Guess who? it's Christian that's who!

Arrival at Fredensborg Palace

From Billed Bladet (no. 20, 18 May 2007) – Prince Christian received them:

“Oh, look who’s standing there,” exclaimed a smiling Queen Margrethe as she was on the way up the stairs at Fredensborg Palace and saw her little grandson inside in the hall. Grandfather was also pleasantly surprised, as well as uncle Joachim and the Swedish royal guests, non of whom had expected to be received by the little eighteen month old Prince Christian, who seemed completely at ease on the stage. Wearing a grey windbreaker and with a little fire truck clenched in one hand, he just quietly waited for all of them to come inside, not least his dad, who was probably the only one in the crowd who knew about the “reception plan”.

Prince Christian was naturally not all by him self in the hall. His mother stood right beside him and the moment the royals swarmed inside Crown Princess Mary lifted him up in her arms, so the Swedish guests could greet him.

Crown Princess Victoria was one of the first to grab Christian’s little hand, just as his grandmother was quick to give him a pat on the cheek.

Crown Princess Mary did not take part in the Swedish state visit due to her maternity leave, but when the royal guests arrived at Fredensborg she popped over from Kancellihuset and up to the palace to greet them. Besides Christian she had also brought her little princess, but she slept through the all the commotion, even though everybody loudly admired her.

While the Swedish royal couple and Victoria were shown their rooms at the palace, Mary and Frederik drove back to Kancellihuset with the children. In the car was also Prince Joachim, so the three of them had a cosy time before the family lunch at the palace.

In the mean time, the little princess and her big brother were left in the care of the nanny. Christian was in high spirits after having proved that all that stuff about receiving royals really isn’t that difficult. (by Anna Johannesen and kindly translated by Muhler)

1) Uncle Joachim helps deliver Mary, Christian and Lille prinsesse to the front door of the palace 2) Billed Bladet helps us out with a big red arrow just in case we miss him! 3) "hello" all round 4) official photo. Princess Benedikte, Prince Joachim and Crown Princess Mary were given the Swedish Order of the Polar Star, Grand Cross, Sweden (Sv.N.Stj.1.) by King Carl Gustaf.

And from Her&Nu (no. 20, 18 May 2007) – Together again:

If there are two who get along well together it’s the Danish Crown Prince Frederik and the Swedish Crown Princess Victoria. His mother and her father are cousins, and just like the parents, the two of them have known each other since childhood and been through thick and thin together. It was indeed a very fond reunion between Frederik and Victoria at Toldboden which brought back memories of seven years ago, when they met at the inauguration of the Øresund Bridge. So together during the official visit they chatted whenever possible, among other things about Frederik’s Lillepige and Victoria’s godchild Prince Christian.

Our Crown Prince Frederik is pretty used to having a pretty Crown Princess like Mary by his side to share duties as well as pleasures. The Swedish heir to the throne Crown Princess Victoria is still going solo when she is on official business, so for her it was something new to have a crowned colleague by her side during the official engagements with Crown Prince Frederik during the Swedish state visit to Denmark.
Victoria and Frederik complemented each other, carrying out their duties as perfect partners who took everybody by storm where ever they went, with lots of laughter and high spirits. This was especially so among the young atlethes from the integretion project Get2sport in Idrættens Hus (the House of Sports). Here the Danish-Swedish crown prince and crown princess were received as if they were international stars like the soccer icon David Beckham and his pop idol wife Victoria. Everybody wanted to take pictures of Frederik and Victoria with the cameras in their mobile phones. And the young gentlemen who had an opportunity for a little chat with good spirited Victoria had problems hiding the fact they found the Swedish Crown Princess very charming. (by Maria Vejen Jung and kindly translated by Muhler)

1) At the ballet, Princess Elisabeth, Countess Sussie and Count Ingolf of Rosenborg (Elisabeth and Ingolf are brother and sister and children of Frederik IX's younger brother Knud, so are therefore cousins to Margrethe, Benedikte and Anne-Marie) 2) Mary's first lady-in-waiting, Victoria Bernstorff-Gyldensteen, her husband was accompanying the Swedish royal guests during the visit 3) an old photo of Queen Ingrid at the wedding of nephew Carl Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath in 1976, like Frederik and Mary, they met at the Munich Olympic Games 4) Queen Silvia places her bouquest below a portrait of the beloved Queen Ingrid 5) the two regent couples at the Town Hall in Malmö at the end of the state visit.

Swedish royals in Denmark: Day three

King Carl Gustaf, Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Prince Frederik visit Danish company Foss A/S Hillerød a provider of analytical instruments for the food, agricultural, chemical and pharmaceutical industries


Queen Silvia and Queen Margrethe visit the Ordrupgaard museum in Charlottenlund


Queen Silvia and Princess Benedikte visit the Memory Loss Clinic in the Neurology Unit at Rigshospitalet Hukommelsesklinikken


King Carl Gustaf, Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Prince Frederik visit Dansk Industri


King Carl Gustaf, Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Prince Frederik have lunch at Mikkelgaard Restaurant with Danish Food Minister Hans Christian Schmidt



Queen Silvia visits Royal Copenhagen



Queen Silvia and Princess Benedikte visit Plejehjemmet Lotte , assisted living re manufacture and marketing of innovative technical aids for the disabled, a particular interest of Princess Benedikte


TV2 gallery

King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik, Crown Princess Victoria, Crown Prince Frederik, and members of the Danish royal family participate in the Swedish return dinner held at the Town Hall in Malmö, Sweden (third largest city in Sweden connected to Denmark by the Öresund Bridge)



Added:

The Øresund region (the focus of the state visit)
The Øresund Region
Øresund guide
Øresund Network
Øresund Direkt
Øresund Region on wikipedia
Øresund map


Galleries:
Billed Bladet - 'Kongeligt statsbesøg'
Sydsvenskan.se - 'Kungligt besök'

TV2 galleries:
Photos by private citizens
Swedish royal family arrives in Copenhagen
Arrival at Fredensborg Palace
Frederik & Victoria at Idrættens Hus (emphasising integration)
Carl Gustaf & Silvia at Fritz Hansen
Frederik & Victoria at Ørestads Gymnasium (high school)
Frederik & Victoria at the Biovidenskabelige Fakultet (rapid microbiology)
Visit to Fields (shopping centre in the Ørestaden development)
Gala at Christiansborg
Opening of the Queen Ingrid exhibition at Amalienborg Museum (includes a display of several dozen of her gowns, includes a touching photo of Queen Silvia placing her bouquet under Queen Ingrid's portrait)
Carriage procession from Amalienborg to the Town Hall
Reception at Copenhagen Town Hall
At the Opera House for the ballet
Carl Gustaf, Victoria & Frederik visit Dansk Industri
Margrethe & Silvia at a nature reserve at Amager Fælled
Benedikte & Silvia at plejehjemmet "Lotte" (assisted living)
Silvia & Benedikte at Rigshospitalet's hukommelsesklinik
Press conference photos of Carl Gustaf & Silvia in Malmø
Return dinner at the Town Hall, Malmø, Sweden

See Madeleine Glindorf's website for many great photos on day 1 - Madeliene will be adding photos from days 2 and 3 this weekend


Video clips:

Politiken web TV (2:14)
B.T. web TV (1:50)
B.T. web TV (2:15)
TV2 clip (1:15)
TV2 Swedish RF - part 1 (25:00)
TV2 Swedish RF - part 2 (25:00)
TV2 Swedish RF - part 3 (24:00)
DR TV news (2:30)
DR TV news (1:04:00)
SVT web TV (2:35)
Berlingske Web TV (2:25) 'De kongelige overværer Øresundsting' - opening of the Øresund IT university

Articles:
Hello magazine 'Victoria and Frederik share repartee on Denmark visit'
Sydsvenskan.se 'Kungaparet möttes av nyfikna Malmöbor' (Swedish)

From The Copenhagen Post:

An Øresund ABC

11 May 2007
Seven years after the opening of a bridge between Denmark and Sweden, the borderland between the two countries is coming into its own as a distinct region.

Bridges always make good symbols. Whether printing them on our currencies or speaking metaphorically about building them - crossing them or even burning them, the bridge carries with it a connotation of opportunity and ambition.

During the welcome dinner of the current state visit by the Swedish royal family in Denmark, both the Swedish king and the Danish queen made references to the Øresund Bridge, which joins Copenhagen with southern Sweden. But those remarks could just as well refer to the cultural bond that Øresund Bridge has helped create in developing a distinct cross-border region.

On 1 July 2000, the same two monarchs met to dedicate the new Øresund Bridge connecting their kingdoms. Though the feuds of yesteryear had long since been put to rest, the 16 km-wide Øresund strait had served as a border between the two since Denmark lost control of its provinces in what is now southern Sweden in the 17th century.

Until the bridge opened, crossing the Øresund required travelling by ferry. Though Swedish could often be heard on the streets of the Danish capital, it was mostly lower prices that made the one-hour ride worth the effort. For Danes, Sweden's port city of Malmö remained undiscovered.

Today 14,000 people commute between Denmark and Sweden either by rail or car. Though Swedes remain Swedes and Danes remain Danes, the concept of an 'Øresundite' is fast becoming a part of the consciousness of people living on both sides.

A is for Architecture
Both Copenhagen and Malmö have coupled the construction of the bridge with the creation of new city districts. While Malmö's officials have thought in grand terms - turning its waterfront area into the site of Scandinavia's largest building with another skyscraper yet to follow - Copenhagen's ambitions have focused more on the architecturally unique.

What is now known as the Ørestad area in Copenhagen was nothing more than few wind-swept fields until construction on the bridge began. Since then, a futuristic, driverless underground train and a sleek glass and steel university addition have come along, while remarkable buildings designed by names such as Jean Nouvel, Henning Larsen and Daniel Liebeskind are nearing completion.

It is expected that within 20 years some 60,000 people will be working in the district - 20,000 as residents and another 20,000 attending the area’s educational facilities.

Plans for the third and final stage of the Ørestad district were unveiled late last year and will feature buildings that can serve as architectural milestones for the future - including a T-shaped structure designed by Steven Holl, who was named by Time Magazine as the US's 'best living architect.'

Jens Kramer Mikkelsen, Copenhagen’s former Lord Mayor and the current managing director of the Ørestad Development Corporation, described the goal of what will be the city's biggest development programme in a century.

‘Our ambitions are high. One hundred years from now, people shouldn’t wonder what we were thinking when we did this.’

B is for Biotech
Medicon Valley, the collective name for the cluster of life science institutions ringing the Øresund, has its medical research roots in Carlsberg Brewery's research there during the late 1800s. While a number of the region's pharmaceuticals date back to the early 20th century, it was only in the late 1990s that public authorities in both countries began to actively market the area as a collective entity.

The effort has worked. In addition to major international companies such as AstraZeneca on the Swedish side and Novo Nordisk on the Danish side, the region is home to hundreds of biotech firms of all sizes. Complimented by a high density of universities, hospitals and other bio-medical institutions, Medicon Valley attracts more foreign direct investment in life sciences than any other European region.

C is for commuting
Before the bridge opened, the there were less than 3000 daily commuters across the Øresund. In the hype surrounding the ribbon cutting, promoters suggested that with the geographical barrier removed, traffic between the two countries would take off. It didn't.

For the first two years, the numbers remained stagnant. At one point, a TV reporter even broadcast from the centre lane of the bridge during mid-day to talk about the low numbers of people crossing it. Business and tourism organisations gave the blame to the bridge's exorbitant DKK 245 (EUR 34) one-way toll.

While there is still plenty of grumbling about the toll, a number of other factors - including a hot job market in Denmark, lower housing prices in Sweden, and the simple fact that people are used to the idea of being able to drive to another country - have all helped boost trans-Øresund travel. Last year the number of people commuting from Malmö to Copenhagen increased to 14,000 from 10,000. And it is forecast to reach 20,000 by 2012.

Traffic in the other direction has also increased, though instead of weekday commuters it is more likely to be Danish weekend guests taking advantage of lower prices, stores staying open on holidays and the thrill of visiting Sweden's forests and raw nature.

'Sweden,' Queen Margrethe observed during Wednesday's state dinner, 'is both different and comfortable for us Danes.' The increasing number of people living, working and recreating on both sides of the bridge would seem to indicate that the same holds true for Swedes as well.CP

Swedish royals in Denmark: Day two

King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria visited the Swedish Church in København


King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik, Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Benedikte attend the exhibition "Queen Ingrid" at Christian VIII's Palace, Amalienborg.


King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik and Crown Prince Frederik in carriage procession accompanied by the Hussar Guards Regiment from Amalienborg to the Copenhagen City Hall for an official reception


TV2 gallery - 34 TV captures of the ride to the City Hall
Berlingske video clip (01:18)

King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik and Crown Prince Frederik visit Ørestaden and the many parts of the development. Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Prince Frederik will break off from the regent couples a couple of times during the visit

Inauguration of Øresundstinget, an IT university


Queen Margrethe, King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, and Prince Henrik visit Tietgen, a student hostel


Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Victoria visit Orestad High School on the day of the inauguration of the school


Visiting the media workshop at Orestad High School


Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia visit a nature reserve on the island Amager


Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik, King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, and Crown Prince Frederik visit Field's, Scandinavia's largest shopping centre


TV2 gallery - more photos from the visit to the shopping centre

King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik, Crown Prince Frederik and members of the Danish royal family attend a Royal Ballet performance of Stravinksy's Rite of Spring


From The Copenhagen Post:

A royal family get together

10 May 2007
Sweden's king - the cousin to Denmark's queen - is making his first state visit to Denmark in over three decades.
With references to past wars, Pippi Longstocking, close political and economic ties - and their common ancestor - Denmark's Queen Margrethe II welcomed her guest, King Carl XVI Gustav, to Denmark for his first state visit here in 32 years Wednesday.
The two monarchs are both grandchildren of Sweden's King Gustav VI Adolf, and meet often for family events, but the last time Sweden's king made a state visit to Denmark was in 1975, as a bachelor and newly crowned regent.
The focus of the current visit will be the integration of the Øresund Region, a cross-border area surrounding the Øresund Strait, separating the two kingdoms. At the end of the three-day visit in Denmark, the Swedish royal family will host the Danes in the city of Malmö, Sweden, which has developed into a suburb of Copenhagen.
In addition to Swedish Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria, three ministers from the Swedish government are included in the entourage, emphasising the close relations between the two countries, as well as the importance of the visit.CP