Media wrap: family, friends, racing and football

Time for a bit of Danish catch up from last week!
Billed Bladet (no.23, 6 June 2007) reported a story by Ulrik Ulriksen: Joachim raced for Marie:

Prince Joachim raced his classical Cortina at Padborg Park the last time Marie was in town and she was there to see the action. For Marie it was her first time at the racetrack with Joachim. Prince Joachim won the race of the day. Ulriksen compares the speed on the racetrack with what he says is the full speed ahead towards an engagement.

The couple were based at Schackenborg Slot while they were in southern Jutland. They hung out together with Joachim's racing mates from the Cortina team Oscar Davidsen-Siesbye and Martin Berner and their wives, Britt and Connie. After the test drive on Saturday, the three couples enjoyed dinner and watching a football match (soccer) on TV in the evening.

The real race started Sunday and while Joachim and co raced, they had a special group of spectators. Marie, Britt and Connie cheered each time 'their boys' went by on the straight doing 150 kilometres an hour. “I’m completely crazy about this. I do really like racing. It’s so exciting,” said an exhilarated Marie Cavallier, while she watched Joachim drive across the finishing line in first position and therefore as the winner of the day. After the long day at the race track Marie helped pack the Cortina's team equipment away before returning to Schackenborg. “She sure isn’t afraid of lending a hand," said a passer-by.

Marie is now visiting Denmark more often than ever before during the time she and Joachim have been together. With Joachim she has visited Alexandra and Martin Jørgensen, been at a dinner and attended a christening with some of Joachims friends. At the beginning of May she was at Tivoli with Joachim for the wedding anniversary party of friends Michael and Benedicte Darsberg.

From the beginning of this year Marie and Joachim made it clear it was a big year for them this year. They started 2007 with a big New Year party at Amalienborg Slot where all their friends and Alexandra and Martin Jørgensen were present. They then met a couple of times in both Denmark and Switzerland before their winter holiday in the Alps at Marie’s family's place. The Princes Nikolai and Felix were there too. They displayed great enthusiasm for Marie, who proudly showed Joachim and the boys the tracks above her ski village of Villars.

After almost two years together Marie and Joachim have shown they want to be together more and more. Marie is still conscientious and manages her job at home in Geneva in her step-father’s investment-firm without giving cause for criticism. But he may soon have to look for a new employee, because Marie may start packing a really big suitcase to move permanently to Denmark. (the story is an edited version of Ulrik Ulriksen's in Billed Bladet, which was kindly translated by Muhler. Ulriksen also notes that Britt Tang Lassen appears to be Marie’s best friend in Denmark)

A day at the races: 1) & 2) Joachim and Marie, 3) ...and they're racing! 4) the cheer squad, 5) & 6) in pit lane, 7) Joachim and Marie, 8) all hands pack up, 9) Marie at the airport on her way back to Geneva at the end of the weekend.



From Billed Bladet (no. 23, 9 June 2007) there was a report on the family outing to the ill fated football match between Denmark and Sweden by Dorte Quist – To the soccer with aunt Mary:

Crown Princess Mary took the opportunity to go to a football match with her sister Jane, brother-in-law Craig and their three children Alexander, Erin and Kate, who are visiting from Australia. Even though Mary is still breastfeeding her six week old daughter, she was away from her for a few hours to watch the national team together with Frederik and her family from Australia.

Mary’s two nieces and her nephew seemed to look forward to it with both girls dressed in Denmark's red and white football shirts (DBU's) when they arrived. Perhaps the Crown Prince had found them at home in the closet since he has been presented with many of them by the DBU* through the years.

During the match Mary was the one who explained the rules to her nephew and nieces ... But often Mary had to ask Frederik for an explanation first and then the rest of the Australian family was told.

Mary has a very close relationship to her oldest sister, who is one of her closest confidantes. The 41-year-old Jane was a big support for her younger sister when Prince Christian entered the world ...Back then Jane came to Denmark and stayed in Kancellihuset with Mary and Frederik... It has been three years since Mary’s nieces, nephew and brother-in-law were in Denmark. That was at the wedding of the Crown Prince couple, when Frederik and Mary were more or less preoccupied by the many official arrangements – and then afterwards they left on their honeymoon. This time however there is plenty of time for family cosiness and sightseeing – including a national team football game at the national stadium in Denmark. (an edited version of Dorte Quist's story which was translated by Muhler. *DBU = Dansk Boldspils Union which organises football and handball)

And continuing - Embarrassing from the Danish side:

“That was a mess. A bit embarrassing from the Danish side.” It was an extremely grim Crown Prince Frederik who commented on the scandalous end against Sweden when he left Parken after the historic game.

What should have been a cosy and nice June evening with Mary and her sports keen Australian family, suddenly turned into an embarrassing affair. Frederik had looked forward to showing the family Denmark’s national sport in its most colourful, jubilant and loud surroundings. But instead it ended up with him having to explain to his sister-in-law Jane and brother-in-law Craig and their three children why the match was broken off and why we lost the three goals the Danish players had fought so hard for after having been behind 0-3. A sad end for an otherwise cheerful and fun evening for Frederik, the family and the other 42,000 spectators. (by Dorte Quist and translated by Muhler)

The UEFA disciplinary hearing decided Denmark should be heavily sanctioned. The game was declared lost with the score 0-3. Denmark's Christian Poulsen has been less than popular for allowing himself to be provoked and punching a Swedish player in front of the goal and got a 3 match suspension. Denmark now has to win all its games to stay in the UEFA competition and will have to play all of them as away games. The officials in Parken were blamed for ineffective crowd control. The spectator who ran onto the field was drunk, apologetic and will face charges of violence.



And still more from Billed Bladet, who had their ears tuned into the back garden at the Chancellery House the next day - Family cosiness in the garden:

The day after the excitement of the football at Parken ...was spent at home in Kancellihuset... the smell of bacon and eggs for breakfast wafted all the way out to Fredensborg Square to the guardsmen on duty, while some of the family members jumped head first into the swimming pool in the backyard of Kancellihuset.

It may not have been winter bathing but the air temperature was no more than 16 degrees C, so the water must have been cold... When the swimming was over, Mary and Frederik and their guests went to the breakfast table. The rest of the day was enjoyed in the open air in the garden with a lot of playful teasing among the children... Mary’s nieces, Erin and Kate and nephew Alexander seemed to have a wonderful time in particular, but also little Prince Christian happily joined in with his cousins.

Mary’s brother-in-law went for an afternoon stroll in peace and quiet ... in Fredensborg Park. On the way he greeted several people who recognised him as the always smiling Australian. (by Ulrik Ulriksen whose way with words makes it fun --funny?-- and challenging for Muhler to translate!)

Frederik & Mary at the football

Photo from Aftonbladet.se/Stella Pictures/Stefan Lindblom

Frederik and Mary were at an action-packed Sweden-Denmark game last night at Parken in Copenhagen. As we can see from the photo, so was Denmark's prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen (on Mary's left). Jane and Craig Stephens and their children are obviously visiting Denmark together, as they were also at the game with Frederik and Mary. The game was abandoned and will go to UEFA's disciplinary committee for a decision. The Swedes were 3-0 ahead when Denmark staged a comeback and equaled the score. A Denmark supporter confonted the German referee on the pitch when the score was 3 all because he didn't like the referee's decision to award a last minute penalty against Denmark. The emotion! It is the leading story in Denmark today.

B.T.'s photo gallery (no Mary or Frederik - these are action shots from the game)

Added: TV2 video clip Denmark's second goal fightback, Frederik and Mary slomo reaction at end
TV2 video clip Denmark's third goal fightback -score 3-3 - at end shows Frederik exchanging comments with someone to his right and Mary standing and applauding

(Many thanks to Lotte Haldrup)



The comeback that never was from Denmark.dk/The Copenhagen Post

The Crown Princess Mary rose

We are entering an unpredictable stage with news of Frederik, Mary and Christian because they are now in the zone of "private holiday" -- but we did promise to post what we can. At the moment we are uncertain how much news we will get, we will just have to go with what we can. First, there is just a little news. Mary and Christian left Denmark right after Mary awarded the Save the Children prize yesterday and Frederik had left separately before them (the heirs do not fly together). It appears the first part of the visit will be in Tasmania. Second, there is a little news from the Australian end today with the launch of the Crown Princess Mary rose by Mary's older sister Jane Stephens (and one of Christian's godmothers). So, in the spirit of posting 'what we can', here is the story.

From The Hobart Mercury:

Princess Mary rose launched

Patricia Bailey and Jane Stephens, Crown Princess Mary's sisters, at the launch of the Crown Princess Mary Rose at the Wrest Point.

November 21, 2006 12:00am
CROWN Princess Mary is softly fragrant in ivory white, with an elegance resembling that of a silk rose.
The princess [rose] also enjoys sunny areas, a good, deep soak every week and a slurp of fertiliser every September and December.
A newly developed rose named in honour of Crown Princess Mary was launched in Hobart today, just days before the real Danish royals arrive in Tasmania.
And its developers are confident the "delicate but hardy" rose's beauty will rival its Hobart-born namesake.
"I think they'll stand equal," said Maureen Ross, marketing manager of South Australia's Ross Roses, which developed the flower.
It was developed in consultation with the princess and $1 from every sale will be donated to the Heart Foundation, at her request.
Princess Mary's mother died of a heart condition nine years ago.
Mary's sister, Jane Stephens, launched the rose today, telling a small audience she had planted three in her Hobart garden as a special memory of their mother.
"I do encourage people to have a look at the rose and hopefully buy one and pop it into their garden and think of not so much Crown Princess Mary, but what they can do to help their health and to look after themselves a wee bit better," she said.
Ms Stephens laughed when asked if it was strange for a rose to be named after her sister, who married Crown Prince Frederik after a fairytale romance in 2004.
"No, no," she said. "Not any more. A year ago yes, but not now."
The Hobart-based pharmacist refused to say more about her sister, who is due to arrive in Australia with Crown Prince Frederik and baby Christian some time this week.
However, she said the family was excited about the impending visit and "thrilled" about Mary's second pregnancy, announced last month.
Ms Ross said after the launch the rose epitomised the royals' fairytale romance.
"The rose always seems to embody romance and love and emotions and I think this is why it had to be a rose," she said.
"You couldn't say it had to be a dahlia or something."

From The Sydney Morning Herald:
Royal rose by any other name

Andrew Darby
November 22, 2006

CROWN Princess Mary is delicately scented and particularly hardy, all useful attributes for a Tasmanian destined to be Queen of Denmark.
For the former Mary Donaldson's family, the new rose named after her also symbolises a loss of a scale few appreciated before it was disclosed by her elder sister, Jane Stephens, yesterday.
"Our mother passed away nine years ago from a heart condition, and that passing left a tragic impact on our family and we still live with it every day," Ms Stephens said.
Henrietta Donaldson was a rose gardener in Hobart before her sudden death at the age of 56. Ms Stephens said her sister Mary was keen to support the Heart Foundation's initiative to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease. Money will go to its work from each rose sold.

And from ABC News Online:
Princess Mary rose to raise heart health awareness

The benefits of healthy eating and exercise have been extolled by the sister of Danish Crown Princess Mary at the launch of a rose named in the Princess's honour.
Princess Mary's sister, Jane Stephens, helped launch the white rose in Hobart this morning.
For the next 20 years, $1 from the sale of each Crown Princess Mary rose will be donated to the Tasmanian branch of the Heart Foundation to raise education and awareness of heart disease in women.
Mrs Stephens says their mother was only 56 when she died.
"Nine years ago my mother passed away from a heart-related condition so it has become close to my heart," she said.
"I do encourage people to have a look at the rose and hopefully buy one and pop it into their garden and think of, not so much Crown Princess Mary, but what they can do to look after their health and help themselves a wee bit better."

B.T. also has the story in Danish 'Australsk rose opkaldt efter Mary'

Added November 28: The current Billed Bladet (#47) has a feature on the launch of the rose and talked to Mary's sisters Jane Stephens and Patricia Bailey. The translated story follows (many thanks Muhler!) plus photos published with the story.

We think of our mother each day.
“Mother loved roses and had many in her garden. Yesterday it was nine years ago that she died, but roses will always remind us of her. Through the roses she is still with us, and not a day goes by without us thinking about her”. It was Crown Princess Mary’s older sister, Jane Stephens, who cut the ribbon on Tuesday afternoon to launch the beautiful heart-shaped rose bed in front of the Wrest Point Hotel in Hobart, where 120 roses will bloom every year from now on. The rose which has been developed in South Australia is ivory coloured with a faint reddish glow and has the loveliest scent of honey. Just as Crown Princess Mary had a rose named after her last year in Denmark, Australians will now also have a “Crown Princess Mary Rose” and each time one is sold the Australian Heart Foundation in Tasmania will get one dollar towards the work of research and prevention of heart diseases.

Mary’s mother, Henrietta Donaldson, died after heart surgery in 1997 at only 56 years old.

“She was such a wonderful woman and there will always be so many questions, which you can only ask your mother”, said Jane, who like both Mary and her other sister, know how important it is to try and fight heart diseases.

“On average 220 Australian women die each week from heart disease. That’s 31 a day”, said the chairman of the Heart Foundation, Ian Gordon, who was the first speaker at the ceremony. It took place in bright sunshine, which Tasmanians had not been used to during the past days. During the weekend the temperature was not far above ten degrees C, but on Tuesday the summer showed itself again, which in particular delights Mary’s family, because they now for the next two weeks will be having a holiday with the Crown Prince Couple and their little Christian.

Mary’s other sister, Patricia, who also took part in the ceremony with her husband, Scott Bailey, told how both she and Jane have roses in the garden and that some will be shipped to Denmark.

“Roses are also Mary’s favorite flower”, she said.

That the family is looking forward to the visit from Denmark beamed from Mary’s sisters. Both along with their husbands have taken the next couple of weeks off from work, and Patricia said that their brother, John, will also come to Tasmania from Cairns in Queensland together with his wife and their two children.

“I haven’t seen Christian since the baptism and back then he was so very tiny”, said Patricia, who is never called anything but Trish in the family. “But I almost think that my children are even more excited . Michael is now 12, Madisson 11 and little Mollie is 4 years old. The two eldest will probably fight about holding him”, she said.

Jane, who is godmother to Christian also looked forward to the visit, just like her three children, Alexander, Erin and Kate. They were however not present at the rose-ceremony, as they had to attend their school.

On Tuesday evening Crown Prince Frederik arrived at Hobart and yesterday he and the whole of Mary’s family could bid her and little Christian welcome to Tasmania. For security reasons the Crown Prince does not fly with his son.

If Prince Christian, who is now 13 months old still hasn’t taken his first step it will probably happen here on his mother’s island of birth, which hisb aunt Patricia thought would be “terrific”.

“Now we’ll see how it goes”, she said.

The citizens of Hobart have for weeks been guessing about where the Crown Prince Couple will stay during their time in Tasmania, but even though Jane and Patricia were asked the question several times, they didn’t reveal anything with even a single word.

“It’s a secret, and we are good at holding our tounges”, they said with a big smile.

Photos of Jane, Patricia, Craig Stephens and Scott Bailey. The second last photo is of Mary's uncle and aunt John and Roy Pugh and the last is Jane with the head of the Heart Foundation in Tasmania, Ian Gordon.