Frederik @ Youth Sailing World Championships

Back to catching up! On July 11 Crown Prince Frederik attended the opening of the 38th World Championship in youth sailing in Århus. The Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship was held from 10-19 July, 2008, in which 500 young sailors from 60 nations competed. The championship was for sailors under 19 who competed in seven different classes. Århus was awarded hosting of the Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship by the international sailing organisation, the ISAF, of which Frederik is a committee member. Frederik was the patron of the championships, which fosters young talented sailors, both boys and girls, in international competition. The ISAF is also the convener of Olympic sailing and Crown Prince Frederik will be involved in ISAF meetings in Beijing, among other duties, when he and Mary attend the Olympics in a week's time. As Frederik is on the Events Committee, there has been a lot of behind-the-scenes involvement in Olympic sailing decisions (classes, rules, courses, etc).



Crown Prince Frederik's speech (in English)

The medal results: Great Britain first, New Zealand second, and with two points difference (one up in the Kiwi-Aussie rivalry!), Australia third.

Dagbladet.dk 'Royal velkomst til unge sejlere' - Royal welcome for young sailors (Mai Weber Andersen)
Crown Prince Frederik welcomed 251 sailors from all over the world at Århus Town Hall in connection with Friday's opening of the Youth Sailing World Championship.
Under eager rounds of applause the prince took space on the platform in Rådhushallen.
"I wish all of you a successful and memorable stay in Denmark and Århus. And I encourage you to use the possibility to not only compete, but also to engage in what can become lifelong friendships with fellow sailors from around the world. Sail fast," was the request to the young talents who in the next week battle it out on Århus Bay.

Photos © Stiften.dk/Martin Ballund

Århus Stiftstidende photo gallery at the Town Hall

TV2 Østjylland webTV (04:28)

Mary & Frederik @ Danish swimming championships

On July 6 Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary visited the Gladsaxe Swim Centre to attend the Danish national championships as the Danish national swimming team prepares for the Beijing Olympics. Frederik and Mary were introduced to the qualified Olympic swimmers who were swimming in the national championships in advance of the Games. Crown Princess Mary is the patron for the Danish Swimming Federation. They were greeted enthusiastically on arrival by the swimmers, swimming officials and the audience and spent time meeting and talking to the Olympic team of nine Danish swim team members.



From the Gladsaxe Svømmehal 'Kronprinsparret besøgte svømmehallen' - The Crown Prince and Crown Princess visited the swimming centre
The audience at the Danish championships in swimming in Gladsaxe Svømmehal had a royal surprise when the Crown Prince and Crown Princess turned up and were present for part of the meet.
The spectators who chose to stay on to the final section of swimming championships in Gladsaxe Svømmehal on Sunday July 6th, got full value for money.
On top of several Danish records [inswimming], the audience could also the sight of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess who were enthusiastic among the audience.
Her Royal Highness Crown Prinsess Mary was there as patron for Dansk Svømmeunion and wished to meet the Olympic swimmers before they leave for China in a few weeks.
There were many who couldn't believe their eyes when Dansk Svømmeunion's patron Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik turned up for final session during national championships.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess were present at the presentation of the nine Danish Olympic participants, the coach for the national team Mark Regan's final tribute and more than half of the final session.
The presence of the royal visitors created wild enthusiasm among swimmers, spectators and officials.
An incredibly successful national championships was rounded off in this best possible way.

From the Danish Swimming Federation 'OL-holdet i fornemt selskab under DM' - The Olympic team with distinguished company during the national championships (08-07-2008 by Nora Thomsen)
The smiles were broad when the Olympic swimmers got a royal visit during the Danish National Championships.
On Sunday afternoon Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince Couple visited both the Olympic swimmers as well as other swimmers competing in Gladsaxe Svømmehal.
As patron of the Danish Swimming Federation Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary had inquired about the possibility to greet the Olympic swimmers before the team travels away to their training camp on July 24th... the national championships were a possibility.
And so with a few days warning the Olympic team found out about the visit...which would take place on Sunday afternoon.
As the day went on the excitement rose among the Olympic team who were happy the Crown Prince and Crown Princess would have time to meet them.
At 16.15pm a very cheerful and relaxed Crown Prince and Crown Princess arrived, both of whom had clearly had looked forward to meet all the Olympic swimmers and hear of the coming Olympic challenges.
On top of a very short speech of welcome by chairman Kaj Aagaard, the swimmers themselves reported which disciplines they would swim...at the Olympics. After this the conversation was free-wheeling and they were talking, were asked questions and explained and laughed for the 30 minutes the encounter took place.
There was no doubt that both swimmers and the Crown Prince Couple might have talked much longer about the exciting coming competitions in Beijing.



The photos above show a very special Sunday afternoon in Gladsaxe with the Crown Princess and several of the Olympic swimmers laughing together, Jakob Andkjær shows the new Arena costume, Chris and Mads chatting with the Crown Prince, the European Union's Australian coach for the national team explains things to a deeply concentrated and interested Crown Princess, an exceptional small encounter perpetuated in a splendid photo.

Photos © P. Stidsen/Dansk Svømmeunion and Billed Bladet

Happy birthday to Felix!

Happy birthday to Prince Felix for yesterday! He turned six. He is pictured here a week ago at Château de Cayx with brother Nikolai on holiday with Prince Joachim and Princess Marie. Felix's birthday celebration was at home in Østerbro. Joachim and Alexandra have decided Felix will begin at Krebs School, where Nikolai is also a student, when the new school year begins on August 14. Crown Prince Frederik began in 3rd grade at Krebs in 1974 after three years of private schooling at Amalenborg. Prince Joachim also attended Krebs.

Frederik & Mary @ Wimbledon

After Crown Princess Mary took part in a board meeting and strategy workshop for the Mary Foundation on Wednesday July 2, Frederik and Mary headed to London to attend Wimbledon. Frederik is a keen player and fan of the game and is also the patron of the Danish Tennis Association. Frederik has been to Wimbledon for the past few years to support Danish player Caroline Wozniacki, among others, who was junior girls Wimbledon champion in 2006 and is now ranked 30th after finishing in the third round at Wimbledon 2008. Mary and Frederik were observed in the royal box on Thursday by a BBC commentator (1207 entry) while watching the Serena Williams and Zheng Jie match on July 3. On Friday July 4 Frederik was in the front row of the royal box watching the Schuettler - Nadal semi-final, while Mary was spotted shopping in Harrods.

The photos were taken in London on Thursday night, 3 July, and the man in the photo with Mary is restaurateur Søren Jessen, who operates a restaurant and upscale bars in London. Søren Jessen's restaurant was the venue for the Creative Nation cocktail party Mary attended in London on June 23. And no, we don't know why Mary had on a man's jacket. Guess you had to be there.

On another summer holiday note, Mary was recently seen at Restaurant St. Annæ in Copenhagen having lunch with Caroline Heering and several other girlfriends for a traditional Danish smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches). The restaurant is a popular lunch spot and close to Amalienborg. They chose a light summer menu of prawns and roast beef and spring water to drink. The restaurant is not unaccustomed to royal guests, Frederik is also a regular visitor and so is Prince Joachim and Princess Marie. This is reported in the current issue of Billed Bladet, originally from Kig Ind.

Meanwhile, more to come, but Mary, Frederik, Christian and Isabella are currently in Skagen in northern Jutland on summer holiday.

Thanks gudinde, Valentine, mitchell and gattica.

Danish Royals @ 350th anniversary of Danish Life Guards

Photo: The Queen, Prince Henrik, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim and Princess Marie arrive for the June 30 parade at the Rosenborg drill grounds. © Forsvarets Mediabank

Overdue for a catch up! At the end of last month the Royal Danish Life Guards had an extended celebration of its 350th anniversary. The Royal Danish Life Guards have looked after the Danish regents since 1658. The Guards' motto is Per Rege a Grege - For King(Queen) and People. For the past 200 years the Guards' barracks have been next to the Rosenborg Eksercerplads (drill grounds) near Rosenborg Castle, the home of the royal historical collection. The tattoo was introduced to Denmark in 1955 at the Rosenborg drill grounds with the pipes and drums of Danish and Scottish guards. There have been activities since May, beginning with a special exhibition at Rosenborg Castle about the Royal Guards and their history and events will continue until October.

The June tattoo of unique military drills with nearly 1,000 participants was from June 26-28 with guests including His Majesty's Royal Guard from Norway, Switzerland's Top Secret Drum Corps, Arméns Music Corps from Sweden and the Irish Guards and the Queen's Scots Guards. The Russian Presidential Guard payed a return visit after the Danish Royal Life Guards' visit to a tattoo in Red Square in Moscow last autumn, attended by Prince Joachim at the time. Lasse Harkjær, chief of the Royal Danish Life Guards, said it was a scoop to get the Russians, who participated outside Russia for the first time. He said they tried to get the American President's Music Corp, but found they never travel outside the U.S. Lasse Harkjær also said that after growing up in the Cold War atmosphere in Europe, it had been a privilege to arrange the Danish Guards to be in Moscow and now the return visit represents a new stage of friendship. At the end of the June celebrations there were church services, a march of Royal Life Guards through Copenhagen, a jubilee concert led by the Life Guard's Music Corps and Drum Corps with various soloists, and finally, a gala dinner and dance.

On June 26 Prince Joachim attended the Rosenborg Military Tattoo, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary attended on June 27 and then on June 28 the Regent Couple, Princess Benedikte and Prince Richard attended. On June 29 the Anniversary Concert was held in the Tivoli Concert Hall with the Royal Danish Life Guards' Military Band, the Royal Danish Life Guards' Drum Corps and well-known soloists. Queen Margrethe, the Prince Consort, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie and Princess Benedikte attended. The early morning June 30 march through Copenhagen and parade on the Rosenborg drill grounds was before Queen Margrethe, the Prince Consort, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, Princess Benedikte and Prince Richard. The gala dinner was also on June 30, the Queen and the Royal Family were present along with past members of the Royal Danish Life Guards.



During the June 30 parade and drill, Crown Princess Mary and Princess Marie chatted intently before the parade began, while Crown Prince Frederik chatted with the Queen. The royals later mingled and spoke with the families of guards members. Joachim and Marie walked together, but happy as the newlyweds look, it was afterall Mary and Frederik who were at the centre of attention. They smiled and chatted with everybody and had their photos taken by countless mobiles. The Queen gave a speech with special mention for the members of the regiment currently serving in Afghanistan (the company there suffered considerable casulties earlier this year). And in a special presentation of the Queen's Watch, Queen Margrethe presented a watch to the guardsman who was elected the best comrade in the guards battalion on duty now. The guards battalions rotate every three or four months and each battalion elects the best comrade among them who receives the award of a watch by the Queen. Photos show the royals wearing a commemoration medal to mark the 350th anniversary of the Royal Danish Life Guards.



And from Billed Bladet (no. 27, July 4, 2008) 'Mary hjalp Marie' – Mary helped Marie

There was close contact and happy smiles when Crown Princess Mary and Princess Marie and their husbands were guests of honour at the Life Guards' 350th anniversary. It is obvious that Mary was taking very good care of Marie and tried to help her. Several times during the celebrations Mary explained to Marie what was going on and who the various dignitaries were.
It was the first time Princess Marie sat in a stand with the other royals and a hint of nervousness could indeed be detected in her. She naturally tried to follow what was going on as best she could, but it was a very unusual situation for Marie.
So it was comforting for her to sit next to Mary... Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim may not be thinking about how unusual the situation is for the latest member of the DRF. But Mary very well recollects her early times in Denmark, so she was there for Marie. There was chatting and laughing and Princess Marie got the best start on one of the solemn events that will soon be everyday events for her.
During a break in the tightly packed schedule, the royals walked around in Kongens Have (the King’s Garden) among the thousands of new and old guardsmen who had shown up for the anniversary. Joachim and Marie preferred to go by themselves a little out of the way from the worst crowding, while Crown Prince Frederik was really in his element, and together with Mary he chatted with everyone he met. Frederik wanted to hear about the duties of the guards company*, he talked with both current and ex guardsmen and he met several of his own friends.
However he and Mary spend the most time with Svend Aage Thorsen [a guardsman from 1933] who regretted that he couldn’t get up from his wheelchair, but the legs couldn’t manage it.
“That doesn’t matter at all, it’s grand that you are here today,” said Frederik when he heard that the old guardsman will turn 96 next month. “It’s lovely to meet with such a joy and optimism,” said Mary, while Frederik lifted a friendly admonishing finger and said: “Now, remember to drink plenty of water, it’s important in this heat.” [it was 29° that day] When Mary learned that Svend Aage Thorsen is from Rudkøbing, she said: “That’s a lovely town, we were there two weeks ago.”
It was a big moment for Svend Aage Thorsen to meet the Crown Prince Couple. He also managed to shake the hand of Queen Margrethe and tell her that he had been on guard duty at Sorgenfri Palace for her grandfather King Christian X, who used the mansion as a summer residence. (written by Annelise Weimann and kindly translated by Muhler)

Note from Muhler:
* A guards company is a part of the guard’s battalion. A platoon or squad/group from the guards company is selected for guard duty at Amalienborg and at the residence of the Regent and the Crown Prince Couple. At any moment that is twelve guards guarding Amalienborg, 24 privates guarding Marselisborg, a detachment guarding Fredensborg and plus their officers and NCOs. They are on duty for 24 hours at a time and each sentry is on duty for two hours at a time. In practice up to half a company is on duty at the various residences at any time.

The Anniversary Concert at Tivoli:



The June 30 gala dinner and dance, where they are dancing Les Lanciers, a form of quadrille specific to Denmark:



Photos © Forsvarets Mediabank, B.T., TV2/Scanpix, Billed Bladet, Hello!/Getty, Liselotte Sabroe/Berlingske Tidende, ¡Hola!, Stella Pictures/SeHer.no

B.T. 'Mary og Marie ved at blive perleveninder' - Mary and Marie becoming very good friends (by Bodil Cath)
Crown Princess Mary and Princess Marie look like they are becoming very good friends. This is at least judging from the body language they displayed towards each other on the big day of the Life Guards at Rosenborg drill grounds.
Mary and Marie sat next to each other in the royal pavillion where all the royals watched a parade with new and old soldiers from the Life Guards.
During the first ten minutes before the parade started Mary and Marie almost exclusively chatted with each other. They must have had a lot to talk about since both gesticulated with their hands and they were so deeply preoccupied with each other, that the Crown Prince, who sat on the right of Mary, started to chat with his mother. There was a small aisle between the Crown Prince and the Queen, who sat on the other side with the Prince Consort on her right. Prince Joachim sat to the left of his wife. That's why the princesses could really have a chat. And that they had.
Hello! magazine 'An assured Princess Marie settles into royal role at army concert'
¡Hola! 'Mary y Marie de Dinamarca, cuñadas y buenas amigas, en su primera cita oficial juntas'

TV2 news clip
DR.dk Net TV
YouTube sample Top Secret Drum Corps at the Edinburgh Tattoo
YouTube Top Secret Drum Corps rehearsing at Rosenborg
Rosenborg Tattoo on YouTube 1
TV2/Lorry feature video clip (04:48) a look inside the life of a Royal Life Guardsman
TV2 news clip
TV2 news clip
DR.dk netTV (01:21) about the 8,000 who marched in Copenhagen
TV2 news clip

Galleries:
Royal Danish Life Guards photo gallery click on upper right icon above each photo to see individual pics
Military Tattoo gallery click on 'frem', it is a small gallery of performers
Søren Steffen Mary and Frederik at the tattoo June 28
TV2 gallery
B.T. gallery 29 June
TV2 gallery
MSN.dk Starlounge
Søren Steffen June 30
Berlingske Tidende gallery
Søren Steffen June 30 evening
MSN.dk Starlounge

Many thanks to Muhler, FrederikIX, gudinde, valentine, jema, cph and mitchell