Frederik celebrates 41

Crown Prince Frederik celebrates his 41st birthday today. The Danish royals make a big deal of significant birthdays, as was done for Frederik last year, but this one is to be celebrated in private. After the Greek state visit and before starting the Copenhagen Marathon 2009 last Sunday, Frederik was in Capri for four days doing some Farr 40 sailing in advance of the Farr 40 World Championships next month. Tomorrow Frederik leaves for Greenland with the two other Scandinavian heirs apparent, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, for a joint trip aimed at increasing awareness about the melting ice of Greenland and focusing on climate change.

Billed Bladet thoughtfully marks the birthday with a gallery of Frederik sporting his youthful looks, but now decorated with grey hair. It also postulates that, as for Mary's birthday, home-made gifts will be the order of the day at home with the children. Update: Billed Bladet reports that Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Victoria arrived on Frederik's birthday and spent the birthday night at Chancellery House. The photo (above) shows the three heirs leaving Fredensborg this morning (May 27) as they set out for the flight from Denmark to Greenland.

Last Sunday Frederik started the Copenhagen Marathon 2009. This was the 30th anniversary race, which has doubled in size during the past five years, with Frederik himself having competed 5 or 6 times. So Frederik, who knows first hand what was in front of the 10,000 plus competitors during the 42km race, fired the starting pistol at 9.30am at Vester Voldgade in Copenhagen. Two Japanese competitors won the day in the increasingly international field: Toyokazu Yoshimura (men) and Chihiro Tanaka (women).

Yesterday Frederik presented grants from the Crown Prince Frederik Fund at Amalienborg. The fund is to give financial assistance to social policy and sciences students to study for a year at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Presentation of these grants is now in its 16th year since it was given to Frederik as a gift for his 25th birthday by Danish-Americans. This year the recipients are Louise Stenberg Jensen and Anders Vibholt.


Crown Prince Frederik's speech at the presentation:
Crown Prince Frederik Fund | Monday May 25, 2009
It is again a pleasure to welcome you back to Amalienborg for the Annual Scholarship ceremony.
I want to thank Søren Peter for his interesting talk. It was exciting to hear how he as a co-founder of Dalberg has been a driving force in building a global consulting advisory business. We can all support the mission – that is to mobilize effective responses to the world’s most pressing issues, in particular those which affect people in developing countries. It is, of course, also great to hear that the studies at The Kennedy School and the contacts he made during his studies played such a key role. We wish Søren Peter continued success with his important work.
The two new scholarship recipients Louise Stenberg Jensen and Anders Vibholt are as in prior years very qualified and will enjoy the challenges of the year ahead.
Louise Stenberg Jensen is studying International Business and Politics at the Copenhagen Business School. She was born in Zimbabwe, but grew up in Brussels, where she graduated with a European Baccalaureate in 2000. Louise pursued her interest in the arts and history in both Denmark and England and finished her Bachelor degree in history in 2005. As a result of the political influence she had experienced in both Zimbabwe and Brussels she decided to combine her studies in history with international business and politics.
Louise has continued her artistic interest through painting as well as playing the piano.
Anders Vibholt is studying Economics and Finance also at the Copenhagen Business School. After finishing his bachelor degree in Århus he transferred to Copenhagen. Anders has studied abroad at McMaster’s University in Canada and spent a year and a half at Jyske Dragonregiment i Holstebro. During this period Anders was stationed in Kosovo for 6 months. Anders also spent an exciting year at the Danish Embassy in South Africa as a trainee.
Both Louise and Anders have had part time jobs through out their studies and they have found time to be active in various organizations.
The last few years we have had several highly qualified candidates from Copenhagen Business School making it to the interview process but without getting the scholarship. So it is impressive that this year both recipients are from CBS.
I should also mention that for the first time we have a sibling receiving the scholarship. Anders is the little brother of Helene Vibholt who received the scholarship in 2003.
It is a pleasure to give the scholarships to Louise and Anders.
Congratulations.



Photos: Frederik in Capri last week, and at the Copenhagen Marathon 2009, starting the race and photographed with Wilson Kipketer (Photos © Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi in Capri, Jens Dresling/Politiken for the Marathon), Ole Bjørk/Billed Bladet, ¡Hola!

Billed Bladet 'Tillykke med fødselsdagen, Frederik' - Congratulations on the birthday, Frederik
Crown Prince Frederik celebrates his 41st birthday today.
When there is a birthday, the little ones in Chancellery House are there on the spot and able to wake up Frederik with birthday flags and a song by his bedside.
When Mary turned 37 on February 5th, she reported that the children had presented her with home-made presents, so probably Frederik expects similar personal things from the children.
The birthday this year is a little quieter than last year when the Crown Prince celebrated his 40th birthday with parties and a tribute on the balcony at Amalienborg.
On Wednesday morning Frederik will travel to Greenland together with Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Prince Haakon to highlight the problems of climatic change...

Earth Times 'Scandinavian royal heirs to study climate change in Greenland'
MSN Green 'Scandinavian royal heirs to travel to Greenland'
TV2 article & clip at the marathon

Madeleine Glindorf's marathon gallery
Politiken's Marathon 09 slideshow gallery
Billed Bladet's 'grey hair' gallery (LOL)
Billed Bladet's birthday gallery - a great (large) gallery of photos showing Frederik over recent years in honour of his birthday
Added:
B.T. birthday gallery - including a few funny ones