing. But it’s not surprising I am good on skis. I’ve practically grown up on skis in this area and it’s nice to be where I really feel at home. It is also nice to show it to Joachim and the boys. They look like they like it!” said Marie Cavallier.
The cat pounces and Ulriksen asks “How about your common future, is an engagement on the way?”
“About our future plans and a possible engagement we still have no comments. Marie and I have chosen to keep that to ourselves. But as you can see, we are feeling good. There is probably no more to say about that,” replied Prince Joachim (the word Joachim used means possible but not a definite eventual).
Ulriksen tries again “From where I stand, it does look as if you have a future together, don’t you think that yourselves?”
“Thank you very much. That was kindly said. But shouldn’t we leave it at that. We have no further comments,” Joachim replied now laughing out loud, which had a wonderful contagious effect on Marie.
Ulriksen works a metaphor and writes: it may be that Joachim and Marie preferred to talk about skiing in pairs on the slopes, but their entire behaviour said the couple have started skiing in a private and rather serious way. There is no doubt that they have a bright future together since Marie has to a caertain extent been introduced as a kind of family member to Joachim’s children as well as several of those closest to him.
Also, Marie’s handling of the role as ski-guide with particular care for the little ski Princes Nikolai and Felix, spoke more than words can. She is fond of the boys and they of her. Indeed, there was nothing even resembling a protest when Marie affectionately took hold of an unruly Nikolai when the small family posed for a photo 2000 metres above sea level in deep sparkling white snow.
Many believe that the way has been paved for Joachim and Marie after Princess Alexandra and Martin Jørgensen have announced their wedding this spring. Something suggests that Joachim and Marie are pleased with that. They certainly seemed happy that they finally can show that they love each other.
“Dad, I want to go down that hill now,” Prince Nikolai said suddenly in the middle of it all, and he sped off as if shot from a canon.
“Thank you, I’d better go after him,” said Prince Joachim, and went with Felix between the knees to follow Nikolai, who is already good on skis. Late last year Nikolai showed promise on skis when on holiday in Val Thorens in France, where Marie was also present, although she did not meet Felix on that occasion.
Marie stayed a little while and while she prepared for more skiing, she commented on the wedding which all of Denmark anticipates, of Alexandra and Martin.
“I’m happy for Alexandra and Martin. It’s positive for them. I don’t know them so well, but I’m naturally happy for such a joyous occasion. They look happy together. It is however most important for me to see Joachim happy. As long as he is happy, I’m happy. It’s great to be with him. As to whether I will go to Denmark on the occasion of the marriage between Alexandra and Martin, I have no comment. Well, I have to run along. I’ll have to make sure that everything is ready for a lunch we will be having in a cabin nearby. That will by cosy (hyggeligt),” said Marie and waved goodbye.
The winter holiday has been good family time on the slopes of the mountains during the daytime, while the evenings were spent by the fireplace in the cabin, where Joachim, Marie and the boys stayed together. They weren’t quite alone though. Joachim’s close friend from school, Peter Stenstrup and his family, were there too. Marie knows them from several occasions now including the New Year party at Amalienborg.
Mr and Mrs Stenstrup also brought along two children, their sons August and Malthe. As August is at the same age as Nikolai and Malthe is the same as Felix it, was perfect. While the children played, the adults could quietly enjoy a goodnight drink and a chat about the day in the snow.
Marie also had time to show them around the town she knows so well. On a couple of evenings she gave a guided tour of the modest but funny nightlife in the ski resort, located just a couple of hours from Geneva. First and foremost Marie and Joachim used their holiday with the children to get to know each other even better.
The article also tells us that Marie also took her little dog Apple along in her backpack on this occasion, but she doesn't take Apple with her when she is doing serious skiing.



From HER&NU (No. 7, 17 February 2007) Kirsten Balslev writes, probably from Denmark with story tips from the photographer who did the HER&NU exclusives, as there are no quotes:

Marie melts Joachim’s heart

Not since the engagement to Alexandra have we seen Prince Joachim, age 37, so uncontrollably glad, so in love and so sparklingly happy as this last weekend when with Prince Nikolai, age 7, and Prince Felix, age 4, he threw himself into a wild snowball fight with his French girlfriend Marie Cavallier, age 31, in Villars-sur-Ollon, 120 kilometres from Geneva in Switzerland.

It is probably Princess Alexandra’s upcoming wedding that has given Prince Joachim the courage to come forward with his great love, Marie, whom he hugged and held hands with during the entire photo shoot with Her&Nu, except when he wasn’t throwing a snowball.

Nikolai and Felix are jubilant about being in the snow with their father and his girlfriend, who no doubt has seen the two Princes several times recently. The boys are so comfortable with her that you might think that she had been a part of the family for a long time. As the most natural thing in the world, Felix puts his hand in Marie’s while Nikolai throws himself in the snow. He is having winter holiday from Krebs School this week, where the couple together with the boys, the nanny and a couple of friends have rented a ski lodge at the winter skiing resort where Marie has come for many years. Marie knows everyone in town and the inhabitants know her, but do not recognise the Danish Prince.

From town the small family ride on a small train up to the slopes and ski when the weather allows it. They have also used the opportunity to have lunch with Marie’s parents who have a cabin nearby. In the evening they have eaten out and Felix and Nikolai have been spoiled with pizza. For Joachim and Marie the appetite seems to have been greater for love and kisses than for beef and burgers, because they have problems keeping their eyes from each other and Marie frequently cuddles up to her 'dream prince'.

Love has been victorious. Marie has melted Joachim’s heart and it can hardly be long before he is engaged to the beautiful French girl and abducts her to Schackenborg, so that life will again return to the marsh [Schackenborg Estate is near marshland in southern Jutland near the German border]. She loves him. She has never concealed that. And Joachim does not hide that he loves her too. Kirsten Balslev/HER&NU


And again from HER&NU (No. 7, 18 February 2007) Kirsten Balslev has interviewed an historian, Jes Fabricius Møller:

Marie and Joachim can live together

By moving in with her partner and announcing her wedding with Martin Jørgensen, Princess Alexandra has cleared the way for Prince Joachim.
“Prince Joachim and his girlfriend can just move in together and see how things work out," says historian Jes Fabricius Møller from the University of Copenhagen.
It not unthinkable that Prince Joachim might ask his girlfriend, Marie Cavallier, to move in with him at Schackenborg.
“Prince Joachim can easily maintain a longlasting relationship with Marie without having to formalise it with an engagement or wedding,” he says, and bases that on the DRF being more liberally minded than supposed in regard to royal partners.
“They have for instance have had no problems with Princess Elisabeth having had several relationships without marrying, and as Crown Prince Frederik already has a son, Joachim and his family will soon get the same relationship to the DRF as Prince Knud and his family has,” believes Jes Fabricius Møller.
Kirsten Balslev: “Do you think Marie will get the title of princess if she marries Prince Joachim?”
"I cannot imagine that, but that’s something the Queen decides. Prince Joachim will no doubt retain his prince title, as will his sons Nikolai and Felix also. Neither the Queen nor Frederik will change that. But as there are now so many heirs to the throne, Joachim's and Marie’s relationship will not influence the line of succession. Any children they may have will step in behind Crown Prince Frederik, the Crown Prince Couples' children. Prince Joachim, Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix and so also Marie are unlikely to become heirs to the throne, so she will, in contrast to Alexandra – who gave birth to two heirs to the throne before Frederik got married – probably have to settle for a title as countess. Joachim has his own business at the manor. He’s doing business and my guess is that he is pretty free to do whatever he wants, because it is not supposed that his possible second wife will be in the centre of things in the DRF. There is no room for that in the DRF and that’s why I assess that he is in no hurry to get married.”
Kirsten Balslev: “What happens if Joachim still has an irresistible urge to propose to his chosen one?”
“Then I hope he will consult his mother, the Queen, partly because she is wise, and partly because it is important for Joachim’s sweetheart to know in advance what role she is to play as the wife to the youngest son of the Queen.”
Kirsten Balslev: “Will it be a big wedding if Joachim chooses to marry Marie?”
“We don’t know. The media immediately looks forward to a big wedding and engagement even if Joachim only holds a girl’s hand. My guess is that a possible second wedding will be held locally, either at Schackenborg or perhaps in France, where also Christian X married by the way [grandfather to Margrethe]. Of course it will take place with a huge media contingent and with the nearest family of the couple and with cousins and so on, but not with the heads of states from all over Europe.”
Kirsten Balslev: “Will Marie, just like Princess Alexandra, receive a lifelong appanage if she divorces Prince Joachim after a few years of marriage?”
“Marie will not be able to get the same benefits as Alexandra. Her part of the estate would be taken from Prince Joachim’s own means. The court has handled Joachim's and Alexandra’s divorce wisely. The internal conflicts are as far as possible kept from the public eye, and Alexandra’s loyalty to the DRF has been maintained. But Marie will not be able to get the same privileged status,” Jes Fabricius Møller determines. Kirsten Balslev/HER&NU


This interview raises some interesting points to ponder and comment on. First, the Queen is dedicated to the Danish Lutheran Church and is unlikely to be happy if Joachim took the 'bohemian path'. Joachim also seems to be a man unlikely not to want to 'do the right thing'. And what of Joachim's future wife? Does she not deserve the happiness of marriage and possibly children? Also, there might be public pressure for marriage, even though Danish society in general is not prudish about such things. Princess Elisabeth is a very different case to Joachim. He is the son of a reigning monarch and acts as regent, he is currently third in succession to the throne and represents Denmark. Princess Elisabeth is none of these (she was the grandaughter of a reigning monarch, and a favouite of her grandfather Christian X). Should Joachim marry again, there is no reason why his wife should not be a princess, indeed it would be rather an insult if she were not. Prince Joachim still has many years of royal duty before him. Prince Christian will not assume a more prominant role for many years to come. Even after Christian turns eighteen, he and any sibling(s) will be involved in education and other training for the royal life before them. Jes Fabricius Møller has not factored in the importance of church to the DRF or of family. If we judge by current practices, and even historical ones too, then we can assume that family and the opportunity to celebrate it will always be a part of how the DRF do things. Therefore, Nikolai and Felix and any other children Joachim has will always be part of the royal fold, even if they are living mostly private lives with careers when they are older.




And, many thanks to ... Muhler!

A moment to catch up...

We are just taking a moment to say we are unfortunately a little behind in posting, and we will now post some catch ups on Joachim and Marie Cavallier and Alexandra and Martin. As many of our readers know, we do this in our spare time and sometimes real life and technical problems and, yes, weather, gets in the way of posting.

We would not be able to give the details from the Danish media without the translating efforts of Muhler, who diligently translates great quantities of material for us every week. We are also indebted to cph who also gives us access to a lot of Danish media material.

Others also provide fantastic support and information in many different ways, including santa, gudinde, ambiDK, potter, jema, Leonie, Riki, bonsai, mayflower, Sissi, Sternchen, Valentine, Benedickte, Gattica, elizabeth, commoner, Lotte Haldrup, and many, many more. So, thanks to all, we have a busy time ahead with Alexandra's marriage, and then not too far away, the birth of Mary's and Frederik's second child...

Frederik and Mary receive gift

Today Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary have received a deed of gift from Flemming Borreskov, CEO of Realdania, at Amalienborg Palace. The money will be used to decorate the garden at Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg by artists chosen by the couple.



Added: The Copenhagen Post

By appointment to the Royal Danish Court

Ten young artists have been chosen by the Crown Prince and Princess to decorate their palace

The renovation of Christian VIII's Palace in Copenhagen has given its future residents - Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary - the opportunity to re-institute the tradition of commissioning artists to decorate royal residences.

The Royal Couple has chosen ten young artists to put the finishing touches on a DKK 30 million (EUR 4 million) project to renovate the palace, which dates from 1758.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary have emerged as significant patrons of the arts, and experts said being asked to participate was 'the most prestigious' thing a Danish artist could be called to do.

'This isn't just a matter of creating art that is contemporary with the Royal Couple,' said Flemming Borreskov, managing director of the Realdania Foundation, which is funding the project. 'This is more a question of making art and architecture work together the way it did when the palace was built by Frederik VIII.'

Though the artists' works will not be unveiled until the renovation is complete in 2009, the list is weighted heavily with painters. Art consultants associated with the project said, however, to expect 'much more than just paintings'.

Poul Erik Tøjner, director of the Louisiana Museum of Modern art and co-ordinator for the project, said the choice heralded the return of decorative arts to a place alongside functionalism.

'I am certain we will see a number of interesting ways in which [the integration of art and architecture] can be carried out according to modern premises,' he said. 'Whether that is with light, choice of colour, narration, prisms, crystals, statement, beauty or something else only time will tell.

As a sneak preview, the basic details of two projects were announced. Danish-Icelandic Olafur Eliasson, a visual artist whose work is characterised by the elements of nature - light, heat, moisture, steam and ice - will create a 'room with light'. And installation artist Jeppe Hein has been commissioned to work together with a landscape architect to redesign the place gardens.

The eight other artists selected are: Kasper Bonnén, Jesper Christiansen, Erik A Frandsen, John Kørner, Tal R, Morten Schelde and Kathrine Ærtebjerg. The Copenhagen Post

Mary at 1st anniversary of The Head House project

Today Crown Princess Mary has helped mark the first anniversary of the Brain Injury Association's work project activities in The Head House. Mary is the patron of the Association (in English). The Head House in Frederiksberg is sponsored by the European Social Fund, Arbejdsmarkedsstyrelsen, J.L. Foundation and the Lions Club of Brøndby and is a project for those with acquired brain injury to learn new skills to move back into employment. Mary visited with members of the house who are preparing to move back into the job market.



Madeleine Glindorf's gallery (thanks Madeleine)

King Harald's 70th: more of the celebrations

Some future kings and queens of Europe: Philippe and Mathilde (Belgium), Victoria (Sweden), Haakon and Mette-Marit (Norway), Frederik and Mary (Denmark), Willem-Alexander and Maxima (Netherlands). From Norway's official website

After dinner there was an outdoor concert and fireworks outside the Royal Palace in Olso. The event was broadcast on Norwegian television but quite a few members of the public braved the cold to join the celebration.



Baby bump watch?


Some others of the Danish contingent: Count Axel and Countess Jutta of Rosenborg and Count Preben Ahlefeldt-Laurvig

Read the biography of King Harold - it is quite a story.
Harald V of Norway (the Wikipedia version)


Aftenposten - Gifts for the King
Aftenposten photo gallery of the King's gifts - includes all sorts of presents from board games to a fishing rod complete with some beautiful lures, some chairs from Queen Sonia, a leather desk set from Märtha Louise and Ari Behn, wine, crystal, boxing gloves signed by Stælken Gundersen....
Aftenposten article - 'Pels gjorde susen' on the fashion choices at the museum outing (in Norwegian but has some pics)
Aftenposten TV - video clip (1:11) of the royal visit to the Norwegian folk culture museum at Bygdøy.
Side 2 video clip (2:05) at Bygdøy Museum
Aftenposten picture gallery at Bygdøy Museum
Side 2 video clip (1:06)- Queen Sonia busy taking snaps of her grandaughter Maud Angelica with her mobile
VG Nett photo gallery

Aftenposten photo gallery of the gala ball
Hola.com - 26 photo gallery of Skaugum - the house of the Crown Prince Family. King Harald and Queen Sonia lived here when they were Crown Prince and Crown Princess and Märtha Louise and Haakon spent their early childhood in the house.
TV2.dk - Kongelig invasion i Norge (Danish - Royal invasion in Norway)
TV2 photo gallery
Madeleine Glinforf's photo gallery (great job Madeleine!)

From The Sydney Morning Herald:

Mary goes fur style, Fred goes for red

Matthew Benns
February 25, 2007

WRAPPED in a fur coat and on the arm of her husband, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark arrived in Norway for a royal birthday bash this weekend.
Crown Prince Frederik took great care of his six-months pregnant wife in the slippery and snowy conditions at Oslo airport on Friday.
The Danish royal couple is in Norway to attend the 70th birthday celebrations of King Harald over the weekend. And it is certain that Princess Mary will not be overindulging at the buffet table during the royal parties.
Last week she spoke at the launch of the European Charter on Counteracting Obesity, in Copenhagen.
She said part of her role as patron of the World Health Organisation regional office for Europe, was "to generate greater public awareness about how important physical activity and a balanced diet are to our health and wellbeing, and how vital these two factors are in tackling obesity."
Certainly the princess and her husband looked the picture of health at the weekend. However, the prince's choice of red pants for the day may mean she has work to do in the more superficial areas of her husband's appearance.Source: The Sun-Herald

ADDED:
VG NettTV (1:55) - the arrivals at the gala ball

VG NettTV (1:00) - a little of the dancing at the ball

Side 2 video clip (2:05) at the museum, where we can see Alexandra SWB's husband who made it from paris where he started a new job as head of a Swiss bank in Paris not long before Christmas

siste.no photo gallery of the carriage ride. Brrrrrr!
siste.no photo series page you can click on the magnifying icon to increase size

YouTube's on King Harald's birthday celebrations (thanks for uploading MihoshiMarie!)

There have been no photos released of the private dinner on Friday night at Crown Prince Haakon's and Crown Princess Mette-Marit's home, Skaugum Estate. Should any surface we will post later.




Added:

King Harald's 70th: gala dinner and ball

Tonight the royals have attended the gala dinner at the Royal Palace. Later in the night there'll be a surprise from the military for the King in the palace Square which the public can attend.

King Harald's 70th: Norwegian Museum

Today King Harald of Norway invited a number of foreign royals and dignitaries to do some sightseeing at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History (Norsk Folkemuseum) in Bygdøy.

More from Oslo...

The gala concert for King Harald was emceed by his daughter Princess Märtha Louise and included a variety of musical and dancing performances, including singing, instrumental, classical and modern, ballet and folk. Princess Märtha Louise was emotional when wishing her father a happy birthday and reciprocal feelings were obvious in the king, who is apparently a shy man, and Queen Sonia also. Balloons were dropped on the audience at the end of the happy concert in true birthday style and Mary and Victoria had a lot fun playing with them (thanks cph and Bendedikte). Much more to come, we will post as it comes...



A few more photos: Princess Märtha Louise and her husband Ari Behn, Princess Mabel and Prince Friso (Netherlands), Princess Laurentien and Prince Constantijn (Netherlands) , Princess Anne and Earl of Wessex (Britain).

*See Madeleine Glindorf's website for great pics of the arrivals at the Town Hall in Oslo. Thank's Madeleine and keep warm! Probably a bit hard to do though...
DR.dk video clip (0:20 - but if you let it run you will see a story on the place where Alexandra and Martin will marry in week's time)

NRK.no - Kongeparet: Fantastisk forestilling (Norwegian - check the pics and practice your Norwegian!)
Aftenposten - «Takk for at dere er så enestående» Princess Märtha Louise speaking at the gala concert
Aftenposten photo gallery
Side 2 - see the video of Märtha Louise's very sweet and emotional speech of thanks to her father and wishing him a happy birthday. She said he was warm, open accommodating and curious about life.
NRK Nett-TV - Kongegalla (video clip, the first 2:30) Princess Märtha Louise was the emcee for the evening of music, dance, classical and folk....
VG TV video clip of the arrivals at the Town Hall (1:30)

King Harald's 70th: city hall

King Harald's 70th birthday celebration continues and tonight the royals attended a special performance at the Oslo City Hall.



1. Frederik and Mary, 2. King Harald and Queen Sonia, 3. Victoria and Madeleine of Sweden, 4. Willem-Alexander and Maxima, 4. Haakon and Mette-Marit, 4. Queen Silvia and Kingf Carl Gustav, 5. & 6. inside the concert, 7. Albert of Monaco and Prince Henrik, 8. Madeleine, Joachim and Alexandra S-W-B, 9. Frederik and Mary, 10. Maria Teresa and Henri of Luxembourg, 11. Queen Anne-Marie and King Constantine.

Royals arrive in Oslo

The royal visitors are arriving in Oslo. There have been blizzards in Norway in the last couple of days with flights cancelled and critical conditions on roads and rail. It is extremely cold (-12C) and snow is predicted all weekend. Arrivals so far include Prince Henrik, Frederik and Mary, Joachim, Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie, King Carl Gustav and Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Madeleine, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and the Earl of Wessex (Edward).


Photos from Aftenposten, NRK.no and TV2

Aftenposten.no (English) - Royals pour into Oslo
Aftenposten.no - Kongelig invasjon (gallery and story)
NRK.no - gallery of guests arriving
Aftenposten photo gallery of arrivals - new photos are being added by the minute!

From yesterday:
Aftenposten - 'It's fun to be alive' (English) King Harald's speech at the dinner last night
Aftenposten.no - Royal birthday celebration underway (click on th 20 photos in the gallery)
In the evening the government celebrated the king's birthday at the Akershus Fortress in Oslo Aftenposten.no - Birthday banquet for the king
Hello! magazine - Norwegian royals help King Harald celebrate his 70th
YouTube - King Harald unveiling a statue on his late mother (3:41) (thanks Sissi!)
Added:

King Harald's 70th: we 'go' to Norway this weekend

Happy 70th birthday King Harald!

Today is the 70th birthday of King Harald of Norway, and in Norway five days of celebrations have begun. Why are we mentioning the Norwegian royals? Well, it is to get you in the mood because this Friday and Saturday Prince Henrik, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Christian and Prince Joachim will be going to Oslo to join in the party, which will include many European royals and special guests at various events and a gala ball (guess Prince Christian will be sitting that one out!). Queen Margrethe is not attending because she is recovering from her recent knee surgery. Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik are close to King Harald and Queen Sonia. Up until recent years, Queen Margrethe and Queen Sonia skiied together each year. For the younger generation, Frederik was the supporter (best man) to Haakon at his wedding to Mette-Marit, while both Haakon and Mette-Marit are godparents to Christian. Recently Frederik, Mary and Christian made a private weekend visit to Skaugum to stay with Haakon, Mette-Marit, Marius, Ingrid Alexandra and Sverre Magnus (born not long after Christian).

Today the Norwegian royal family has attended a service at the Trinity Church in Oslo. There has been a gift giving ceremony of the statue of King Harold's mother Crown Princess Märtha in the Palace Park (next to the Royal Palace). King Harald will be the guest of honour at a birthday banquet hosted by the government at the historic Akershus Fortress and Castle this evening. Prince Henrik will be staying in the Royal Palace in Oslo and the younger generation royals (including Frederik, Mary and Christian) will be staying at the Skaugum Estate of Haakon and Mette-Marit. The Danish royals will be in Norway from Friday to Saturday and we will bring you more as it becomes available. For one of the festivities the guests will be in national dress, which means we will see Mary in Greenlandic or Færoese dress, most likely Færoese national dress -- it will be interesting to see what national outfits the many royals will wear!

The guestlist (in Norwegian but the names are recognisable) and the program:

23 February
1. Foreign royal guests arrive at Gardermoen on Friday
2. Most will attend the Oslo City Hall celebration performance in honour of the birthdays of both the King and the Queen's (who turns 70 in the summer). The cultural performance is a gift from all the Norwegian municipalities and counties to the King.
3. The public will be able to see the royal family and their guests outside City Hall
4. The performance will be telecast on TV2 and afterwards Haakon and Mette-Marit will host a dinner for royal guests and heads of state at Skaugum Estate

24 February
5. On Saturday the King and Queen have invited everyone to a day at the Norwegian Museum for Cultural History at Bygdøy
6. Gala dinner with dancing at the Royal Palace in the evening with a surprise from the military for the king in the palace Square for the king at 10.45pm which the public can attend

25 February
7. Guests still in Oslo on Sunday are invited on a sleigh ride and lunch in the winter landscape

The Presidents of Iceland and Finland will be accommodated in hotels. The King and Queen of Spain, Prince Henrik of Denmark, the King and Queen of Belgium, the Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg and Prince Albert of Monaco will be accommodated at the Royal Palace. Other royals will stay at Skaugum and the Royal Lodge.

Norwegian Royal House website
photos of the Norwegian Royal Family
The whole Norwgian Royal Family
Norwegian royal history - shows the close connection between the Danish and Norwegian royal families

Aftenposten - Bitter cold chills royal birthday bash (English)
Aftenposten - King gets statue of his mother (English)
VG.no - Rørt konge avduket statue (Norwegian, but check the photos) - the king is very affected by the statue of his mother, who died in 1954, as he unveils the gift to him located in the Palace Park
Again, for some even better photos Aftenposten - – Du står som en påle

VG TV video clip (1:50) - shows the arrival of the Norwegian Royal Family at the church service

Aftenposten - Varsler "Sibirkulde" - there are sub-zero temperatures in Oslo, so all visitors will need to pack warm clothes! (you can see a very debonair snowman outside the Royal Palace)


Henne.no Norwegian fashion magazine - Crown Princess Mette-Marit has done a photo shoot and talked about Norwegian design.
Henne's gala evening dress wish list for the visiting queens, crown princesses and princesses, most gowns are Valentino.... we are not quite sure about the canary yellow dress suggested for Mary!!



1. The church service today 2. The regent couple Harald and Sonia and the Crown Prince Couple Haakon and Mette-Marit 3. three generation photo of King Harald, Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Ingrid Alexandra 4. Queen Sonia 5. & 6. Crown Princess Mette-Marit 7. & 8. Princess Märtha Louise (all the royal portraits from the NRF website)


Added: Aftenposten photo gallery - arriving at the Trinity Church (20 photos)
Aftenposten photo gallery 2
Photo - King Harold unveils a statue of his mother
Photo- Mette-Marit, Marius, Haakon, Märtha Louise and Ari Behn

Mary launches WHO anti-obesity charter

Today Crown Princess Mary has launched the European Charter on Counteracting Obesity as the as patron of WHO in Europe . The WHO Regional Office for Europe which is based in Copenhagen represents 53 countries which have multiple and varied health problems. Despite Europe's wealth, 165 million people live below the poverty line in the region as well as other diverse problems of wealthy countries as well. The WHO anti-obesity Charter was adopted at the WHO meeting in Turkey last November and now Mary is launching the targeted programs which are a product of the charter.



Mary was met by Dr. Marc Danzon, WHO Regional Director for Europe before entering the launch meeting. English is obviously the language for WHO - Mary's speech has been posted on their site despite the Danish title:

Støtteerklæring

Regional Director, distinguished guests, it is a great pleasure to say a few words to mark this important occasion ‑ the launch of the European Charter on Counteracting Obesity.

As patron of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, part of my focus is to generate greater public awareness about how important physical activity and a balanced diet are to our health and well-being, and how vital these two factors are in tackling obesity. I have previously referred to my personal commitment to being physically active and eating a healthy varied diet, and in supporting my family to do the same.

The statistics on obesity, so often repeated, are becoming more alarming. Across the WHO European Region, twenty per cent of children are currently overweight, and if the epidemic progresses unchecked, it is projected that one in ten will be obese by 2010. It is now evident that obesity is a major health challenge in the Region, and that coordinated action is needed to address the problem.

The adoption of the European Charter on Counteracting Obesity is the first of its kind in this area, therefore comes at a critical time. I have followed the development of the Charter with interest, and admire the valuable work that has been done to accommodate the perspectives of so many different interest groups. Groups that have been brought together to address a common public health goal.

I would therefore like to recognize the contribution made by the WHO Regional Office for Europe in facilitating the development of the Charter, and congratulate those public health experts throughout the Region who have worked to make it a reality.

I believe that the Charter is an important milestone in addressing the challenge of obesity. And I hope that the action it produces will serve as a turning point to adapt the environment we live in and ultimately enable everyone in the WHO European Region to make healthier choices. I am aware of the efforts of the WHO Regional Office for Europe to promote and implement the Charter, and wish you and the Region’s Member States every success in achieving your goals.

Good luck and thank you.


TV2 gallery
WHO Health Topics - obesity
European Charter on counteracting obesity (as a WHO pdf file) which contends the obesity epidemic is reversible and that specific policies and programs can be developed and adopted as a matter of both social and health policy...
Added: DR1 evening news The obesity charter launch story with Mary speaking is at 22:10. (thanks Leonie!)
European Charter offers turning point in struggle against obesity WHO press release on the launch:
...Speaking about the Charter at the launch, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Patroness of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, says, "I hope that the action it produces will serve as a turning point to adapt the environment we live in and ultimately enable everyone in the WHO European Region to make healthy choices"...

Mary at Chinese New Year concert

Last evening Crown Princess Mary attended a concert at the DR Radio Concert Hall in Frederiksberg, which was presented jointly by the Danish Cultural Institute and the Chinese Ambassador in Denmark. Mary is the patron of the Danish Cultural Institute. The concert was by the China Traditional Orchestra Zhejiang and during its tour of Europe it was playing in Copenhagen at the turn of the Chinese New Year (the Year of the Golden Pig).



Chinese Embassy website in Denmark with the prime minister's new year greetings (in Danish)
Madeleine Glindorf has a lovely photo of Mary going into the concert (thanks Madeleine!)


gung hay fat choy! xin nein kuai le!

Frederik & Mary at DR1 HIV/AIDS concert & telethon

Tonight Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary have attended the concert and collection call centre as patrons of a Danish national fundraising effort between Danish television (DR1) and various aid organisations in Denmark to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. The DRTV fundraiser concert is in the Concert Hall at Tivoli in Copenhagen to be telecast on national television with hosts Reimar Bo Christensen and Signe Lindkvist. Mary and Frederik are official sponsors for the event and many popular DRTV hosts and personalities will be involved in the production. The first part of Frederik and Mary's visit was at the concert and then later at the Tradimus Call Center, Frederiksberg. The huge co-operative effort is between DRTV, church groups, aid organisations, members of the music industry, and, of course, the Danish people, who donate to the telethon.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary arriving at the concert:



Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary arriving at the Tradimus Call Center:



An alarming fact is the motivation of the telethon: nearly 40 million people are infected with HIV world wide and 70 per cent of them live in Africa, south of the Sahara.

The co-operating participants with the Danish TV and radio network DR1 are:
UNICEF Danmark
Danish Red Cross
Save the Children Denmark
SOS-Børnebyerne

Some more links (sorry all are in Danish - we will bring more information in English later):
DR.dk - 'Danmarks Indsamling' skal bekæmpe udbredelsen af og følgerne af hiv og aids
DR.dk - ’Danmarks Indsamling’: Kim Larsen, Thomas Helmig og Kronprinsparret i kæmpe indsamlingsshow på DR1
Danmarks Indsamling - stop AIDS-katastrofen i Africa Denmark's fundraiser - project website
Aidsnet.dk and the site in English (for a general idea without specific info about the current project)
DanChurchAid article in Danish about the huge co-operative project between many Danish organisations to help stop the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa
DanChurchAid article in Danish about the Danish Church's 'first aid'/AIDS project in Tanzania
Save the Children Fund in Danish, already involved in ongoing projects in Ethipia and Kenya.
Unicef Danmark
DANSKSTOPPEN SUBNET
GAFFA.dk music magazine in Danish about their involvement in the fundraiser. Many Danish music artists are performing for the benefit.

Wherever you are in the world, you can make a secure internet donation to this whorthwhile cause here

(many thanks santa and gudinde)

Added: from a special correspondent and friend of the blog we are adding these photos of Frederik and Mary inside the Tradimus Call Centre. More than 52 million DKK was raised last night. The third photo is of Frederik's aide-de-camp and Mary's friend and lady-in-waiting Caroline Heering.



(many thanks Benedikte)

New!

The DR TV concert and telethon DR1 video - part 1 Danmarks indsamling video clip (1:25:11) Frederik and Mary arrive in the concert hall at 0:53:00.

DR1 video - part 2 video clip (1:30:00) Frederik and Mary arrive in the Tradimus Call Center at 0:28:30 and there is a 5 minutes of Frederik and Mary on camera talking to people taking the calls.

DR1 news video clip (1:10)
(thanks jema!)

Joachim, Marie, Nikolai & Felix: together & in first photo shoot

This week both Her&Nu and Billed Bladet have published photo spreads of Prince Joachim, his girlfriend Marie Cavallier and the two little Princes Nikolai and Felix. They have been spending time on the slopes in Switzerland in the Alps where Marie's mother and stepfather have a chalet. This is the first time the four have spent time together publicly and the first time Joachim and Marie have done a photo shoot together. They have been in Villars-sur-Ollon, which is near where Marie went to boarding school and where she now lives and works and so she has spent a great deal of time in the area. We also know from previous interviews Marie is a keen skier and is apparently very accomplished. As this is in the Geneva area we may assume this is a place where Marie skiis regularly. Billed Bladet's reporter Ulrik Ulriksen asked Prince Joachim whether an engagement was in the wind and Joachim replied he and Marie were keeping that to themselves while having a great time together in the meantime.

It is impossible not to think this relationship is the 'real deal', as the participants certainly give all the signs of getting on with building a new step family. Marie also commented when asked that she is happy for Alexandra and Martin with their upcoming marriage. There is a sense there is a kind of 'timetable' going along at quite a clipping pace, with Joachim and Alexandra emerging from their marriage, but still bound together in building a new family group. In royal terms, there is still a long way to go for Marie Cavallier to take the steps towards marriage etc., but the significance of time spent with Nikolai and Felix and the first photoshoot of Joachim and Marie together should not be underestimated.

We will bring you more, but (again!), we thought you would like to see some of the photos as soon as possible. And, is Nikolai trying to conceal his missing front teeth in some of the photos? The tooth fairy has been busy!

Alexandra & Martin low key before the wedding

8 February. Princess Alexandra takes Prince Nikolai to school.



And, so does Martin...




1. 2. 3.

1. The house on Svanemøllejev in Copenhagen 2. Martin's parents Jane and Jacob Jørgensen were private guests at Prince Henrik's birthday at Tivoli in June 2004 3. Martin as sound man for the JJFilms production about Alexandra's visit in Thailand in February 2003 for UNICEF.

Alexandra and Martin are going to marry on March 3 in the little Church of Øster Egede near Fakse, 50 kilometers south of Copenhagen. Afterwards they going to have a wedding reception for 120 guests at the manor house, which the church is part of, called Jomfruens Egede. Billed Bladet reports the couple has tested the wedding menu and have been engaged in wedding preparations for a long time. They have visited the manor and approved all the arrangements at Jomfurens Egede, which has for some time been a hotel, conference and wedding venue. It has a connection with Caroline Heering through her half brother who inherited it on the death of his father before he was born (we'll give the full story and link later - time! time!)




Jomfruens Egede website - check through the photos to see interior photos and an idea of where the reception will be
...and Jomfruens Egede
...also Jomfruens Egede
For everything Alexandra please see Lotte Haldrup's Unofficial Princess Alexandra website - Lotte tells us the url will stay the same for a while, and we will announce here any changes she makes when she makes them.

Alexandra's fiancé helps out with the school run Hello! magazine

Added: TV2 regionerne.dk video clip (0:30) with a brief look at Jomfruens Egede and inside the church.

Frederik receives Honour Pin from Tennis Association

Crown Prince Frederik has received an Honour Pin from the Danish Tennis Association. Frederik is the patron of the Association which is based at Idrættens Hus, Brøndby (Team Danmarks sports institute in Brøndby). Frederik has been very supportive of young Danish players and went to Wimbledon last year to see Caroline Wozniacki play in her bid to become Junior Wimbledon Champion 2006.



DR.dk video clip (0:38)

Frederik, Mary & Christian: more from Verbier

Billed Bladet (10 February 2007) has reported on the goings on in Verbier where the Crown Prince family have been for their annual skiing trip which co-incides with Mary's birthday. This was the first year Christian is old enough to have fun out in the snow.
“There hasn’t been so much snow this year however,” said Frederik [referring to global warming] when he came back from his first day on the slopes overlooking Verbier with his skis over his shoulder. On that day the Crown Prince went skiing with his good friend Peter Warnøe. They went up together just before 10.00 and when they came back in the late afternoon, Warnøe’s girlfriend Julia Tholstrup was with them.
This visit Mary and Frederik stayed in a beautiful rented chalet within walking distance of the town’s ski lift. And even though the house is located high up, there wasn’t much snow, although enough for Christian to think it was fun.
“He liked to touch the snow [in Denmark], so when we came down here, he was sort of used to it,” said Frederik when Billed Bladet met the small royal family at one of the town’s ski lifts on the day of Mary’s birthday.
Billed Bladet's Anna Johannesen asked "Has Christian been out on a sledge ride?”
“Yes, we’ve had him out riding on a small sled at home. He was a little apprehensive about that. He wasn’t too sure how to deal with it… ,” said the Crown Prince while he lovingly looked down on his son, who was wearing a warm jumpsuit and cap, of the sort that emphasises his little face and plump cheeks.
To the question as when Christian will be on skis, Mary replied that that had to wait a little while, “He at least has to be two years old. Then we will see how he goes.”
Crown Princess Mary who is now seven months pregnant hasn’t been skiing this time.
“No, I don’t dare, but Christian and I have been up to the slopes in the lift.”
“How did that experience go?”
“He was actually very enthusiastic. I was a little worried myself because it is a little scary for a small child to hang in an aerial ski lift so high in the air. But Christian really enjoyed it. He thought it was fun. A little like going to Tivoli. It was a short ride, and we didn’t meet the Crown Prince because Frederik was somewhat higher up the mountain than we. Christian and I walked around a bit up there and he was especially absorbed by the many skiers, who threw themselves over the mountain and flew with their colourful para-gliders. He thought that was exciting.”
Even though Crown Princess Mary hasn’t been able to ski with her husband this winter, she certainly hasn’t been idle either. Each day she has walked for and hour to an hour and a half, while Christian has been napping in the pram. As the caring mother she is, she has placed a cloth-diaper so that neither sun nor freezing wind disturbed his sleep. Christian has slept comfortably in his jumpsuit, sometimes with the fingers down in the small mittens which the Crown Prince Couple was presented with when they visited Greenland.
That Christian is an outdoor child was confirmed by his parents.
“Christian loves to be out. We are out together alot, all three of us,” said Mary.
“We also place him outside, when he is having his dinner-nap,”added Frederik, many foreigners think that is very odd. Both Australians and Southern-Europeans. They think it’s madness to put a child outside to sleep in zero degrees. But we know it’s healthy [it is a common practice in northern Europe]. Just look at our Christian,” said Frederik, and Mary added how lovely it is to have had such a manageable child.
“We have been fortunate. Christian is both manageable and gentle. A really good little boy,” she said.
Prince Christian is not yet into the really big smiles when he is to be photographed, so his mother had to say how many teeth he has.
“Try smile Christian, so we can see them,” said Mary, but she didn’t succeed in making him obey and so she had to say herself that so far he has six little teeth.
As usual the Crown Prince Couple didn’t fly together on holiday. Frederik arrived in Geneva first and later in the evening Mary arrived with Christian and the nanny Mie, age 22 [assistant to nanny Mette Hansen]. The flight to Switzerland takes about an hour and an half so no problem for the little prince compared to what he has tried before.
"He is very good at travelling and has been ever since he was very small. I think he likes new surroundings,” said Mary.
“Yes, Christian was last in Tasmania. That’s a long flight. You get a certificate for such a trip,” said Frederik, before he lifted Christian up to drive back to their chalet together with Mary.
“Well, Christian, shall we go home and feed you? It’s time for lunch," said the Crown Prince on the way to the car.
And before the small family vanished completely, the birthday girl Mary turned around with a smile and said: “Thank you. And see you in Denmark”.

Also in the current issue of Billed Bladet is an account of Mary's birthday. Crown Princess Mary had a splendid birthday last Monday. It started in the morning with presents from both the Crown Prince and little Christian at a party-decorated morning table, where the little one excitedly waited for his mother to open the two parcels from him. She naturally did that at once, and when she saw the contents, she was really happy.
“I received some lovely gloves from Christian,” said Mary when Billed Bladet met her with Frederik and Christian a couple of hours later. "It’s good to give useful things,” said the Crown Prince and smiled at Mary, who said she was even more fond of the other present, a nice picture of Christian.
The Crown Prince had put the skis aside all Monday to concentrate on celebrating Mary. She should have all his attention on the big day, because you only turn 35 once.
Two couples who are friends of the Crown Prince Couple have houses in Verbier. That is Peter Warnøe and his girlfriend Julia Tholstrup and Caroline Iuel-Brockdorff from Valdemars Palace, who is now married to the Englishman Rory Fleming. All four were present at the birthday dinner in the evening along with Crown Princess Mary’s lady-in-waiting and friend Caroline Heering, whose husband Peter was naturally also there too.
“We will all gather for a cosy (hyggelig) and relaxed dinner,” said Frederik and emphasised that it was to be “somewhere in town” so Mary would not have any trouble with either guests, shopping or cooking.
Mary will have to wait to see the birthday presents from the family until she arrives home on (last) Saturday. By then the vacation is over. Already on Sunday Mary has two official engagements in connection with the fashion week in Copenhagen. As patron for Designers Nest the Crown Princess will present a prize to a new talented designer on Sunday afternoon, who along with the honour will also receive 50,000 DKK.
It’s the first time Mary will show her new hairstyle to the fashion set, about which there has been some debate. Billed Bladet naturally asked Crown Prince Frederik what he thought of his wife’s new short look and he said he is very pleased.
"I’ve accepted Mary’s new hairstyle one hundred percent. It’s smashing. No matter what is said or written. If you change your style a little, you will have to accept that it will be noted. I think that Mary’s hairstyle suits her and she looks good,” said the Crown Prince.
“It’s something different, but I think it’s nice. I’m pretty pleased with it myself,” said Mary, who is very well aware that her hairstyle is something that has been discussed. Quite a lot actually. (by Anna Johannesen and many thanks as always to Muhler for translation)

In Se&Hør of this week it is reported that little Prince Christian certainlyhad his share of fresh air when he was with his mother on a shopping trip or with her out on a walking excursion. And it became quite something of a walk when Mary set out on a mountain hike on Saturday afternoon. It was here Mary went from her chalet up, up and up along the twisting and winding mountain road.
Mary, who is 5 months along in her pregnancy, lead on with the pushchair while bodyguards and the nanny followed suit. During the walk up in the thin air the Crown Princess was certainly in blinding form while the otherwise super trained bodyguards seemed rather breathless.
The aim for the walk was Le Carrefour, a cafe with a position 1750 meters high which has a heavenly view. The walk, which seriously tested the thigh muscles, took an hour. Here she met Frederik and friends for lunch in high sun. Le Carrefour lies just out from the ski hills and buses travel back and forth every 15 minutes with big, soft seats. But when Frederik once again headed back to the snow, yes, Mary naturally chose to walk the whole way back again.
(many thanks to Elizabeth for translation)

Mary visits Designers Nest & CPH Vision

Crown Princess Mary makes the Designers Nest award in Øksnehallen.

Yesterday Crown Princess Mary had two fashion dates, one in the late morning and another in the early afternoon. Mary made an official visit as patron to CPH Vision in Øksnehallen, Copenhagen, during the afternoon. CPH Vision embraces affiliated design institutions and encourages the emerging talents of students in this arm of the fashion week events. Mary presents the Designers Nest Prize to the young designer who exhibits at the CPH Vision shows and who is deemed the most promising Nordic design student by a panel of five judges. The prize includes 50,000 DKK to help the young designer through the establishment of their career.

Jan Busch Carlsen of CPH Vision said there have been record numbers of visitors. The winner at Designers' Nest:
Anemone Skjoldager from Danmarks Designskole was the winner of the Designers Nest Award this season. She won a Chinese gold bar and coin from OpiumOne filled with good luck, and DKK 50.000 which hopefully will help her to reach her goals. Her design was feminine and sensual with a fine coherence between tailoring, patterns, colours and choice of material, said the judges. Daniel Palillo from University of Art and Design, Helsinki, and Jeppe Worning from Danmarks Designskole also received flowers on the catwalk – both for their menswear with new lines, fine manufacturing and consistent concepts.



CPH Vision press & news
Fall/Winter 2007 online edition the vision CPH Vision magazine in pdf

B.T. photo gallery
TV2 photo gallery
TV2 video clip (2.22)
CPHVISION video clip "The video - A glimpse of CPH Vision"

Mary at the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair

Today Crown Princess Mary has visited the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF) at the Bella Center in Copenhagen. Mary is the patron of CIFF since 2002, which is northern Europe’s biggest fashion fair. CIFF and CIFFKIDS are closed to the public as they are trade fairs for professional fashion buyers. This season the 28th Copenhagen International Fashion Fair sets another fair record with an increase in exhibition space and an 11 per cent increase in exhibitors.

Crown Princess Mary was unable to attend the trend show on this occasion but was given a briefing on forthcoming trends by the new trend team headed by Gary Page and Carolyn Clewer. On arrival Crown Princess Mary was greeted by Jørgen Kjær Jacobsen, Chairman of the Danish Federation of Textile & Clothing, and Arne Bang Mikkelsen, Managing Director of the Bella Center. This season there will be 1,029 exhibitors presenting 2,054 brands with around 30,000 fashion buyers from more than 50 countries.



All following photos from the Bella Centre/CIFF:



CIFF press release - Ethics on the catwalk
CIFFKIDS
CIFFKIDS – grown-up children’s clothes - a CIFF press release
Shows & Trends
CIFF schedule and links to shows
Rolling out the runway in The Copenhagen Post

Added:

Queen Margrethe's successful knee surgery

Prince Henrik is supporting Queen Margrethe through her latest medical problem, says Billed Bladet this week (as we would expect).

According to an official statement on the Danish royal website by Lord Chamberlain Ove Ullerup, Queen Margrethe's knee surgery has gone well. This morning (8 February) the surgery went well and according to plan and took about an hour. The surgery has taken place at the Orthopaedic Department at the Århus University Hospital. The surgeon Dr Anders Odgaard says the Queen is not in pain, is fine and will start rehabilitation exercises almost straight away.

Added: from The Copenhagen Post:

Queen recuperating after knee operation

9 February 2007

Queen Margrethe now has two artificial knees after undergoing successful surgery Thursday.
A sore but healthy Queen Margrethe was reportedly doing fine at Århus Hospital after undergoing an operation for a new artificial right knee Thursday.
The Queen will begin rehabilitation immediately and doctors hope to have her home to Amalienborg Palace in a week or so. Dr Anders Odgaard, one of the physicians responsible for the Queen's treatment, said he expected her to be on crutches for up to eight weeks.
The Queen's left knee is also artificial, having been implanted last June, also with Odgaard in charge. This latest operation was the fifth time Queen Margrethe has been under the knife for osteoarthritis in her knees.
The Royal Lord Chamberlain said that some of the Queen's engagements for the next few months have been cancelled, while others will be handled by her husband, Prince Henrik, or her son, Crown Prince Frederik.
Odgaard said that the Queen's operation was a fairly routine one and that nearly 4000 are performed yearly nationwide. The Copenhagen Post

From International Herald Tribune Europe

Denmark's Queen Margrethe undergoes successful knee-replacement surgery

The Associated Press
Published: February 8, 2007

COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Danish Queen Margrethe II on Thursday received an artificial right knee during an hourlong surgery at a hospital in northwestern Denmark, a palace statement said.
The surgery at Aarhus City Hospital, 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of Copenhagen, went smoothly, according to Anders Odgaard, the orthopedic surgeon who performed the operation.
The popular monarch was doing well, the statement said, citing Odgaard.
"The Queen has no pain and is looking forward to start her rehabilitation" program, he said in the palace statement.
Margrethe's official duties in the next two months have either been canceled or will be undertaken by her son, Crown Prince Frederik, or her husband, Prince Henrik.
The 66-year-old queen, who suffers from osteoarthritis, has had several operations on both knees and her back since 1992. In September, she had an operation for a hernia.
In recent years, Margrethe has often been seen sitting at official occasions when she would normally stand. When U.S. President George W. Bush visited Denmark in July, Margrethe sat on a chair when she and Bush greeted Danish dignitaries arriving for a lunch at a palace north of Copenhagen.International Herald Tribune Europe

Frederik, Mary & Christian in Verbier

Here are some photos of Mary, Frederik and Christian in Verbier last weekend. We thought you would like to see them even before we have time to give the details. As we know it was Mary's 35th birthday. We will bring you more when we can....



Added: Mary and Frederik hit the snowy slopes of Verbier Hello! magazine

Alexandra & Martin: it is big news

Billed-Bladet's front cover this week. It is their story which broke the news after they informed they would go public this week.

The news of Alexandra's re-marriage has been big news in Denmark in all media. It appears Billed Bladet had worked the story and told the Danish royal court it was going to go to press and publish the story in its Thursday edition. Billed Bladet's Annelise Weimann called the court on Wednesday for comment. It appears the court has made the official announcement because of Billed Bladet's decision to print the story, although it is remotely possible the timing was a co-incidence. Not likely though.

There is speculation that Alexandra may get a high-paid job which could compensate for the loss of income through payment of tax. There is still other speculation that Alexandra may be pregnant (suggested by sociologist Emilia van Hauen on Danish television last night). Billed Bladet says Alexandra has already begun to cut her household staff, one nanny has been dismissed and Alexandra's private secretary will finish her job with Alexandra, although Lord Chamberlain Ove Ullerup has not given a definite date for this yet. Ullerup has also been non-commital about Alexandra's future security arrangements, according to Berlingske Tidende.

The already established custody arrangements regarding Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix will remain, with Prince Joachim paying child support for the boys as has been the case since the divorce. Joachim and Alexandra have been exemplary in focusing on the interests of their boys throughout the separation and divorce and share parenting with a great deal of goodwill and co-operation.

Martin works for his father's company JJFilms. JJFilms makes a wide range of material including in the past a number of films for the Danish royal house. Martin (sound) and his father (director) worked on the program Mary Elizabeth Donaldson shown before Mary's and Frederik's wedding in 2004 in Denmark and Australia. Jacob Jørgensen's JJFilms has made at least three programs featuring Alexandra in 2000, 2003 and 2004. There is a fourteen year age difference between Martin and Alexandra.

Martin and Alexandra met in 1999 during a JJFilms production about 'Prince Joachim: the Farmer Prince'. Another film project followed in 2003 with the CARE Denmark production of Alexandra in Thailand, and then again in 2004 JJFilms was at Schackenborg Castle again to make 'Princess Alexandra: my home is my castle'. A house was purchased by a company owned by Joachim in 2004 (on the eve of Frederik's and Mary's wedding) for Alexandra and their children in Copenhagen and then later in the same year the court announced the separation of Joachim and Alexandra. During 2005 the divorce is finalised, Alexandra moved into the renovated house with Nikolai and Felix and JJFilms made a film of her trip to Shanghai for Danish businesses. Alexandra and Martin holidayed together in Italy and Queen Margrethe confirmed Alexandra had a new 'friend' during the summer press conference. Alexandra, Martin, Nikolai, Felix and Alexandra's parents holidayed at her uncle's place in Greece. Then in 2006 Alexandra and Martin appeared openly in public together at a friend's wedding (Joachim was present too). In 2007 Prince Joachim invited everyone (Alexandra, Martin, Marie Cavallier,the children and friends) to a New Year party at his apartment in Amalienborg, and then, on 7 February 2007 the court announced Alexandra and Martin will marry on March 3.

JJFilms Danish royal film catalogue

Photos in today's Billed Bladet spread on Alexandra and Martin. Christine Lyng is in the photo with Alexandra below:



Billed Bladet's Alexandra & Martin phot gallery

A good summary of the news so far from The Sydney Morning Herald:

Denmark's Princess Alexandra to remarry

Hong Kong-born Princess Alexandra of Denmark, 42, will give up her royal title to marry her boyfriend Martin Joergensen, 27, next month. Photo: AP

February 8, 2007 - 9:29AM
Denmark's Hong Kong-born Princess Alexandra, who divorced Prince Joachim in April 2005, will marry her companion of two years Martin Joergensen on March 3, the royal palace has announced.
Joergensen, 27, who is 15 years' younger than the 42-year-old princess, is a photographer who has done several portraits of the Danish royal family.
The wedding will be private and Alexandra will no longer be considered a member of the royal family after the marriage, a palace statement said.
Her name and title will become "Alexandra Christina, countess of Frederiksborg".
Alexandra Christine Manley married Prince Joachim, 37, the second son of Queen Margrethe, in November 1995 in Copenhagen and they had two children together, princes Nikolai, 7, and Felix, 4.
Since the divorce the children have lived with their mother about three kilometres from the Amalienborg Palace, where they will continue to live with Alexandra and Joergensen after their union.
The Danish Parliament decided in 2004 to grant the princess her own civil list, or budget for life, removing her from the prince's so-called appanage.
The money has until now been tax-free and indexed on the rate of inflation.
Her civil list, which for 2007 totals 1.9 million kroner ($426,000), will be reviewed after the wedding and she will in future have to pay taxes on the income.
AFPSMH

From The Copenhagen Post:

Princess Alexandra to wed

07.02.2007

Princess Alexandra plans to marry her partner since 2005, photographer Martin Jørgensen.
Soon to be merely a countess, Princess Alexandra will marry photographer Martin Jørgensen on 3 March, losing her status as a member of the royal family.
The announcement was made via a press release from Lord Chamberlain Ove Ullerup of Amalienborg Palace. Jørgensen is 28 years old - 14 years younger than the princess - and is a friend of the princess's ex-husband, Prince Joachim.
The marriage means that Alexandra will no longer carry the title of princess and will after the wedding be known in the royal court as Alexandra Christina, Countess of Frederiksborg.
Princess Alexandra will continue to receive an annuity from the government of some DKK 1.75 million, but will lose her tax exempt status. A tax expert, who wished to remain anonymous, told B.T. newspaper that the princess's decision to marry may cost her up to 74 percent of her disposable income after taxes.
Ullerup told public broadcaster DR that it is possible the princess would take on a salaried job.
'There will be a lot of new issues for her to deal with and I don't think she's decided anything yet herself. But it can't be ruled out.'
Ullerup said Princess Alexandra will continue to serve some of the organisations for which she is currently patron.
'She will make contact to certain patronages to discuss the future. There are some she has worked closer with, but I can't say with which ones she will continue.'
Jørgensen will reportedly move into Princess Alexandra's villa in northeast Copenhagen after the wedding.

From Pravda's frontpage:

Danish Princess Alexandra to remarry, lose royal title

02/07/2007 18:29

Hong Kong-born Princess Alexandra of Denmark, divorced from a Danish prince, will give up her royal title to marry her boyfriend next month, the royal palace said Wednesday.
Alexandra, 42, will marry 28-year-old photographer Martin Joergensen in a private ceremony on March 3, a statement from Lord Chamberlain Ove Ullerup announced.
Alexandra married Prince Joachim, the younger brother of Crown Prince Frederik, in November 1995. The couple separated in 2004 and divorced the following year the first divorce in the Danish royal family since 1846.
Marrying Joergensen, Alexandra can no longer call herself princess and ceases to be a member of the royal family. However, she will retain the title of Alexandra Christina, Countess of Frederiksborg, Ullerup said.
After the wedding the bride and groom will live in Alexandra's villa in Oesterbro, a suburb of Copenhagen, with her two sons, Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix, reports AP.
Alexandra will continue to receive her royal allowance of about 1.9 million Danish kroner (US$330,000 or EUR250,000) a year, but will be subject to tax and other duties like other Danish citizens, Ullerup said.
The Danish monarchy is one of the world's oldest, and the royal family traces its lineage back to the Viking king Gorm the Old, who died in 959.


Hello! magazine - Alexandra to wed her handsome prince charming

Alexandra to re-marry on March 3

Alexandra and Martin at a friend's wedding last year.

The Danish court has announced that Princess Alexandra will re-marry on March 3.
In a statement released on the Danish Royal Family's website it is announced Princess Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, will marry Martin Jørgensen on 3 March 2007 in a private ceremony.

After the marriage Alexandra will no longer be a member of the royal house and will be known in future as Alexandra Christina, Countess of Frederiksborg. The law passed on 24 November 2004 giving Alexandra an appenage is an arrangement which will continue as a payment from the state*, however, she will pay tax and VAT from the time of her marriage. After the marriage the couple will live in Alexandra's villa in Østerbro (pictured below) with Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix.
* that is, separate from the budget to the royal house.




As a holder of the Order of the Elephant (which is for life), Alexandra will continue to attend official state functions. UNICEF has made it clear that they wish Alexandra to stay involved as their patron. Ove Ullerup, the Lord Chamberlain, has said other patronages will be consulted to see how those will continue.
More details to come.


Politiken - Prinsesse Alexandra skal giftes
Politiken - Hofmarskal: Et nyt liv venter Alexandra
Politiken - Unicef: Vi vil beholde Alexandra
Politiken - Sociolog: Alexandra har valgt lykken
B.T. - Alexandra skal giftes
B.T. - Sådan fik Martin prinsessen
Berlingske Tidende - Alexandra fortsætter arbejdet
Berlingske Tidende - Unicef: Alexandra har været vigtig for os
Jyllands-Posten online front page
Jyllands-Posten picture gallery
If you are interested in more about Princess Alexandra we recommend The Unofficial Her Highness Princess Alexandra Of Denmark website run by (big L) Lotte Haldrup - Lotte may have to change the name of her website!

Happy birthday Crown Princess Mary!

We hope Mary has fun for her birthday!

Today Crown Princess Mary is 35 and so it is a happy birthday for her today! It will be celebrated privately, but as always, should we find out any birthday details we will post them later.

Mary's birthday is one of the official flag flying days in Denmark so the blog is flying the Dannebrog too. Posted early for most time zones, but in the time zone where Mary was born, it is her birthday!

Update: Mary, Frederik and Christian are in Verbier, Switzerland for Mary's birthday, which is quite a tradition by now. They have skied in Switzerland for Mary's birthday since before they were married. Mary has been pushing Christian around in a pushchair in the snow rather than donning the skis though.

Spanish Hola! reports Frederik, Mary and Christian made their customary trip to Verbier in Switzerland for a couple of days skiing, or, in Mary's case hanging out in the snow. As usual they have stayed at friend Peter Warnøe's house in Verbier, whose partner Malene Juhl-Joergensen is also there. Peter Warnøe heads up the Danish company Aston IT Group, says Hola! (Princess Mary escapes with Prince Frederik to Switzerland for the future Queen of Denmark's 35th birthday)





The Mercury (Hobart) - Flags fly for Mary

It is too embarrassing to mention the fictional fantasy treatment Mary has received from the two main Australian women's weekly magazines for her birthday. Both are incorrect and baseless. The editors should hang their heads in shame!
To quote The Sydney Morning Herald's 'What the gossip mags say' weekly column: "In other news, Woman's Day and New Idea appear to have once again got mixed up at the printers, bless them. The mags sport near identical covers documenting Princess Mary's new haircut.
That's right, the former Tasmanian and future Queen of Denmark has chopped her locks to a new, sleek bob, and the change is so important that stories must be invented to accompany pictures of the princess. The Day settles on "Princess Mary's marriage crisis", whereas New Idea goes for "Mary's baby crisis". Both stories, of course, are your stock-standard crowd-pleasers and, judging by the copious use of anonymous "sources", entirely untrue." And, which crowd might be pleased by these stories?

Following are links to media birthday stories from Denmark today.

Tillykke med de 35 happy birthday to Mary from B.T. and B.T. has a birthday photo gallery (click on "Næste" for the next pic in the gallery)
From Berlingske Tidende - Fra tasmansk pige til dansk kronprinsesse - a little biography which reveals Mary must now be learning French to add to her Danish.
With Berlingske Tidende's birthday wishes for Mary is the story about how much she is worth to the Danish economy.
Berlingske Tidende birthday photo gallery Tillykke med dagen, Mary (Many happy returns for the day, Mary)
Politiken's birthday wishes are also in the form of the story about Mary's worth to the Danish economy.
TV2 - Mary er guld værd for Danmark (Mary is worth gold for Denmark) continues the theme of wishing her a happy birthday combined with the same story.

From Jyllands Posten/The Copenhagen Post:

You're 35 and worth 12 billion to us all

By The Copenhagen Post

An English expert estimates Crown Princess Mary adds billions of kroner to the value of the country's brand.
The Crown Princess can celebrate her 35th birthday Monday knowing she is worth several billion to Denmark's brand image, reported Dato newspaper.
English image researcher Simon Anholt estimated that of the country's DKK 772 billion brand value, Crown Princess Mary represents more than DKK 12 billion.
'At the moment, Mary is the person in the royal house who stands out most in character. She is the only one I, being from England, have registered in the past few years,' said Anholt.
'It's because she's new, prominent, in the media a lot and extremely beautiful. It also has something to do with how she met her husband. It had a touch of that Princess Diana romance to it.'
Jens Carsten Nielsen of Copenhagen Business School agreed and said the Crown Prince and Princess have a huge effect on Danish exports and tourism.
'When the two go out and represent Denmark it brings attention to the products our country produces. It's a controlled effect on the emotional plane.'
Nielsen also said that the Crown Princess's popularity benefits the organisations for which she serves as patron.
'It's a direct branding effect when she, for example, publicly supports Child Welfare Day or the Danish Cancer Society. It allows for a connection to be made between her and the organisation's own brand.'
Nielsen added that media attention is one of the most obvious benefits of anything involving the royal family.
'Everyone is conscious that when the Crown Princess shows up, it will be in the papers and photographers will come and take pictures.'
Anholt warned that the Crown Princess's effect might not last, however.
'She has to keep performing. Diana, for example, increased her value because she was inlvolved with so many projects - not only in England, but around the world. She has to get involved in projects that go beyond Denmark's borders if she seriously wants to maintain her brand worth.'
Overall the royal couple are a good investment for the state. Frederik receives approximately DKK 16 million annually, while Mary gets DKK 2 million for herself.
In all, members of the royal family receive DKK 90 million each year. As the nation's monarch, Queen Margrethe receives the most, about DKK 67 billion. And, showing that differences in royal salary are based more on position than gender, her husband, Prince Henrik receives about DKK 7 million.JP/CP

Lets hope Mary doesn't feel too much like a Danish commodity on her birthday and also that she ignores the Diana/global brand stuff and has a good life instead!!

Queen Margrethe to have new knee surgery

The Lord Chamberlain for the Queen's court, Ove Ullerup, has announced Queen Margrethe will have surgery on her right knee next Thursday.

The statement says Her Majesty The Queen will have the surgery on her right knee on Tursday, February 8th at the same Orthopaedic Surgical Department at Århus Hospital where she had knee replacement surgery for her left knee on 1 June, 2006. The operation will be done by the same surgeon who did last summer's operation, Dr Anders Odgaard.

Right, last year's scar with a matching one to come!

After the operation it is expected that the Queen will recuperate at Amalienborg Palace. Because of the operation some of the Queen's planned activities during the next 1-2 months will be cancelled, while others will go ahead with the participation of Prince Henrik or Crown Prince Frederik.

Mary launches Save the Children anti-bullying project

Today Crown Princess Mary has launched the Save the Children anti-bullying project. Mary has been very involved in this work with Save the Children for several years now and has used material and experience from Australia to help develop the current project in Denmark. As we know, Mary visited the Aspendale Gardens Primary School in Melbourne to see the Better Buddies program in action there on her recent visit to Australia. Mary first took material back to Denmark from Australia after the 2005 visit. The launch took place at a kindergarten called Bumblebee in Hellerup.




Crown Princess Mary's speech (in Danish)
Added: the speech in Danish also on the Save the Children website and here is a translation of Mary's speech:

Bullying is defined as 'a repeated exposure to negative acts - verbal, social, physical, material and electronic'.
This defintion is from the Danish Center of Educational Environment, which also concludes:
"When bullying happens in school, it is a sign of bad psychological and educational climate, which seriously infects the social relations, the norms and the group dynamics. When these conditions are unhealthy, the conditions for bullying can grow."
Recently I experienced a unique pedagogical environment. It was at Aspendale Garden Primary School in Melbourne, a school for children aged 5 to 12 years. It is one of the 800 schools which use the Australian 'Better Buddies' program, which has been developed by the Alannah and Madeline Foundation. Better Buddies means "bedre kammerater" (in Danish ).
We are definitely going to hear more about the Australian program, but in short: Better Buddies is a national preventive educational program, developed to reduce bullying and to create a safe instututional and school environment . The main theme is: 'It's cool for a big child to keep watch over a smaller child'. And a special teddy bear is used as a mascot. The teddy symbolises the core values of the program in relation to the school culture.
And that is exactly what I experienced. A school where the spirit is totally guided by the values of the program. The walls of the school were covered with examples of the children's work in relation to the better Better Buddies' program.
I was lucky and met the genuine 'Buddy Bear', who was just as funny as he looks. The schools' headmaster told me about the specific results they have achieved since the program was introduced. I had the opportunity to talk with enthusiastic teachers, who were happy with the valuable tools and positive effects they could see and record over time in their classes. And not least I had opportunity to talk with the children and participate in their regular 'Buddies sessions'.
It was a pleasure to bear witness the friendship between big and small children which was visible when they were working together on a project together.
I was also impressed by their answers to my many questions. Their responses weren't learned by rote. This was very clear when I asked, for instance, "What is tolerance?" The kids formulated their own interpretations. I asked a 5-year-old girl 'What does empathy mean?", which is a fairly difficult question, I thought, for a kid of that age. Her answer was "If I see someone fall down in the school yard, then I will go over to them and ask if they are okay and if I can help". I asked another one, what 'acceptance' means, and the answer was, that it is important to understand, that we are all different, and that this makes life more interesting.
A girl who came from another school, where bullying was a part of her daily life, is doing fine today at Aspendale Garden Primary School. She says that the spirit is always positive and that everybody is ready to help and support each other.
I was enthusiastic for the program even before my visit, and now after I experienced what it means when the program is integrated in the school culture, I was totally won over.
I have some qoutes from kids and parents, who are associated with Yarram Primary School, another Australian school which is part of the Buddy program. These quotes I would like to share with you:
"Our family accepted the idea of the buddy system immediately when our daughter was constantly talking about "the big girl who showed me everything". The trust, the security and friendship she has gained has provided her with confidence and comfort. She has become a self assured little girl who knows that she always has someone to rely on. She has already made plans to be a 'good buddy' herself, just like her current buddy.
Another mother says:
"'Buddies' is such a great idea, the younger children can have an older friend and a positive role model and the bigger children get a sense of responsibility and someone to look out for."
And the kids say:
"My little buddy has learned if they are bullied to walk away and tell a teacher instead of getting into trouble, because they know that two wrongs don't make a right."
And lastly:
" We do buddies because we want the little buddies [smallest children] to learn how not to bully.
My role as international sponsor for the Alannah and Madeline Foundation was made public in October 2005. I said 'yes' to the task because I would like to support their goal and becuase I was impressed by their postive achievements.
For this reason it was natural for me to think of Denmark, and whether the many good ideas and tools against bullying developed by the Alannah and Madeline Foundation could be used here.
I talked to Red Barnet [Save the Children], who were ready immediately to take on the idea and modify and use the experiences from Australia to help to prevent bullying in Denmark.
The contact was created between Red Barnet and the Alannah and Madeline Foundation. Red Barnet created a steering commitee to help start the program, which involved modifying and developing the Australian program to suit Danish conditions.
I have been a member of this commitee, which has existed for almost a year. It has been exiciting to co-operate with smart and engaged members of the commitee. And it has been an incredibly inspiring process to get to this day, where Red Barnet introduces 'Free of Bullying' - a pilot project, which is going to help to prevent bullying in Danish kindergartens.
All together too many children are bullied by mates in kindergarten and in school, and it is a severe daily stress for these kids. Bullying can ultimatively mean that kids are going to be socially isolated. Until now most work against bullying has been focused on older school children in Denmark.
Research and experience from Australia indicates that we have to focus efforts at a much earlier age. The sooner the better, with far fewer consequences for the individual and for society.
For this reason, Red Barnet's "Free of Bullying" project focuses early on children in kindergartden.
"Free of Bullying" has three focus groups. Teachers, who work to be inspirational and role models. Parents, who are encouraged to support the activities at the institution or school, and last - but not least - the children, who must have a secure and a safe environtment in institutions and school life.
But bullying is not only about who are bullied and who does the bullying. The focus must also be on the whole group of children and the passive group members who just look on.
The purpose of the project is to create good relationships and solidarity between the children. The ambition is to create good child communities in the kindergarten environment, which is then later taken to the school environment.
As a mother I am obviously engaged in the subject. I can't bear the thought that my son would be exposed to bullying or would bully others. We all have a responsibility as parents and teachers to teach our children to create communities - and to make the children's lives 'free of bullying'.
Tolerance, respect, compassion and courage are the focus values in the project of Red Barnet.
The sooner we teach our kids these values the better. By using the tools which Red Barnet has developed the children will learn to show tolerance, respect, compassion and courage in their daily life with each other.
As in Australia the mascot of the project is a teddy. It looks a bit different than its Australian cousin, for a good reason....
I want to express my gratitude towards Red Barnet for making this big effort to introduce 'Free Of Bullying' in Denmark.
I am looking forward to keeping track of the work to prevent bullying in kindergarten, and it is my hope that the project will spread out to other kindergartens and in schools all over the country, and who knows - perhaps to other countries as well.
I am sure that "Free of Bullying" will help to give our children the best possibilities to develop and see what they can do. (thanks to santa for translation!)


Mary is the patron The Alannah & Madeline Foundation
Check out The Alannah and Madeline Foundation which runs the Better Buddies anti-bullying program in schools

Mary går til kamp mod mobning Jyllands Posten
The Copenhagen Post
Save the Children they have a photo gallery posted. Frederik is actually the patron of Save the Children in Denmark, but ths project is something Mary has worked on in particular. In Australia in 2005 they were both involved in the anti-bullying meetings.

Added: Mum-to-be Mary helps kids become better buddies Hello! magazine

Added: Australian National Nine News (1:35)
Princess Mary endorses Aussie school program
Princess Mary has proven contact with her roots by endorsing the introduction of an Australian student socialising programme into Danish schools - Nine News actually had a reporter there (not usual) and Save the Children's Mimi Jakobsen speaks of Mary's close involvement in developing the program for the Danish situation.

DR.dk video clip
TV Sputnik video clip

Bully blitz for Danes from February 1, 2007 The Herald Sun (Melbourne)

Mary til kamp mod mobning TV2 article
TV2 photo gallery (24 photos)

From The Copenhagen Post:

A royal ban on bullying

Drawing on a programme from her home country, Crown Princess Mary is hoping a purple bear will teach kids a lesson about tolerance.
The former politician was there. The mayor was there. The crown princess was even there. But most importantly for the kids, Buddy was there.
Buddy is Buddy Bear, mascot of the Australian Better Buddies programme against bullying and one of Denmark's newest immigrants. The grape bubble gum coloured bear was given a royal introduction to children at one Copenhagen pre-school Thursday by his fellow Aussie, Crown Princess Mary.
The Crown Princess learned about the Better Buddies Initiative as the international patron for the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, an Australia-based charity that works to keep children safe from violence and creators of the programme.
As mother to 18-month-old Prince Christian and carrying her second child, she said the fear that her own children could be bullied - or become bullies themselves - led her join together with Save the Children Denmark to import the initiative to her new country.
Crown Princess Mary said she was 'sold' on Better Buddies, which teaches children to care about the other children around them, as soon as she witnessed it in action a primary school in Melbourne, Australia.
'It's cool for big kids to take care of younger ones,' she said yesterday.
Danish programmes to prevent bullying have typically been aimed at elementary school children, but new studies show that the earlier children learn to show respect for each other, the more likely it is to ave a lasting effect.
Initially, the Better Buddies programme will be implemented in three Danish pre-schools. Child behaviour experts from the Roskilde University will follow its progress and, if it proves successful, Save the Children hopes other countries will pick up on the idea.
Another new wrinkle in Save the Children's initiative will be to teach kids to step in when they see bullying.
Save the Children Denmark president Mimi Jacobsen, a former cabinet member, said she hoped the programme would help put an end to a nightmare some children can't escape from.
'It's always there, even when they go to bed. We hope our project will make bullying unthinkable.' The Copenhagen Post

Mary sætter fokus på børnenes mobberi from B.T. 'Mary sets the focus on anti-bullying among children'

Several articles in advance of the launch:
TV2 article:

Mary against bullying

”Spared from bullying” should help Danish children to treat each other with respect. The project comes from Australia and is being introduced by Crown Princess Mary. With inspiration from Australia, the children in Danish kindergartens will learn to treat each other with tolerance and respect. “Spared from bullying” has been developed by Save The Children and is to be carried through in co-operation with Gentofte, Århus and Kolding municipalities. Crown Princess Mary launches the project when she visits the Bumblebee kindergarten on Thursday.
Crown Princess Mary also got to show off her new haircut today, when she visited Glostrup Observation and Treatment Home as patron of the Children’s Aid Foundation. The Home is where of some of the most exposed children are cared for, for example children who have been removed from their parents. (many thanks ambiDk!)

The Herald Sun (Melbourne):

Mary backs anti-bully drive
January 31, 2007 12:00am

CROWN Princess Mary of Denmark has thrown her support behind an Australian program to stamp out childhood bullying.
The former Tasmanian will launch a similar program in Denmark tomorrow in a bid to eradicate bullying in Danish schools and kindergartens.
The program is based on an Australian scheme called the Better Buddies Framework by The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, of which the princess is an international patron.
The foundation's general manager of prevention, Maree Stanley, said bullying was one of the most common forms of violence experienced by children.
"It can have devastating effects on a child, such as a fear of going to school, depression and even suicide," Ms Stanley said.
Princess Mary made a surprise visit to Aspendale Gardens Primary School in Victoria during her visit in November last year to observe how the Better Buddies Framework could be used as a benchmark for the Danish program.
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation's chairman John Bertrand said it was honoured Mary was introducing an affiliated program in Denmark.
"The involvement of Danish schools in this very important children's program will enhance the relationship between our countries and build strong bonds through our children," Mr Bertrand said.
Princess Mary said children had the right to feel safe at school and in the community.
"The work of the foundation in helping young children who are the victims of violence or bullying is a fine example of helping to realise a better society for everyone," she said.
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation will this year launch a new edition of Better Buddies into pilot schools across Australia in a bid to stamp out bullying.
More than 700 schools nationally have participated in the Framework.
The foundation was established following the Port Arthur tragedy and aims to keep children safe from violence.

Danish royal roundup # 14

Time to roundup some Danish royal news once again!

The hype about Mary's haircut continues.
Princess Mary becomes queen of the crop from Hello! magazine, and
Mary Donaldson se corta el pelo para paracer más madura y seria from the Spanish (and stranger in interpretation!) version hola.com 'Mary Donadlson cuts her hair to look more mature and serious' - how they know this is not clear, but hola.com did report on the Children's Aid Foundation gift from B.T. and on Mary's visit to the Glostrup Children's Treatment Home. Billed Bladet describes Mary as a whole new princess in this week's edition.



Meanwhile in HerΝ no.3 Kirsten Balslev has written about the benefit of Mary to organisations.

Mary saves lives: The Crown Princess’ unique effort

The representatives from the Crown Princess’ patronages are deeply impressed by her effort.
Crown Princess Mary, 34, has saved lives through her work with the Heart Association and the Brain Damage Association. As patron of the Danish Youth Association of Science, she has made the geeks come out in the open and made it okay to be smart. She has also doubled the list of applicants to the Children’s Choir of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, because a lot of children think it’s fun to sing in front of a princess. And by jumping on a trampoline at the Christmas Seal Foundation’s Home in Ølsted, she has given the Christmas Seal Foundation a lot of attention, so that more overweight children are being helped now.
The Crown Princess isn’t just a fashion icon – she has also put Copenhagen on the world map of fashion with her engagement in Copenhagen International Fashion Fair in the Bella Center. As patron of the Danish Association for Mental Health and the Danish Mental Health Fund, she has helped people to talk about mental diseases. At her first New Year Reception in 2006, Mary served as catalyst for a co-operation between her different patronages so that thanks to her, the Danish Brain Injury Association and the Danish Heart Association can help each other, for example when it comes to a quick solution to coronaries in the brain and when it comes to the campaign about lifesaving cardiac first aid.
"Without a doubt, the Crown Princess saves lives by her efforts with brain and heart matters," says Niels-Anton Svendsen, the chairman of the Danish Brain Injury Association.
At Mary’s own New Year"s Court last week, the bouquets were raining down on the smart and engaged patron.
"It means a lot to have a crown princess as patron, and with Mary, it is not just a name but also a benefit. She gives a lot of effort when she participates in one of our big events. She is very competent, she is nice, full of initiative and empathetic. Those of us from the Heart Association will never forget her meeting with 3000 children with heart diseases and their parents, who participated in the Heart Association’s children's club family course this last summer in Horsens. Mary was down on the floor, playing with the youngest ones. She talked about all kinds of things with the older ones and encouraged their parents. It was touching and we are deeply thankful to her, says the Danish Heart Association’s manager, Susanne Volqvartz. (many thanks to ambiDK for translation!)


18 January. Crown Prince Frederik steers his Farr 40 class sailboat Nanoq during the seventh of nine races at the Acura Key West 2007 sailing regatta in Key West, Florida. The five - day regatta off the Florida Keys ends Friday. Provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau/Andy Newman



19 January. Farr 40 class boat Nanoq skippered by Crown Prince Frederik sails upwind during the last day of racing at Key West 2007 regatta in Key West, Florida. Competitors in Key West 2007 represent 20 countries in addition to the U.S.

Kronprinsen til kapsejlads i USA TV2 article (Crown Prince at regatta in the USA)
TV2's photo gallery

From HerΝ:

Mary supports me
by Sarah Køhnke

Crown Prince Frederik is taking the sailing contests very seriously and enjoys all of it. But without Mary behind him, he cannot succeed.
He looks like somebody who is the closest thing to happy. His mood is the best and the confidence is glowing out of the Crown Prince. Official engagements, speeches, newly ironed shirts and flashing cameras are far from his sailing reality. Crown Prince Frederik might be the skipper of Nanoq but he is also a part of the team, one the guys which is a role he is obviously comfortable in. And with Mary’s acceptance and support, the Crown Prince can enjoy watching one of his childhood dreams come true.
"Mary understands it all and supports me. She is behind me in this and she thinks it is exciting and keeps track of everything that is going on, says Frederik to HER&NU when we met him in Key West, in Florida, with his team aboard Nanoq. They are using the competition to prepare for the Farr 40 World Championship in Denmark later this year.
You could say that it is a dream coming true, says Frederik and looks like a young boy, who has just gotten a new bike.
"I tell her about what is going on all of the time. 'Now we’re doing this, today we tried, and then we did it'," says Frederik refering to his talks to Mary on the other side of the Atlantic.
"She understands why I love this. As long as it doesn’t get too much," Frederik laughs, thinking about how the little family has to do without daddy, when there’s a competition on his agenda. He knows very well that she takes care of Prince Christian when he’s at competitions.
But Frederik has high expectations for a good placing at the World Championships in the Farr40-boat this summer in Copenhagen. This will be a huge event in the late summer, with contestants from all over the world. To live up to his expectations and place better than the disappointing place at last year’s World Championships, the Crown Prince has chosen to go all the way. His sponsors have accepted to invest in a new boat and the Crown Prince himself has participated in hiring the famous sailor Bouwe Bekking, who will lead them along the way to a top placing at the World Championship. And there’ll be no complaining even if you’re a crown prince, and you have to get up early and go to bed late at night.
"We are just going to train, train, train. I can’t lift more weights or something like that, because it is hard training aboard the boat. Bouwe Bekking is tough and there’s a lot of shouting and handing out orders," says the Crown Prince, who, just like everybody else on the team, has to take several orders from Bouwe Bekking to be ready for the World Championships.
"We have to do a lot better than at the last World Championship," says Frederik, who looks like he’s full of energy and ready to do his very best to make it happen. Then the dream can come true. (many thanks for translation ambiDK!)


Queen Margrethe has awarded the Order of the Dannebrog to actor and impersonator Ulf Pilgaard (pictured below). Impersonators are not lacking royal appreciation. Another called Preben Christensen had a specialty in impersonating the Queen and there is an anecdote that when Queen Ingrid went to see his show she sent word to his dressing room before the show that he must not omit the impersonation of her daughter on her account!





Photo © The Royal Danish Theatre
Billed Bladet no.4 2007 reported that while Frederik was in Florida and Prince Henrik in France, Queen Margrethe and Crown Princess Mary went to the Opera House on Saturday January 20 to see the Royal Danish Ballet's production of Swan Lake

From Billed Bladet no.4 January 2007:

What does a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law do when they are minus their husbands at the same time? They go to town together and that’s exactly what happened last Saturday, when Queen Margrethe and Crown Princess Mary saw Swan Lake together at Operaen in Copenhagen. Crown Prince Frederik sailed last week off the coast of Florida and Prince Henrik was on vacation in France, and that was a good occasion for Mary and Margrethe to go out.
Queen Margrethe knows the ballet Swan Lake inside out. It is probably the ballet she is most fond of, and not least the new version, staged by two world-famous Danes Peter Martins and Per Kirkeby. So it was very natural that she picked just that when she and Mary were to have a fun time out together. Queen Margrethe is regularly at Operaen, but Crown Princess Mary hadn’t been there since she was there with Frederik when they presented the Crown Prince Couple’s Cultural prize last September. Saturday evening was very special, because the American May Watson of the Royal Ballet danced the main part in Swan Lake for the first time with stunning success. It was indeed a very enthusiastic Queen and Crown Princess who left the place shortly before 11pm. (by Annelise Weimann and kindly translated by Muhler)


The Greek royal family & the Christie's auction

Christie's has auctioned more than 850 items once owned by King George I of Greece. There has been a lot of media back and forth over the sale because several Greek politicians contested the validity of the sale. It appears the items legitimately belonged to ex-King Constantine, which was determined by the European Court of Human Rights. A record price was achieved during the two day auction. There were many pieces of Danish provenance because of the connection between the Danish and Greek royal houses.

Disputed Greek sale nets millions BBC NEWS 25 January 2007
Auctioneers defy Greek government BBC NEWS 25 January 2007
Greek protest over London auction BBC NEWS 22 January 2007
Greek Royal Family website - News & Media links to Greek royal family press releases



Billed Bladet reports that Joachim and Marie have been together again at Schackenborg for the weekend (in the photo above left is Schackenborg and Joachim's long-time friend Christian Scherfig).

Mary Cavallier has been in Denmark again to visit her boyfriend Prince Joachim. They enjoyed the weekend together at Schackenborg Castle (the weekend before last), and a few friends were there too.
"I can understand the interest for my private life but I would prefer to take things nice and calmly. Be careful. It takes the time that it takes," Prince Joachim had said in an interview with Billed Bladet last June.
Seven months later – after the New Year party with Marie Cavallier at Amalienborg – the Prince was almost talking in code when Billed Bladet asked him again about the relationship, and Joachim answered:
"In relation to our relationship, 2007 will be challenging and exciting but I can’t tell anymore about why it will be like that…
It was obviously a considered way of saying that girlfriend Marie Cavallier is on her way to Denmark. Perhaps even that an engagement is on its way.
No matter what, it is obvious that the beauty from Genève and the prince from Schackenborg are seeing each other more often. Only a few weeks after spending New Year's Eve with Prince Joachim’s friends and family at Amalienborg, the 30-year-old Marie Cavallier was in Denmark again.
It was a cosy weekend at the home of the Prince at Schackenborg, despite the Danish winter’s storm and rain.
Prince Joachim had also invited his good friend, lawyer and manager Christian Scherfig and his girlfriend Agnete. The couple left Schackenborg shortly after lunch on Sunday, and then Joachim and Marie had the rest of the day to themselves.
Again it is maybe significant that Marie met Joachim's close friends.
Scherfig's and the Prince’s friendship goes all the way back to school and the two couples know each other rather well after spending the days around New Year and the last Spring vacation in southern France together. It is now clear to see that Prince Joachim’s love has reached the point where Marie Cavallier gets to know his friends and learns to feel good in Denmark.
The picture is almost the same as when Mary Donaldson left Australia and went to Paris and spent many, many weekends on secret visits in Denmark, where Mary was introduced to the Crown Prince’s closest friends.
The result was that Mary already had Danish friends and trusted them from the moment when she was officially in Denmark.
Big decisions like moving to Denmark, a possible engagement or an official presentation as a couple are something that Marie and Joachim have had a lot of opportunity to talk about during the days at Schackenborg. They have been able to calmly discuss the advantages and disadvantages concerning the smallest decision, which they will have to make about their relationship. It is probably not a question of “whether” the mentioned decisions are going to be made. It is more likely a question about “when”.
"We have been apart so many times and of course we miss each other, but we are grown-ups so it is okay, I have my friends and my family who support me. Nowadays, I stand back. I need some time to myself. I need to think things through. I have time to wait. Things have to calm down a bit and then we’ll see how it goes. I hope it will end well because we should be happy," said Marie last August when she confirmed that she and Joachim took a little break away from each other.
Since then, so much has happened which makes the couple’s relationship so close and established that, for example, a romantic weekend at Schackenborg is a very natural consequence. (by Ken Richter and Ulrik Ulriksen of Billed Bladet and kindly translated by ambiDK)



As mentioned in our last roundup, Princess Alexandra was at the Frederiksberg Gymnasium and gave a strong message against domestic violence.
From Her&Νu no 3, 2007:
Request from Alexandra: Leave the boyfriend if he hits you
by Kirsten Balslev

Princess Alexandra doesn’t tolerate violence in a relationship and tells young girls to leave the boyfriend the first time he lifts up his hand to hit.
If Princess Alexandra’s boyfriend, Martin Jørgensen, 29, ever shows the smallest sign of violent behaviour, he can be sure to be kicked out of the house on Svanemøllevej in Hellerup, where he lives with the Princess and Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix.
You have to break up immediately, if your boyfriend beats you, said Princess Alexandra without hesitating, when she visited Frederiksberg Gymnasium’s theme day about violence in relationships and violence in families, and was asked how to escape from a violent relationship.
It was The Association for Children in Battered Families (Alexandra is patron), who had planned the theme day and the students listened carefully when the 31-year-old Malene told her touching story about what it is like to grow up in a family where dad beats up mom.
We have to bring violence out into the light and it has to be filed to the police because it is a crime to hurt others. Girls, who grow up in battered families, often end up in violent relationships themselves and then it’s an evil circle. Break up if your boyfriend hits you – because he will do it again, warns Kirsten Raffel Hermansen, who took the initiative in 2000 to create “The Association for children in battered families”. That theory was confirmed by the 26-years-old Beginja with her story about a violent boyfriend, who wouldn’t let her go. Every time he lost his temper and hit her, he ensured her that he wouldn’t do it again but he kept on hitting until she got away from him three-four years later – isolated from friends and family, 30 kilos heavier and with no self-esteem.
Take care of yourself and say no the first time you experience violence – if not, the violence will continue and you can die from it, Beginja said to the female students.
Princess Alexandra was deeply touched by the two girls’ personal stories and after the meeting, she got to talk to them herself. She was given the video “Break up – before you break down” to take home, which is about violent relationships. (many thanks to ambiDK for translation!)

From Billed Bladet:
Alexandra comforted victims of violence.
By her presence alone, Princess Alexandra makes a difference when she is on the job...That was clearly seen on the two occasions where Princess Alexandra was at work in the past week. First, as patron for UNICEF she was visiting Frederiksborg Slot in Hillerød, which in the coming year as a UNICEF-town will collect money for the schooling of children in refugee camps in Tanzania.
And then also the day after, when Alexandra visited the auditorium at Frederiksberg Gymnasium (high-school) where more than 600 pupils had a theme-day about spouse violence and violence in the family.
A particular girl, Safira, a pupil at Frederiksbeg Gymnasium got a big warm and comforting hug from Princess Alexandra who immediatly and instinctively could sense that the upbringing of the girl hadn’t been without problems.
“She just seemed so sweet, interested and understanding. So when we had a talk I asked her if I could give her a hug. And she said yes,” beamed Safira, who like many others, will not forget the meeting with Princess Alexandra.
...The Princess also has the ability to make people open up and forget everything about being nervous and with her warm steady gaze and interest as support it was indeed not difficult for Beginja and Malene to open up and tell about a childhood and youth with violence, which still many years later has left them with psychological
“It’s courageous of the girls to stand forward and tell their very personal stories and that has left a great impression on me,” said the moved Princess after the meeting with Beginja and Malene...
“I do that because it’s important that it is not a taboo when you experience violence between spouses or when children and youths are exposed to violence in their families. Only by being open about the problems can the young ones get help and learn to say no. If they do not get help and if they do not learn to say no, it can destroy both the childhood and their youth,” says Princess Alexandra and quotes one of the slogans of the association, “Break the chain”, when she is asked about an advice to how to stop violence in families.
“Break the chain. It’s important that children do not experience violence in the home. Because everything points to that violent behavior happening because the person in question was exposed to violence at home. That’s why it’s so important to stop it,” says Princess Alexandra. (written by Trine Larsen of Billed Bladet and thank you for translation to Muhler!)

And also in our last roundup we mentioned Princess Alexandra attended the MERMAID's cancer research project on January 10 Her&Νu had an article about it in its issue #3 2007.

I am being examined for cancer
by Kirsten Balslev

The princess tells HER&NU, that she is often screened for cancer of the cervix to be on the safe side.
Princess Alexandra doesn’t hesitate to be screened. "Of course I accept the offer. That’s what it is there for and I can only encourage others to do the same thing. The earlier it is discovered, the better chance you have for recovery," said Princess Alexandra, 42, to HER&NU after a meeting at Deloitte’s new house on Amager in Copenhagen, where the MERMAID – which supports gynaecological cancer research – presented its new research project on cervical cancer.
Alexandra is a member of MERMAID’s steering committee and helps the work for cancer research.
"I am proud to be in the steering group of MERMAID together with international cancer researchers, who have participated in creating the vaccine against cervical cancer, so that one day, you can vaccinate young girls against the disease before they become sexually active. It is a world sensation because it means that we are removing a feared cancer disease. But as the vaccine only can help future generations, it can’t take over screening, as it is a disease which doesn’t show any symptoms until very late in the disease process. Denmark has more cases of cervical cancer in the EU, so it is important to improve current screening and find new ways of identifying the women who have a higher risk of developing the disease," says Princess Alexandra.
Every year, several hundred women are diagnosed with cancer of the cervix. Half of them are younger than 45 years old, so it is a disease which has a wider social impact affecting the whole family and not just the woman. It is hard to think that every year a million women all over the world are hit by abdominal cancers and half a million women get cervical cancer every year, said the princess.
Peter Scmeichel’s wife Bente and the singer Lis Sørensen have also volunteered as ambassadors for the MERMAID-project. (many thanks for translation ambiDK!)

A note: there is an Australian connection here. The vaccine Princess Alexandra refers to was developed over 20 years by an Australian cancer researcher Professor Ian Frazer, who was Australian of the Year in 2006. After some Federal Government resistance to the idea, the vaccine was approved late last year to be given free to all girls up to 15 and women under 25 upon equest in the national vaccine scheme (ie: free) in Australia from this year. Also see Catalyst.



Billed Bladet no.4, (27 January 2007) reported on the issues facing Frederik and Mary in raising Christian.

Christian ready for day nursery

Little Prince Christian is still the natural centre of attention at home with the Crown Prince couple in The Checellory House, so when a new picture had to be taken in connection with charity, it was with a little smiling Christian between his mother and father. When Frederik was one year old, he too appeared on two charity stamps for the Red Cross, and when Christian's grandmother Queen Margrethe was a small one year old princess, she was photographed along with her mother, Crown Princess Ingrid, for a stamp for the benefit of the Office of Children (Børnenes Kontor). An excess amount was paid per stamp (of 0.05 DKK) which raised the charity funds. On the new stamp with Christian the amount is 0.50 DKK. Just like the Queen and the Crown Prince, who from when they were very small both had to get used to being the centre of attention, so it is for little Christian. But Christian now has to learn too, that for him not to feel “more interesting” than what is good for him, his parents have long since decided to sign him up for an institution with both a day nursery as well as a kindergarten. There are three of those in Fredensborg, but which one the Crown Prince couple is looking at and when Christian will start is known only by Frederik and Mary at the moment.
“That is an entirely private matter for the Crown Prince couple and I have no knowledge of that,” says the court information chief, Lis M. Frederiksen.
Last autumn when Crown Princess Mary visited Børnehuset Frederiksholm in the south western part of Copenhagen, she had a long chat with the manager, Elisabeth Lunding, and after that conversation, the kindergarten manager is in no doubt that Prince Christian will soon start in an institution.
“The Crown Princess mentioned that she and the Crown Prince looked at an institution in the area where they live. Mary thinks it is important that Christian is with other children , to learn social skills and make friends, which may be important in his future life. She spoke openly about that,” says Elizabeth Lunding.
Before Frederik and Mary became parents, they said on several occasions that they wanted to give their children a more normal upbringing than the one the Crown Prince experienced, where it was the nanny who took care of him, and where he only sat at the table with his parents for the first time when he was old enough to use a knife and fork.
Today it’s already very obvious that Christian gets a very different loving upbringing. Frederik's love for his son beams from him, just as Mary seems incredibly aware of how much it means to be allowed to be a real mother for Christian, even though she has the position she has.
Crown Princess Mary is scheduled to give birth in the beginning of May, and even though she has all the help she needs, it is not unthinkable that Christian will start in an institution in March. That will relieve Mary when the new little one arrives, and at the same time it will give Christian time to learn to know his new little mates, before he becomes a big brother. (by Anna Johannesen and many thanks to Muhler for translation!)

Kig IND, Her & Nu and Billed Bladet all say Mary and Frederik have actively researched the daycare institutions in Fredensborg Municipality with a view to Prince Christian beginning in daycare. This is confirmed by the outgoing Mayor of Fredensborg who confrims that Prince Christian is on the official waiting list to enter daycare in the municipality. It is most likely that Prince Christian will start in an age-integrated institution at nursery level and then when he is 2 years old he will advance to kindergarden level. They will pay full price of 2556 Dkk monthly, since there won't be a reduction depending on income. By the time Christian starts at kindergarden the fee will reduce to half: 1270 Dkk. It is interesting to note the good policies of the Danish education system in action.


Photos below by Tariq Mikkel Khan of POLFOTO

25 January 2007 Prince Joachim and Culture Minister Brian Mikkelsen were in good spirits to mark 2007 as the Year of Industrial Culture. Prince Joachim is the patron for the year-long observance of indsutrialisation, including the 1933 development of the diesel engine. Diesel House is a technical and cultural event center which celebrates the technology of the diesel engine in a museum in the deisel building at E2's property at the H.C. Ørsted Powerplant, Copenhagen. The museum was launched by Crown Prince Frederik last year.

Industrial Heritage Year jumpstarted



Photo by Holger Bundgaard of POLFOTO
Prince Joachim has attended some final drills for a unit scheduled to go to Afghanistan soon. Joachim is a major in the reserve and his support is for a unit which will face action with NATO when offensives are launched in Afghanistan within the next few months. Another unit will be going to Iraq. Although the visit was fairly routine as such, it has been featured on Danish TV news because of a tragic live-fire accident recently, where one soldier was killed and another wounded. (many thanks Muhler!)

TV2 video clip

23 January. Queen Margrethe attended the opening of the exhibition "Kings in Art" at the royal reception room at Christianborg Palace.