Greek State Visit to Denmark: day 2

The second day of the Greek state visit has been busy with Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary doing the heavy lifting of accompanying the presidential couple through their programs during the day. In the evening the Royal Family attended the return gala at the Royal Museum of Fine Art where the Greek delegation put on a concert followed by dinner. During the morning Crown Prince Frederik accompanied the Greek President Karolos Papoulias and his wife May Panou Papoulia on a tour of some of Denmark's climate and energy initiatives and sustainable urban development projects. They sailed from Amaliehavn onto Copenhagen Harbour to inspect the off-shore wind farm at Middelgrunden. Afterwards the party visited the Mountain Dwellings sustainably designed project at Ørestaden. Mountain Dwellings, inspired by Aztec design, was awarded the world’s best housing solution at the World Architecture Festival 2009. A lunchtime session of the Danish-Greek Climate and Business Forum at the Confederation of Danish Industries followed for Frederik and the president, focusing on the major theme of the visit: renewable energy. During the afternoon President Papoulias visited the Memorial cemetery - Mindelunden - for a wreath laying ceremony. Mindelunden is a cemetery for executed freedom fighters and members of the resistance movement who died in German concentration camps during World War II. During the afternoon Crown Princess Mary and Mrs May Panou Papoulia visited the Skodsborg Observation and Treatment Home. Mrs Papoulia is a trained psychologist and shares an interest with Mary in issues of neglected children. The home is for children with serious special needs and is connected to the Mary Foundation. Crown Princess Mary and Mrs May Papoulia later visited the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, north of Copenhagen. In the evening the Regent Couple and members of the Royal Family attended the return engagement, a gala concert and dinner, hosted by the Greek President at the Royal Museum for Fine Art (Statens Museum for Kunst).

Frederik on the environment tour of Copenhagen:



Mary and Mrs May Panou Papoulia visit the Skodsborg Observation and Treatment Home for neglected children and then go to the Louisiana Modern Art Museum:



The Greek President Karolos Papoulias and his wife Mrs May Panou Papoulia greet the Danish Royals on the steps of the Royal Museum of Fine Art for the return engagement of a concert and dinner:



Photos © Jesper Sunesen/BilledBladet, Hanne Juul Billed Bladet, Martin Høien/BilledBladet, Tariq Mikkel Khan/POLFOTO/Fyens Stifstidende, Tariq Mikkel Khan/POLFOTO, Scanpix/TV2, Keld Navntoft/Getty, DayLife/Reuters, Peter Dahlerup/LocalAvisen.dk

TV2 article 'Kronprins og præsident stod til søs'
Crown Prince Frederik and the visitor Greek president, Karolos Papoulias, stood together at sea on Tuesday - however, only on a trip to Copenhagen Harbour to see the off shore wind farm near the Middleground.
Back on land again, the president had a guided tour of the Mountain Dwelling building in Ørestaden before it was time to have lunch and talks about green technology at Dansk Industri.
After lunch President Papoulias layed a wreath at the Memorial Cemetary in Ryvangen, before Tuesday evening's concert at the State Museum for Art.
While the gentlemen had the industry lunch, the First Lady, May Panou Papoulia visited Skodsborg Obserervation and Treatment Home north of Copenhagen with Crown Princess Mary...
Jyllands Posten 'Frederik på sejltur med præsidentparret'
LocalAvisen.dk 'Kronprinsesse Mary var med Mrs. May Panou Papoulia på Skodsborg Observations- og Behandlingshjem' - Crown Princess Mary was with Mrs May Panou Papoulia at Skodsborg Observation and Treatment Home
The Greek First Lady Mrs May Papoulia, who is a trained psychologist, is interested in children exposed to negligence, as is our own Crown Princess Mary [through programs of the Mary Foundation], who accompanied her during the visit to Skodsborg Observation and Treatment Home at midday on Tuesday.
The Crown Princess arrived first directly from Fredensborg Palace and was received by psychologist Inger Thormann and Lone Anine Sørensen, who is a deputy principal.
After about 15 minutes talking indoors the Greek First Lady arrived and the visit continued with a talk on the outcomes offered for children in the beautiful/peaceful place facing the Øresund Sound.
Skodsborg Observation and Treatment Home is a children's home for 20 children in the age group 0-6 years...
Some of the children are placed directly from the hospital where they have been born, while other children are placed when the negligence they are exposed to becomes known by social workers/authorities.
The children have been born to parents with few resources who are themselves unable to cope cope with the needs of their children, most frequently because of domestic abuse or mental illness.
For the privacy of the children and parents, only buildings and the distinguished visitors and their hosts were permitted to be photographed.
The children's home has interdisciplinary staff to give each individual child optimal treatment, care and protection.
Children born to drug addicts and alcohol dependent mothers starts life under difficult circumstances.
At the children's home they are helped to good health and well-being despite withdrawal symptoms, brain damage or mental and physical traumas.
The children live on average 1 1/2 years at the children's home, after which most are then able to be moved to live with a foster family.
LocalAvisen.dk - scroll for photos of Mary and Mrs Papoulia visiting the Louisiana Art Museum

B.T. gallery featuring Mary
Billed Bladet gallery - day 2
Fyens Stiftstidende gallery

TV2 clip (00:28) - Frederik arriving in Ørestaden with the President and his wife
JPwebTV (00:37)
TV2 clip (02:03)

Greek State Visit to Denmark: day 1

Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim and Princess Benedikte have formally greeted the President of Greece Karolos Papoulias today, at the beginning of a three-day state visit accompanied Mrs May Panou Papoulia, by other Greek officials, and a business delegation. It is the first state visit to Denmark by a Greek head of state in more than 40 years following cool relations after the treatment of ex-King Constantine and the Queen's sister ex-Queen Anne-Marie of Greece by the military junta which took over in Greece in 1967. The theme of the visit will centre around environmental issues in the lead up to the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. The President will visit Danish green projects with Crown Prince Frederik, attend a Danish-Greek business forum, lay a wreath at the Monument of Danish Resistance and will host a return event at the State Museum of Art with a concert by the New Greek Quartet, which is accompanying the Greek delegation. On Wednesday President Papoulias will visit the Danish Parliament and meet parliamentarians and the Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. President Karolos Papoulias used his speech at the gala banquet at Fredensborg Palace to confirm Greece's support for Denmark's environmental policies, which will be expressed through an environmental theme to the Danish-Greek business forum, but he also had some critical words about Turkey in relation to "EU values" and the longterm problem of Cyprus. Queen Margrethe did make mention of the Greek monarchy in her speech, so making it clear that the treatment of her sister and brother-in-law was not entirely forgotten. Not seen in public for a while, Princess Elisabeth joined the Royal Family for the banquet. The grand old 1958 Rolls Royce did a great job of making it most of the way to the carpet at the entrance to Fredensborg Castle from the airport, but 'died' a few metres short. Looks like a full service for the Roller coming up. This is the first car in the Crown fleet - it doesn't even have a number - just the Crown!



Photos © Keld Navntoft/B.T., POLFOTO/Jyllands Posten, Jens Dige/POLFOTO/Fyen Stiftstidende, Tariq Mikkel Khan/POLFOTO/Fyens Stiftstidende, DayLife/Reuters, Aftenposten.no/AFP

Guest list for the banquet
Menu and music for the gala banquet, which thoughtfully included Theodorakis' 'Zorba the Greek'

Fyens Stiftstidende 'Første græske statsbesøg i over 40 år' - First Greek state visits for over 40 years
The Greek presidential couple has arrived.
It's the first time that a Greek president makes a state visit to Denmark since ex-Queen Anne-Marie had to escape.
Greece's president, Karolos Papoulias and his wife, May Panou Papoulia, landed at Vilhelm Lauritzen's terminal at Copenhagen Airport this afternoon.
It's the first Greek state visit to Denmark in over 40 years.
The presidential couple are on a three day state visit in Denmark staying at Fredensborg Palace and they will, according to traditional practice for state visits, be bid welcome by the Regent Couple with a state banquet with 156 guests.
After their arrival the visitors were given a ceremonial welcome at the castle escorted by the Royal Hussars.
The Queen and Prince Henrik visited Greece in 2006.
It was at the time the first time that the Danish royal house made a state visit to Greece after the ex-King Konstantin and Queen Margrethe's sister ex-Queen Anne-Marie had to flee the military junta in 1967, after which diplomatic relations between Denmark and Greece were very cool.
Because of Denmark's hosthood for the Climate conference the state visit focuses at climate, energy and sustainable urban development.

B.T. 'Dronningens Rolls Royce gik i strejke' - The Queen's Rolls Royce went on strike
Cough, cough, cough ... was the sound from Margrethe's Rolls Royce - and then it went dead.
It managed to drive all the way in to the palace square and had only a few meters to go before it gave out near the red carpet up the stairs to Fredensborg Palace.
The beautiful 1958 Rolls Royce started to cough and then the engine stopped and shut down.
The Queen who had driven in the car together with President Papoulias from the airport jumped out with a big smile and went the last few meters towards the red carpet.
It was also with a certain relief, since it might have been much worse if the car had broken down out on the motorway and created a traffic jam.
The car remained where it stopped at 5 o'clock for about three quarters of an hour, but then two court employees got to work and started the engine again and the royal car could be transported home to the garage again.
Fredensborg LocalAvisen.dk 'Græsk præsident på besøg på Fredensborg Slot'
Billed Bladet 'Kongefamilien modtager græsk præsidentpar med pomp og pragt' - The royal family receives Greek presidential couple with pomp and circumstance
The whole Royal Family, with the exception of Princess Marie, was ready to receive the Greek presidential couple when they arrived in Denmark yesterday. Everything was the perfectly arranged, when Denmark had the first state visit from Greece for over 40 years.
President Karolos Papoulias and Mrs May Panou Papoulia were received on Monday afternoon by the Danish Royal Family in Kastrup Airport - with the exception of Princess Marie, who still enjoys her maternity leave as a new mother.
After the reception at the airport the party went directly on the trip to Fredensborg, where there was a state banquet.

ERTonline.gr 'Greek President on Official Visit to Denmark'

Fyens Stiftstidende gallery
B.T. gallery
TV2 gallery
MSN Starlounge gallery
Billed Bladet gallery - the Royal Rolls giving up the ghost and being carted off for some serious attention
Billed Bladet gallery - including the Danish Roals wearing their Greek orders for the gala

TV2 clip (00:37) - shows the Danish Air Force escort as the President's plane lands at the airport
TV2 clip (03.02)
DR.dk clip (05:09)

ooOOOoo

In further news, there is a quickening of activity in Denmark as the December 2009 U.N. Climate Change Conference draws nearer. The Royal Family will be increasingly busy in official functions representing Denmark as hosts as the summit gets closer. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit Denmark for two days next week for the World Business Summit convened by the Copenhagen Climate Council and will meet with Queen Margrethe, Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, for Development Cooperation, Defense and the Minister for Climate and Energy. Al Gore, a keynote speaker for the conference, and others (including Cate Blanchett, the green director of the Sydney Theatre Company) who will be attending the World Business Summit on Climate Change:
UN News Centre
Space Daily
Ban Ki-moon will also officially open the Europe & Middle East headquarters of the UN Office for Project Services Regional Office in Copenhagen.
More on the visit (and other stuff) to come...