Margrethe, Henrik, Frederik & Mary @ the Fredensborg fakkeltog

8th April,2010: One of the nice traditions at Fredensborg is the fakkeltog. It is a torchlight procession at 9pm (fakkeltog) in which the towns-people of Fredensborg go in torchlight procession into the inner courtyard of Fredensborg Palace to greet the Regent Couple on their spring return to the palace from their winter 'quarters' at Amalienborg. Fredensborg mayor Thomas Lykke Pedersen made the official welcome and the Queen responded with her thanks. Frederik and Mary often join the Queen and the Prince Consort for this ceremony and did so in this special birthday year.



Photos © Martin Høien/Billed Bladet, Allan Nørregaard/Sjællands Nyheder

Billed Bladet - including photo gallery
SjællandsNyheder.dk
SjællandsNyheder.dk photo gallery

Queen Margrethe's birthday press conference @ Fredensborg

Tarriq Mikkel Khan/POLFOTO

8 April,2010: Queen Margrethe had a busy day on April 8 with the 'Margrethe 2' exhibition opening at Amalienborg Museum during the morning and a press conference in the afternoon at Fredensborg. The traditional Fakkeltog followed in the evening. At the press conference Queen Margrethe said "I have been overwhelmed that so many want to celebrate me. It isn't only the many years I have lived, but also the many years I have functioned as Queen for Denmark that is being celebrated."

"As long as I have the strength, I do not want to slow down. There are so many tasks and events that I think are exciting and important that I want to continue to take on myself," was Her Majesty's response to questions about whether she intends to slow down her pace now that she reaches 70 years of age.

She also emphasised that it has been a great experience to watch the many documentaries and books about her life that have been shown and published recently in connection with her birthday.

The Queen welcomed the large number of journalists in attendance with Prince Henrik at her side, in the Garden Room at Fredensborg Palace. After about 10 minutes Prince Henrik left the press conference, before the journalists started asking questions. On his way out the Prince Consort gave the Queen a hug and a kiss.

The Queen was asked where she stands on smoking since 14,000 a year die in relation to smoking. “But I’m a smoker and that’s not a secret. So I do so” the Queen said with a combination laugh and cough.



Photos © Hasse Ferrold/International Club Copenhagen

TV2 - video
TV2 - video, the smoking question
hola.com

Thanks gudinde, commoner and Hasse!

Margrethe, Henrik, Frederik & Mary @ Amalienborg exhibition opening

8 April 2010: Queen Margrethe, Henrik, the Prince Consort, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary took part in the opening of the exhibition “Margrethe 2nd” at the Amalienborg Museum in Christian VIII's palace, Amalienborg. The exhibition tells the story of the Queen’s 70 years through photos, clothing and other memorabilia. Frederik and Mary surprised tourists in Amalienborg Square by walking across from Frederik VIII's Palace (their new future home in Copenhagen) to Christian VIII's where the museum is located. They then waited for the arrival of the Queen and Prince Henrik.



Photos © Tarriq Mikkel Khan/POLFOTO

MSN Starlounge gallery

Margrethe @ "Queen Margrethe II - A Life's Work" exhibition in Viborg

7th April 2010: As part of the celebrations for the Queen's birthday Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik opened an exhibition "Queen Margrethe II - A life-work" comprising the Queen's own art from childhood to today at Skovgaard Museum in Viborg. The Queen's works from her earliest drawings to her latest paintings are included. Apart from paintings, the exhibition has book illustrations done by the Queen, costumes she has designed and embroidered works including a clerical robe and cushions.



Photos © TV2 and Amtsavisen.dk

Amtsavisen.dk gallery - shows the works in the exhibition
Billed Bladet - about an interview in which the Queen talks about when she realised what she did was something called 'art', although she has always considered it very private
TVMidWest.dk - video links (right) to an interview with the Queen and the opening of the exhibition
photos by Lars Holm

Marking Queen Margrethe's birthday

Official 70th birthday portrait by Tine Harden

• A new stamp has been released to mark the Queen's birthday - reported here on Lokalavisen.dk - with stamps available from Post Danmark for the keen stamp collectors

• The National History Museum at Frederiksborg Castle has a portrait exhibition of Queen Margrethe for three months. The portrait exhibition marks the Queen's 70th birthday with a special exhibition portraying her official and private life, connecting her life story with events in Danish history.

• The Danish Royal Court has released an official portrait and logo to mark the birthday here. Here is a very large version - advise don't download if you are on dial-up

• The program for the Queen's birthday celebrations

• The program for the Royal Gala at the Royal Theatre

• The program for April 16, the Queen's birthday which will include a balcony appearance at Amalienborg, a carriage ride to Copenhagen Town Hall followed by a reception and then a private dinner and dance at Fredensborg Palace which will be attended by many royal guests among others
  

Photos and logo © Kongehuset.dk/Tine Harden/Poul Bjørn

JV.dk story about Ronny Andersen, one of the designers of new coins to mark Queen Magrethe's birthday. He is known as a heraldist, a designer of coats of arms (he did Crown Princess Mary's) but has branched out into coin design for the Royal Danish Mint. He made a design of a bed of daisies for the royal coat of arms on the reverse side of the gold and silver coins. The daisies honour Queen Margrethe's name and her name among family and friends - Daisy.
Royal Danish Mint - you can order the coins
TV2's special birthday page
Billed Bladet - a photo gallery 'Mary makes Margrethe smile'
Post & Tele Museum Danmark - for those interested in stamps, 132 stamp portraits of Margrethe from the age of one, click on 'Næste side' to move through the gallery
Jyllands Posten gallery - birthday balcony appearances
Jyllands Posten gallery - private Margrethe
Berlingske Tidende - google translation 'Fra solskinsprinsesse til farmor'
Jyllands Posten -an interview with Frederik and Joachim in advance of their mother's birthday in which they say their mother and father are a perfect match. Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik fit together like two pieces of a puzzle pieces. Prince Henrik gives the Queen's life a balance in both private and public, say their sons.

For Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim their parents' marriage is a perfect match. Prince Henrik's support has been very important to the Queen through their 42 year marriage," say the princes in an interview with Ritzau newsagency before the Queen's 70th birthday on April 16.
"I am delighted that my mother finds an indispensable partner in my father. He can give both loving and professional advice when she faces a challenge," says Crown Prince Frederik... and Prince Joachim agrees. "In the early years the Prince Consort helped the Queen in overcoming shyness which she herself has said troubled her. My father is calm, so he influenced her not to find challenging situations so confronting," says Prince Joachim.

Crown Prince Frederik recognises that same feeling in his marriage to Crown Princess Mary. "I've felt less alone since the Crown Princess has been by my side. She stands beside me and has another way from me which means we complements each other.

Berlingske Tidende gallery - Margrethe's childhood and adolescence
Berlingske Tidende gallery - Margrethe, family and love
Berlingske Tidende gallery - Margrethe's joys and sorrows
Berlingske Tidende gellery - Margrethe and sport
Berlingske Tidende gallery - Margrethe and travel
Berlingske Tidende gallery - Margrethe and her exciting hats

hellomagazine.com - 'Intimate details of Queen Margrethe's younger years revealed in new books'
hellomagazine.com - 'Denmark gets ready to celebrate the 70th birthday of Queen Margrethe'

*****

In the lead up to the birthday there have been many articles and special retrospective photo galleries published, including this from Billed Bladet, based on a new book Margrethe, My Life in Images, published at the end of last month.

Billed Bladet reported that, according to the Queen, Mary had changed her relationship with Frederik and gives a tribute to Mary for bringing her closer to her son.

"I think I have become closer to the Crown Prince since he got married than I ever was before," says a happy Queen and proud mother in a new book. "I am extremely pleased, not only for her efforts, but also for her as a person. And then she is very good for her husband and he thrives on it, that you can see!" Queen Margrethe is enthusiastic in her praise of her daughter-in-law, Mary. This appears in the book Margrethe, My Life in Images, published in late March. It is rare that the Queen talks about her private relationship with the rest of the royal family. Such remarks and reflections are usually kept within the castle walls. But the Queen is so enthusiastic about Crown Princess Mary that she almost bubbles over with enthusiasm and is more than happy to talk about her daughter-in-law. Mary has done Frederik a lot of good, and this his mother can easily see, which of course she is happy about. Some of the uncertainty that characterised the Crown Prince, is much improved and it's thanks to Mary, says the Queen. What mother would not be enthusiastic about such a daughter-in-law? says Billed Bladet. There is no terrible daughter-in-law to separate mother and son the Queen joked animatedly.

No one knew in advance who Crown Prince Frederik would choose as a girlfriend and of course his mother was anxious. "I have to say that I'm so happy with the Crown Prince's choice. The Crown Princess has now had several years in Denmark, and ... well, I just think she does it so well," said the Queen in the book, and continues "I am so happy for her, and we have a very, very cosy and comfortable ease together."

There is one person Frederik is annoyed that Mary never met. It was his grandmother, Queen Ingrid. It also irks Queen Margrethe. In the book Margrethe, My Life in Images by Helle Bygum she says it directly: "I am so sorry that my mother never got to experience her, because I think my mom would have really appreciated her. I think also that Frederik is quite aware of that. He arrived home from Australia before mother died, and what they said to each other, I did not know. And I still do not know." (Queen Ingrid was very weak and ill when Frederik arrived back in Denmark after visiting Mary in Australia in November 2000, following their initial meeting in September 2000 during the Sydney Olympics.)

Crown Princess Mary is in general an important person in the royal family. She does a great job with her foundations and patronages and with all the organisations she is involved in. It is a fulltime job for the industrious Crown Princess, who prepares thoroughly for every event. In the DR TV series Inside the Monarchy (which has been a year in the life of the DRF broadcast recently on Danish TV) there is clip from a working meeting between Mary and her two ladies-in-waiting, Tanja Doky and Caroline Heering. Here they are planning Mary’s participation in an event on sustainable fashion, and it is Mary, who is in charge. "I think we should have a word with them. I am not an expert on sustainable fashion. Perhaps a more relevant person should be standing there, Mary says honestly, who doesn't wish to put herself forward just for the sake of it, but of course always makes an effort when it is needed (Mary ended up making the speech). There are many demands on Mary but ultimately it is she who decides what she wants do. "It's not as if one says: You must get up at eight o'clock and have lunch at 12 noon. We are planning our own calendar, we are planning our own lives. It is we who control it," the Queen explains. It is clear that Crown Princess Mary is a diligent, conscientious member of the Danish royal family. Her mother-in-law knows this, and Queen Margrethe loves her for it.

Queen Margrethe is also very much pleased about Prince Joachim's choice of wife, she also reveals in the book Margrethe: My life in pictures. The Queen says "It should be no secret that I think I have gotten two very, very sweet daughters-in-law. I think both the Crown Princess and Princess Marie do incredibly well. Later the Queen continues "Both my daughters-in-law are pretty and dark-haired, and one can describe them as similar, but they are very different people, as they do indeed come from two completely different countries. One comes out of an Australian, and in many ways British, background because her parents are Scottish, and Princess Marie comes out of a very French family. But it is a great pleasure to get in the French one more time."

More to come tomorrow, it's past bed time on this side of the planet!
Many thanks to commoner, gudinde, cph, mitchell and aus73 :)

Queen Margrethe's birthday celebrations

Photo: DR.dk/JJ Films

Queen Margrethe will turn 70 on April 16. We are familiar with the annual birthday greeting, usually on the balcony at Amalienborg, but it is a tradition to make a bit more of the celebration when it is a significant number. We saw this in 2008 for Crown Prince Frederik's 40th birthday. A monarch's birthday is one of those occasions when private and public merge. It becomes a moment to celebrate the qualities of the person who embodies her own individuality, her position as the head of her royal house, with all its own traditions and deep connection to Denmark as a nation and her position as head of state in one of the most stable constitutional monarchies in the world. It is altogether a celebration of Margrethe and Denmark: and there will be another 'big number' to celebrate in 2012 with the anniversary of her 40 year reign.

The celebrations so far demonstrate Margrethe's popularity, although this is not to say there are not some in Denmark who wish for a Danish republic. The figure has been roughly around 20% over recent years, which leaves Margrethe and the Danish royal family with the highest approval ratings of any royal family in Europe. Some recent stories in Jyllands Posten suggest more transparency in accounting is being sought by the Social Democrats and some republican protesters have been denied a place by the police in Amalienborg Square to protest their views on the Queen's birthday. The police have stated it is for their own protection since the square is expected to be very crowded with people there to celebrate the Queen. The protesters will demonstrate nearby. Debate about the costs of maintaining a royal head of state or an elected or appointed head of state is not unique to Denmark. The costs of national representatives are probably fairly similar whether under a constitutional monarchy or a republic (with added costs of elections). It is clear that a large majority of Danes value their royal family and all that it represents historically and traditionally to Danish identlity.

Margrethe Alexandrine Þorhildur Ingrid was born at Amalienborg on April 16, 1940 to King Frederik IX and Swedish-born Queen Ingrid. The Heir Apparent acceded to the throne on the death of her father on January 14, 1972 and proclaimed her motto as "God’s help, the love of The People, Denmark’s strength". There are various events and observances as part of the celebrations including the release of a new stamp, coins, a television special about Margrethe and Denmark, various exhibitions, a birthday press conference and official and private galas. There is also extensive coverage in the media.

The DR documentary - The Queen's Denmark - screened on April 5. The documentary was made over four years as the Queen visited the places in Denmark which have meant most to her. The Queen herself is the narrator and it is beautifully shot by the JJ Films crew (yes, Jacob Jørgensen's company, father-in-law to Countess Alexandra, former wife of Prince Joachim). Jacob Jørgensen and Ulrik Wivel directed the program.

Queen Margrethe talks about her passions for culture and history, recounts her many memories linked to different places such as Trend in north west Jutland, Gråsten and Greenland. She talks about her relationship with her father King Frederik and about her marriage to Prince Henrik. The film features previously unpublished reflections on the Queen's strong personal affiliation to Denmark.

The film's director Jacob Jørgensen says "The intention of the film is to show the Queen's very special and warm relationship with Denmark. It is unparalleled that we have insight into the Queen's thoughts about her childhood, about the family and about the job as regent at the same time as we see the places which have meant a great deal to the Queen throughout her life. We have had quite a funny and also exciting collaboration together to make the film."

You can see JJ Films' trailer here on Youtube and the program itself can still be viewed on DR's player here. The program is just under one hour and although it is all in Danish you can get a strong sense of the Queen's deep connection to Denmark, to her sense of human history and nature all about her, to her quite tender reflections about her father and his pride and confidence in her to do the job as regent, remarks about the Danish language (which she finds beautiful) and so on. The cottage she shows us is Trend, a hunting lodge set in deep forest by the north western shore of Jutland. She describes how pleasurable it was as a child to just step outside and be walking in the grass - something special for someone brought up in various castles. Trend is now a favoured place for Frederik and Mary to go for short family breaks. The Queen had an inspirational teacher who introduced her to archeology and she also mentions her Swedish grandfather's encouragement (King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden 1882-1973) of her childhood interest in rocks and nature, where humans have left their mark everywhere just under foot. It is a lovely film with insight not only into the Queen's inner life but also shows us something of Denmark. She says in her youth she might have liked to have been an archeologist, but that changed as she got older when she became more artistic in her private pursuits. She became reconciled to her fate to become regent in her late teens and knew she would always have her deep sense of duty and connection to Denmark. The music featured in the documentary was written and performed by well-known musician Chris Minh Doky, Frederik's friend and husband to Mary's lady-in-waiting Tanja Doky.

DR's The Queen's Denmark (56.00)

Happy 75th for Prince Henrik

Today Prince Henrik celebrates his 75th birthday. Born in France, he has lived in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Paris, London and, of course, Denmark. Henrik is a most interesting consort, who speaks multiple languages and has talents including author, poet, sculptor, pianist, cook, sailor, tennis player and winemaker. By his own admission, Henrik was a strict father, but appears to be a very attentive and fondly loving grandfather to his now five grandchildren Nikolai, Felix, Christian, Isabella and the yet-to-be-named newborn prince of Joachim and Marie. Henrik doesn't come out top in royal family popularity surveys among Danes (maybe it is his imperfect Danish accent? although his knowledge of the language is said to be superior, or, his 'Frenchness'?), but he has been a loving and supportive husband to Queen Margrethe and dutiful as her consort for 42 years. The Regent couple celebrated their 42nd anniversary yesterday. He is popular among journalists who cover the royals and see him regularly up close for his good humour and ability to put people at their ease. But some recent opinion polls have not been so kind (...more to come). This morning there was the traditional birthday morning greeting to Prince Henrik from family, members of the court and friends at Fredensborg Palace and it was followed later by a parade by Royal Guards and the Music Corps.



Photos © Hanne Juul/Billed Bladet, Jesper Sunesen/Billed Bladet, Lars Laursen/Billed Bladet, Martin Høien/Billed Bladet, Keld Navntof/Berlingske Tidende, Thomas Lekfeldt/EB

More to come, including on opinion polls, Henrik's dogs and more on his birthday