Mary & Marie out & about in Århus

Photo © Lars Aarø/© Billed Bladet

Crown Princess Mary and Prince Joachim's fiancée Marie Cavallier spent some time together window shopping and chatting at a cafe in Århus on December 27 while the men of the family hunted and Queen Margrethe spent time with Christian and Isabella at Marselisborg.

From Billed Bladet (3 January 2008) "Mary og Marie på strøgtur" – Mary and Marie out on a stroll:

There was chatting and laughing and probably confiding too for the couple of hours Crown Princess Mary and Marie Cavallier were out alone together after Christmas last week. First they strolled up and down the pedestrian mall in Århus, which was packed with people out exchanging Christmas presents. Then the two girlfriends sat down at a corner table at Café Casablanca. Here Mary and Marie sat for about an hour chatting about this and that in the good company of Reverend Peter Parkov, who always celebrates Christmas with the DRF at Marselisborg Slot. [Peter Parkov is an old friend of Margrethe and Henrik and officiated at the marriage of Alexandra and Martin Jørgensen. He would be in a position to discuss Lutheranism with Marie...?]

The two women had celebrated Christmas together for the first time in the previous few days, so they had got to know each other even better during Christmas. Thirty five-year-old Mary has in time learned her way about the Jutlandic capital (Århus) and on the first day the shops opened again after Christmas (27th December) she invited the 31 year-old Marie for a trip into the vibrant city centre after they had had a cosy (hyggelig) time with family and children behind the walls of Marselisborg for almost three days. The men had gone hunting (pheasant hunting at Frijsenborg Gods) and so the girls could have a cosy (hygge) time together out on a stroll while Queen Margrethe could be nanny for her grandchildren Prince Christian and Princess Isabella.

The Crown Prince Couple arrived first with their children at lunchtime on Little Christmas Eve (23 December) and 24 hours later Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier arrived by car from Schackenborg Slot. They arrived in good time for the whole family to appear at the curch service in Århus Domkirke (cathedral) on Christmas Eve. For Marie it was the first time she took part in a Danish service with her future husband, Prince Joachim. Marie is still not that confident with the Danish language so she was therefore not present on Christmas Day for the nearly two hour long morning service. Neither was Crown Prince Frederik (could have been ill?). He stayed home to look after his children while Crown Princess Mary and Prince Joachim went to church with the Regent Couple.

All in all it was a real family Christmas for the royals at Marselisborg Palace. Only the Princes Nikolai and Felix, who this year celebrated Christmas with their mother, Countess Alexandra, were missing. So Prince Christian and Princess Isabella were the natural centre of attention and Marie Cavallier got yet another opportunity to get to know her new family. Mary and Marie in particular seem to be on the same wavelength, and that’s a good beginning for the future princess. (written by Ken Richter and as always kindly translated by Muhler)

Also a tea company has been required to change the name of two teas it has marketed under Crown Princess Mary's and Princess Isabella's names. Read about it in The Copenhagen Post