DRF to have Christmas @ Marselisborg

Isabella, Christian and Mary in the Marselisborg replica doll's house, a christening gift to Isabella from Århus Municipality presented earlier this year.

Christmas will be a cosy affair for the Danish Royal Family this year. The Danish royals traditionally spend Christmas at Marselisborg Palace in Århus. Spokesperson for the court, Lene Balleby, has confrimed the Regent Couple will move from the winter residence of Amalienborg to Marselisborg Palace in Århus on December 22. This year Nikolai and Felix spend Christmas with Prince Joachim (they have alternate years with their mother or father), so the Regent Couple will enjoy the company of all their grandchildren, their sons and daughters-in-law. The Queen will leave Marselisborg for Copenhagen shortly before she is due to give her New Year address for television and to be ready for the series of New Year courts for 'official' Denmark, the diplomatic corps and the top echelons of the defence forces from January 1, 2009. According to Billed Bladet, Jesper Vollmer will be in charge of the royal Christmas menu. He has arranged the menu with the Prince Consort. When the Queen made her recent trip to London to do her Christmas shopping, she returned with Christmas puddings for dessert.

JydskeVestkysten.dk 'Fætter-kusinejul på Marselisborg' - Cousinly Christmas for Marselisborg
Presents will lie under the big Christmas tree at Marselisborg in Århus as the Queen gathers children, daughters-in-law and grandchildren Christmas Eve.
Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik will have the company of their four grandchildren, when they celebrate Christmas according to traditional practice at Marselisborg.
Christian, Isabella, Nikolai and Felix will have Christmas with the Regent Couple, says head of communication and public affairs for the royal house, Lene Balleby.
The two youngest, Christian, three, and Isabella, 20 months, comes in the company of their parents, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary.
The two oldest, Prince Nikolai, nine, and Felix, six, are going with their father Prince Joachim and their step-mother ("bonus mother") Princess Marie.
The Christmas holidays will start for the Regent Couple on December 22nd, when they move residence from Amalienborg to Marselisborg.
Shortly before New Year the Queen returns to Copenhagen to be ready for her New Year speech.

Added: We know Prince Joachim has a Christmas tree production business and exports trees to Hong Kong, among other places, but Billed Bladet reports that Prince Joachim selected a specimen from his property in south Jylland and felled a Christmas tree for Alexandra. Prince Joachim chose a beautiful, big Christmas tree when he went out on his own lands to fell a tree for his ex-wife, Countess Alexandra. The tree for Alexandra was of course was a gift. The tree was then sent to Svanemøllevej in Copenhagen where Alexandra lives together with his children, Nikolai and Felix, and her husband, Martin.

Added: Billed Bladet also reports that Princess Benedikte and Queen Anne-Marie arrived in Copenhagen last Monday so that the sisters could spend some Christmassy time together. Two years ago the three sisters brought all the family together for a big Christmas at Fredensborg Palace. It won't be this way this year and each will have Christmas in their own country. But the three sisters want to share that Christmas spirit with each other, and so, for the last four days they have been together at Amalienborg. Last Monday Queen Anne-Marie arrived from London and Princess Benedikte came from Berleburg and with their big sister, Queen Margrethe, have they had a Christmassy and pleasant time together. The sisters don't meet too often. Queen Anne-Marie was not at Gråsten Palace this last summer and so it was extra important for the sisters to get some days together in December. Copenhagen is 'dressed up' up beautifully and both Queen Anne-Marie and Princess Benedikte have been on quite a few Christmas shopping trips. Queen Anne-Marie and Princess Benedikte have both stayed in Christian VIII's Palace, where they each have their own apartment. The Queen lives just on the other side of the the palace square in Christian IV's Palace, so it has been easy for all three to disappear together and meet.