Mary, the twins & their visitors

Graphic:Politiken. The new line of succession following the birth of the twins.

Let's get to some updating! After a long and eventful day at Rigshospitalet, Crown Princess Mary had some relative calm and rest on Saturday night, with Crown Prince Frederik by her side, reported Billed Bladet and B.T. Prince Christian and Princess Isabella have visited Mary and the twins, but did so through a different entrance so they didn't have to go past the waiting media. Frederik went to Amalienborg to pick them up to take them to the hospital. They were very excited to see their new siblings, Lene Balleby told TV2. The day after the birth saw friends of the Crown Prince Couple visiting Rigshospitalet. First was Caroline and Peter Heering (private secretary to Mary, Peter is an old friend of Frederik's), Tanja and Chris Minh Doky (lady-in-waiting to Mary and Chris is an old friend of Frederik), Anja Camilla Alajdi, friend and stylist to Mary and Otto Reedzt-Thott and Helle Reedzt-Thott (Mary is godmother to one of their sons). From B.T. who spoke to Mary's friend and stylist Anja Camilla Alajdi, "Mary is up already. She is doing well, she is doing really well and looks good," says Alajdi. She is equally impressed with the new little ones. "They are very dear, very sweet and still very small. But I think they are really adorable. They have lots of hair on their heads and have great coloring!" says Anja Alajdi. Frederik has spoken to Prince Joachim on the phone and Joachim has congratulated them. Joachim and Marie are abroad on a long-planned trip, about which the court has not given any details.
Monday morning: Alexandra has visited with Martin Jørgensen, Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix. Countess Alexandra has reported to the press that Frederik is more tired than Mary. Susan and John Donaldson have also been spotted in the car park. TV2 article and clip in which Alexandra follows Nikolai's opinion that the little princess looks like Princess Isabella. Alexandra says they are looking very, very well.

• Strange fact : Mary has given birth on a Saturday each time she has given birth. In another twist, Mary herself was born on a Saturday on 5 February, 1972. Frederik was born on a Sunday.

• Gifts received by Mary include flowers and teddy bears for each twin from the Danish Prime Minister, and two little hand knitted jumpers from one of Mary's patronages the Danish Stroke Association

• Update 10 January 2011: Ekstra Bladet The Court has just announced that Mary will not go home from hospital today. The family will take at least another day in the clinical setting of Rigshospitalet.
  "They do not leave today," confirms the court's communications director, Lene Balleby, to [waiting press]. The court will in due course inform the press when the parents and the new little royals will be on show, so everyone can be ready to catch a glimpse of the yet unnamed twins. A large group of press people remain at the hospital reporting who is visiting the royal delivery room.
  
  ekstrabladet.dk can simultaneously report that the Crown Princess is making use of one room only. Reports that the Royal House used a large number of rooms are untrue. Mary has only one room at her disposal, and the rooms next to her are still available for births, said Rigshospitalet press department.

• The new line of succession was signed into law by Queen Margrethe on June 12, 2009 after votes across two parliaments and a referendum in June 2009. The first-born will be heir to the throne regardless of gender in future. The immediate consequence of this is that Princess Isabella will not be supplanted by her new little brother in the order of succession.
  

1) Caroline Heering, 2) Anja Camilla Alajdi, 3)Tanja and Chris Minh Doky, 4) Elisabeth and Christian Buchwald and their children, 5) John and Susan Donaldson, 6) Birgitte and Jeppe Handwerk, 7) Countess Alexandra, Martin Jørgensen, Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix

Photos © Jeppe Michael Jensen/B.T., Ekstra Bladet, Claus Bech/B.T.

TV2 Lene Balleby reports that Prince Christian and Princess Isabella have visited the twins, and were very excited. They came through a different entrance, away from the gathered press. "They've been there and they thought it was really exciting to see their new siblings," said the royal family's communications officer Lene Balleby to TV2.dk.
Jyllands Posten Mary's family in Hobart rejoice over birth "The family are really glad for Frederik and Mary. It makes us really very happy that the twins are healthy and happy and that all three have come through the birth well," says Mary's sister Jane Stephen to the Australian news bureau AAP... The story has filled much of Australia's news..."Australians can't get enough of this story," said Australian journalist Angela Cox to TV2 News. Also, Tasmania's premier, David Bartlett expressed happiness over the royal expansion. Mary's father, John Donaldson was in Denmark for the birth where he was looking after Isabella and Christian at Amalienborg.
B.T. Frederik stayed with Mary and the twins
B.T. Christian and Isabella met the twins and avoided the press Christian and Isabella have visited their new brother and sister for the first time. Little Prince Christian and Princess Isabella greeted their new siblings but it was without prying eyes! The Royal House chose to cheat the entire world press [huh? they are small children!] and smuggled those two little ones through Rigshospitalet's underground carpark entrance and from there directly up the elevator to the second floor, to Mary and the twins. In the afternoon daddy Frederik slipped out to Amalienborg to retrieve Christian and Isabella, to take them to Rigshospitalet and get a hug from mum and greet their new siblings for the first time. 
Berlingske Tidende When do the twins go home? It is still uncertain when Crown Prince Frederik is to leave the University Hospital with his wife and the twins. Normally, newborn twins are in hospital between between four and seven days but there are many factors which play a role. Many are eagerly awaiting news on when Crown Princess Mary leaves the hospital with the two tiny newborn twins, but when it happens can only be guessed... "It is a very individual thing when you're ready to go home, but you are probably a few days longer on average when you have twins born than a single birth. You have to have breastfeed working well, since it is two children who need food," says Marianne Skovby Rasmusson. [a midwife at another hospital] She explains that to be taken into account a variety of things - including how the mother is, whether the babies are well and whether they will eat...
Billed Bladet stories - most pages also have video clips on Billed Bladet's YouTube channel too:
Billed Bladet Frederik spent the night with Mary and twins 09 January 2011 | Jan Bergman After a long and eventful day at Rigshospitalet Crown Princess Mary could on Saturday evening go to sleep with the knowledge that her beloved husband was by her side. It is a mature father which Denmark has witnessed during these days, when Crown Prince Frederik stands as proud father and husband, and tells the world how wonderful and fantastic everything is with the twins' births. And it is not only in words, but also with actions that the Crown Prince shows his strength, maturity and quality as a loving father figure. Last night Crown Prince Frederik was at Rigshospitalet with his beloved wife and the couple's newborn twins. Crown Princess Mary has undeniably needed all the support and help she can get and her husband is there for her. With Crown Prince Frederik safely by her side, the Crown Princess spent her first night at the hospital fairly calm and rested.
Billed Bladet Caroline and Peter Heering visited in the late morning
Billed Bladet Joachim and Marie will not visit Mary in hospital because they are on a long-arranged trip overseas. Lene Balleby did not say where the prince and princess are. Billed Bladet Princess Isabella and Prince Christian have seen their new smaller siblings. 09 January 2011 | Henrik Salling For the first time since the twins' birth the Crown Prince Couple's family was gathered together on Sunday afternoon. Led by grandfather John Donaldson Princess Isabella and Prince Christian arrived at 2:20pm at Rigshospitalet to visit their two new siblings. According press chief Lene Balleby it was a good visit, and exciting to see their new little brother and little sister. Until the last there was doubt as to whether Prince Christian was healthy enough to visit his new siblings since he was suffering a cold. But today he was healthy enough to be in the vicinity of the two small ones. After a short visit they went home again to Amalienborg. After Christian's and Isabella's visits, it was Mary's lady-in-waiting Tanja Doky and her husband Chris Minh Doky who had the pleasure of visiting the Crown Prince Couple and their newborn twins.
Billed Bladet Stylist: Crown Princess Mary is out of bed 09 January 2011 | Anna Johannesen and Preben Petersen Crown Princess Mary has come along after the physically demanding twins' birth 24 hours ago. Crown Princess Mary's stylist Anja Camilla Alajdi said early Sunday afternoon that Mary is not bedridden any longer, and that the Crown Princess looks gorgeous. The stylist, who is responsible for the Crown Princess' look when she is out and about doing public tasks, was full of admiration for Mary, but she also had some words for the small twins. "The twins have Mary's colors, I think," said Anja Camilla Alajdi.
Billed Bladet see clip of today's visitors Caroline and Peter Heering, Tanja Doky with her husband Chris, Mary's stylist Anja Camilla Alajdi, friend Baron Otto Reedtz-Thott and Baroness Helle Reedtz-Thott and Frererik's long-time friend Christian Buchwald and his family.  

B.T. Anja Camilla Alajdi reports that Mary is in top form. "Mary is up already. She is doing well, she is doing really well and looks good," says Alajdi to B.T.'s reporter. She is equally impressed with the new little ones. "They are very dear, very sweet and still very small. But I think they are really adorable. They have lots of hair on their heads and have great coloring!" says Anja Alajdi who left a beautiful bouquet with the twins' mother. Mary's stylist arrived immediately after another of Frederik's really good friends had visited. "They are great, everything is wonderful," as a very happy Christian Buchwald says.

The Sydney Morning Herald SMH does an ad for ugg boots: Royal order of the booties - hail Mary, mother of four
The Adelaide Adevertiser Mary plans twins' Aussie visit
Hello! magazine 'We call him Prince Elvis' jokes Prince Frederik as he announces arrival of twins
¡Hola! Los príncipes Christian e Isabella ya conocen a sus dos nuevos hermanos - Christian and Isabella have met their new brother and sister

DR.dk clip (2:02) the reporter talks about expecting the visit of Christian and Isabella and we see Christian Buchwald, his wife Elisabeth and their children visiting Mary, Frederik and the twins. The Buchwald children have grown since they visited Christian and then Isabella!
DR.dk clip (0:42) friends visiting the hospital
B.T. The Royal House's communications director Lene Balleby arrived at the hospital at 10am on Sunday. The newborn twins and their mother, Crown Princess Mary, are thriving. Sunday morning, just over a day after they were born, the court informs that all is well in the maternity room at Rigshospitalet. "Both mother and children are doing well and everything is as it should be," says communications director Lene Balleby. Throughout Saturday one visit followed another in close succession, when Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik and Mary's father, John Donaldson, came by to admire their two new grandchildren. Older brother Christian and sister Isabella had not greeted the twins on Saturday as Christian was unwell with a cold. The royal house did not confirm when they would visit. Parents of twins usually stay between four and seven days in the maternity ward and more days if the children are born by Caesarean section.Since Mary gave birth in the traditional manner without complications, she may be among the new mothers who choose to go home early. But as yet there has been no decision about when that will happen.

B.T. gallery visitors gallery with photos of Alexandra, Martin, Nikolai and Felix added Berlingske Tidende gallery the line of succession is the theme
Berlingske Tidende gallery day two's visitors to Mary and the twins
B.T. gallery of Mary through her twin pregnancy
B.T. gallery visitors to Rigshospitalet and then lots of family pics
Jyllands Posten gallery 8 January, after the birth
Jyllands Posten gallery Frederik and Mary and the children
Billed Bladet

7 News clip (1:42) Princess Mary's new arrivals (Angela Cox needs to check on on how to pronounce the name Christian)
9 News clip (1:33) Princess Mary gives birth to twins
9 News clip (2:43) Prince Frederik describes the birth of his twins
TV2 clip (2:03) about the Danish and the interantional media covering the twins' birth

thanks to gudinde, jema, mls, Vik, coco, kimberley and Alexmary