Frederik & Mary in Chicago to begin U.S. official visit

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary have arrived in Chicago for the beginning of their six-day official visit to the United States which will take in Chicago, Illinois, Des Moines in Iowa, Omaha and Blair in Nebraska, Denver, Colorado and then New York next Friday. Their arrival was confirmed by reports in Jyllands Posten and Politiken. As widely reported, their flight from Copenhagen to Chicago was delayed a couple of hours when a 43 year-old man from Aarhus made a joking remark while boarding the flight at Kastrup Airport about security and them missing the bomb in his bag. The police took everyone off the plane and employed sniffer dogs to do a search before allowing passengers to reboard and take off nearly three hours late. This is international aviation procedure at any airport, no matter who is on the flight. After an overnight sleep Frederik and Mary are currently having a guided tour of the architecture of Chicago and will visit Chicago’s mayor Richard Daley and his wife Margaret. Later in the afternoon the Crown Prince Couple will take part in an event celebrating Danish Design featuring the work of Louis Poulsen, Bang & Olufsen and Georg Jensen. In the evening Frederik and Mary will be at a private dinner organised by the Royal Danish Embassy with connections in Chicago. Frederik is in for some fun and games with his crutches, as happened at an appearance last week. After having a bad reaction to the anaesthetic during his operation he appears well recovered but is unable to put weight on his leg. They have already said to the media in Chicago that the delay in Copenhagen was not dramatic, that the authorities dealt with it well and they were not worried. Mary said the man had just said the wrong thing at the wrong time, according to Ekstra Bladet.



Photos © Lars H. Laursen/Billed Bladet, daylife

Jyllands Posten
Berlingske Tidende 'Bombespøg bliver dyr' - Bomb joke becomes expensive
Sunday March 22th 2009, 10:11
The man who made a joke about a bomb threat against a plane which included the Crown Prince Couple as passengers can look forward to a bill from SAS. He was regretful police say.
"It is bloody good all those security people haven't discovered the bomb in my luggage."
The remark, said as a joke, became expensive for the man who uttered it, as it brought about a great to-do and a delay of the Crown Prince Coupe's plane from flying from Copenhagen to Chigago yesterday afternoon.
The remark was seemingly ignored by security staff at Kastrup Airport but they immediately called the Crown Prince Couple's bodyguards.
It was said just as the royal party was about to board the plane.
The security staff took no chances and led Frederik and Mary to the airport's VIP lounge while the plane was examined by sniffer dogs.
That cost a delay in a couple of hours.
"Nobody was in doubt that it was just a stupid remark. But you cannot send a plane into the air under those circumstances," the central chief guard in Københavns Politi, Søren Wiborg says.
The pilot didn't want to have the man on board after the episode.
Instead he had to deliver about 50.000 DKK in Danish and foreign cash to the police.
"He has a leading position in a large company, thus there was nothing unusual in him having that amount of cash. We have seized it, because from experience we know that SAS will make a petition for damages as a way of making an example of the behaviour to prevent it spreading. The money becomes a payment of a first instalment," Søren Wiborg says and adds that the man didn't protest.
"He was just sorry," the police chief said.
Instead of the plane to Chicago, the unlucky boss had to take the train home to Århus.
The police charged him with disturbance of public transport, which can bring a fine and even prison. /ritzau/

Billed Bladet 'Frederik må humpe gennem USA' - Frederik must limp through the US
22 March 2009 | Anna Johannesen
The Crown Prince has been on lots of journeys but this time he has something extra to contend with.
When Frederik and Mary are on official visits abroad they usually divide the tasks between them, but this time there is no separate programme possible for the Crown Princess.
This could indicate that Frederik - apart from his two crutches - wants the support of his wife during the trip as they go from state to state. Crown Prince Frederik has to go in and out of cars, planes, buildings and before the visit ends he and Mary also have to go to a dance in New York.
The American-Scandinavian Foundation has invited the Crown Prince Couple to a gala party at the Pierre Hotel, and even though Frederik probably won't make an appearance on the dance floor, he and Mary have to hand over a cultural award to the Royal Theatre's ballet master, Nikolaj Hübbe, among other things also.
Århus Stiftstidende
The Sydney Morning Herald 'Plane carrying Danish royals evacuated'
Politiken 'Bombe-joker får konfiskeret penge'
Politiken 'Kronprinspar forsinket efter bombejoke' - confirms Frederik and Mary have arrived in Chicago
Ekstra Bladet 'Kronprinspar: Det var udramatisk' - Crown Prince Couple: It was undramatic
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary were not worried in spite of the bomb threat against their plane in Copenhagen. The couple has begun the US journey in Chicago | Mar. 2009 | Ritzau
The Crown Prince Couple didn't feel in any danger at any time after a bomb threat led to the evacuation of their plane in Copenhagen and postponed their departure to the U.S.
"It wasn't a dramatic experienced," Crown Prince Frederik said after the couple arrived in Chicago.
The American metropolis is first stop on the U.S. journey.
The Crown Prince praised "relevant authorities" for "take the situation in hand correctly" at the airport.
Crown Prince Couple didn't see the man, who made a remark that could be interpreted as a bomb threat against plane's departure of SK 943.
"It was probably the wrong statement in the wrong place," Crown Princess Mary estimates.
The Crown Prince Couple had a couple of hours of delay before the flight and arrival at O'Hare Airport in Chicago.
The couple got a gentle start on the visit today with a short introduction to the architecture in Chicago.

TV2 news clip (01:28)