Mary & her twins enjoy close family but remain in hospital

Photo © Billed Bladet | Jesper Sunesen: Frederik busy going between the palace and the hospital

In Denmark today there is no information yet on when Crown Princess Mary and the twins might be leaving hospital. This is no doubt a good thing since it should be the health of the twins and their mother which determines the media schedule, not the other way around. Billed Bladet reports that at 9:30 this morning Crown Prince Frederik has taken Prince Christian and Princess Isabella to visit their mother and their new brother and sister. It is reported that yesterday in the evening Mary had a quiet time with just family visitors and her sister Jane, who stayed with her for around 8 hours. Billed Bladet has since reported that after a two hour visit with Mary and the twins, Crown Prince Frederik returned the children to Amalienborg Palace with a tear stained Isabella in his arms. The older children have been separated from their mother since Saturday and Frederik, in collaboration with John Donaldson, Susan Moody and the children's nannies are trying to ensure that Christian and Isabella are doing as well as can be at home at Amalienborg.

Billed Bladet Christian and Isabella enjoy a cosy morning with Mary

12 January 2011 | Ulrik Ulriksen

There is every indication that Mary will not leave the University Hospital today after her oldest royal rugrats have been visiting.

This morning Crown Prince Frederik picked up Prince Christian and Princess Isabella at Amalienborg Palace so that they could visit Rigshospitalet's maternity ward to be together with Mary and twins.

Christian was in top form as he arrived at the hospital at half past nine in the morning. Christian and Isabella had a couple of large teddy bears with them...

The Crown Princess spent a snug evening yesterday with visits from immediate family: Frederik took Christian, Isabella and her father John Donaldson plus her eldest sister Jane. Jane in particular was with Mary and the twins at the maternity ward for almost eight hours.

B.T. Snuck in with Christian and Isabella:

Mary's sister in secret visit to the hospital

KARINA SVEN FARM Tuesday, 11 January 2011, 17:22

The twins are already a major attraction within the family. On Tuesday afternoon Christian and Isabella visited again. And Mary's stepmother had visited earlier. And yesterday Mary's sister was in the hospital for nine hours.

The noses of hyper-attentive Danish journalists and photographers and the Australian newspaper The Mercury [ie: News Ltd's Lucy Carne 'syndicated' to 9 or more masts] spotted Mary's sister Jane Stephens at Rigshospitalet.

Since the jungle drums sounded, she made more than a 24-hour-long trip from Tasmania to Denmark to see the new family members, the press has pretty well been on our toes. But in vain.

Jane Stephens landed on Monday and subsequently spent nine hours at the hospital in the company of her sister, her brother-in-law and the newborns.

She arrived at the hospital in one of the royal family's cars, but did not want to talk to the press which were present. She had a large gift from a local children's store with her.

At 20.45, Jane left the hospital again, this time in the company of Prince Christian, Princess Isabella and their father the Crown Prince.

Late on Tuesday afternoon, Christian and Isabella once again visited their new siblings.

Photo © B.T./Jeppe Michael Jensen

The Courier Mail Mary and twins preparing to go home
Female First.uk Princess Mary and twins to leave hospital

Billed Bladet Isabella sad at leaving Mary
Digital Journal Opinion: Danish monarchy shines, while politics sputters
The Huffington Post Princess Mary Gives Birth To Twins In Copenhagen
CBS News Celebrity Circuit Denmark's Crown Princess Gives Birth to Twins
The Examiner Danish royal twins greeted with joy and passports
Aol News Danish Crown Princess Gives Birth to Twins

TV2 gallery - an interesting look at what some of the world press made of Mary's twin's birth


DRFGarden YouTube of Frederik's press conference (12:20)
TV2 early news report from TV2. The media is ready for the twins to leave hospital, but are they?

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

Frederik's 40th party at the Orangery

The final celebration of Crown Prince Frederik's 40th took place on Saturday night and well into Sunday. It was Crown Princess Mary who organised the party for 140 guests in the Orangery at Fredensborg Palace. The guests were entertained by jazz music during the evening and Frederik preferred that there were no speeches. But a later report is that there were speeches in Danish anyway. But there were lots of entertainments in the form of songs from friends and also from Mary. One of them was written by Jarl Friis-Mikkelsen, and was sung with great enthusiasm by five friends and performed in the style of a boy band. Frederik joined in on the harmonica. Late in the evening the party moved from the Orangery to the garden behind Chancellery House in a marquee and with a band. Drinks were served with ice cubes of Greenlandic inland ice, which the Royal House had bought in Copenhagen earlier in the week at the Greenlandic specialist store Butik Kamik. At 5:00am on Sunday morning the last guests slipped away from the party. According to this article, Mary wrote and sang a song for her husband at the party with the help of a well-known Danish composer and friend of the DRF, Bent Fabricius-Bjerre (see report below).

There is media speculation that the attendance of Daniel Westling with Crown Princess Victoria is a signal that another royal wedding is imminent. Daniel and Victoria have been to a number of private royal events together, including the 60th birthday of King Carl Gustav (Sweden).

According to Amber Petty, who works on a breakfast radio show in Adelaide, she gave Frederik some South Austalian wines as a gift the night before the party. The dress she wore was by a local designer. It is a "cherry-red georgette, strapless cocktail length dress with a beaded bodice and soft waterfall cut skirt". Amber is staying at Chancellory House with the Crown Prince Family and will remain holidaying for another two and a half weeks.

Mary and Frederik, John and Susan Donaldson, Princess Alexandra S-W-B and Count Jefferson, Carina Axelsson and Prince Gustav, Tatiana Blatnik and Prince Nikolaos, Mette-Marit and Haakon, Daniel Westling and Victoria, Amber Petty, the Orangery on Saturday evening:




Preben Kristensen and Søren Hedegaard, Søren Hedegaard, Anja Camilla Aladji and partner, Hella Joof and Ellen Hillingsø, Peter Warnøe and Julie Tholstrup, Rikke Juul and Julie Mølsgaard, Jean and Ditlev Ahlefeldt-Laurvig, Helle Reedtz-Thott and Otto Reedtz-Thott, Rose Gad Foss and Holger Foss, Tanja Kjærsgaard Doky and Chris Minh Doky, Caroline and Peter Heering:




MSN Starlounge 'Alt om fødselsdagen: Jarl og Mary sang for Frederik' - Everything about the birthday: Jarl and Mary sang for Frederik
Crown Princess Mary secretly prepared her own completely personal present for Crown Prince Frederik - a song! According to MSN Starlounge's information she had allied herself with Bent Fabricius-Bjerre and written a song for her man.
During the evening she sang it for him to one of Bent's old tunes.
Several of the visitors told MSN Starlounge that it was the evening's absolute climax, and that Frederik - that many other visitors - shed a tear hearing Mary's song.
"It was so romantic," a visitor said.
Frederik's 40th birthday was full of experiences.
After a beautiful menu in the Orangery the visitors moved late in the evening to Kancellihuset...
Here entertainment began with Jarl Friis-Mikkelsen, who also sang for Frederik.
Then Anne Linnet sang some classics...
Frederik's good friend Lars H.U.G. played some songs...
About midnight Alex Nyborg Madsen's band Led Zeppelin Jam got going.
Later a DJ took over and played all Frederik's favourite songs including from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns N' Roses.
"It was incredibly cosy, and the guests looked as if they realy had fun," Alex said when he left Fredensborg Slot...The last guest left Kancellihuset at 5am.

Billed Bladet 'Mary strålede til Frederiks fest' - Mary shone at Frederik's Party
¡Hola!

Billed Bladet photo gallery
B.T. photo gallery
Søren Steffen

Added: Her&Νu video clip (reporter Karen Balselv and camera Kasper Wenstrup)

(thanks gudinde, sissi and jema!)

Frederik's surprise party on the Dannebrog

Billed Bladet, B.T. and other Danish media reported Crown Prince Frederik celebrated his 40th birthday with a surprise private party on the Royal Yacht Dannebrog with his wife, parents, his parents-in-law and close friends. Instead of sailing, the Dannebrog lay at its usual buoy in Copenhagen's harbour because the weather was too heavy out on the Øresund on the day. They were no less festive however and still have another larger party to celebrate this coming Saturday evening in the Orangery at Fredensborg Palace.

After appearing on the balcony at Amalienborg Frederik thought that the rest of the day was to go quietly according to plan. But aboard the Dannebrog preparations were ready for a party to celebrate his 40th. A large cake, presents, flowers and wine were carried on board when the ship docked near Holmen. Because of the rough weather the ship had to return to its harbour mooring where 37 family and close friends boarded via the royal yacht's barge from Toldboden. According to reports the final happy visitors left the ship again at about 2:00am. Newly married brother Joachim and his bride Marie were not present, and will not be on Saturday either, since they are on their honeymoon.

Added: A couple more details from Billed Bladet (22, 2008) '40 fin og festlig' - 40 fine and festive (the usual expression 'Fyrre, fed og færdig' = Forty, fat and finished, by Anna Johannesen)
Frederik's birthday cake was in the shape of a sailing boat, complete with a number of marzipan guardsmen as mates. The cake was made by Miachael the conscript baker onboard Dannebrog.
It was Frederik himself who wished to celebrate his birthday onboard Dannebrog and the plan was to sail up the sound between Denmark and Sweden, but that unfortunately had to be cancelled because the weather was heavy and windy. This was presumably in consideration of the waiters and less 'seaworthy' guests as Danneborg has braved much worse weather many times before.
The biggest problem with the guests was the wind, rain and wet cobble stones (think stilletos) in getting them onboard safely.



Above: The Queen, Prince Henrik, John and Susan Donaldson, Frederik and Mary board the barge at Toldboden.



Above from top: Holger Foss and Rose Gad, Peter Warnøe and girlfriend Julia Tholstrup, Count Ditlev Ahlefeldt-Laurvig and wife Countess Jean, Ellen Hillingsø's (behind) cousin and Mary's friend Rikke Juel Brandt, Jeppe and Birgitte Handwerk, Elisabeth Buchwald (left) and Julie Mølsggard, Helle Reedtz-Thott in a Henrik Hviid dress and with husband Baron Otto Reedtz-Thott, Ellen Hillingsø, Jørgen and Malou Skeel, Caroline and Peter Heering.

Photos © Hanne Juul/Billed Bladet and Hello/Rex

Billed Bladet photo gallery
Hello! magazine 'Frederik and Mary set sail for a royal 40th birthday party at sea'

And a little more from the Amalienborg balcony from Bunte.de





International Herald Tribune ' Thousands of Danes congratulate Crown Prince Frederik on 40th birthday'
The Associated Press - May 26, 2008
COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Thousands of Danes have gathered outside the royal palace in Copenhagen to congratulate Crown Prince Frederik on his 40th birthday.
Throngs of well-wishers were braving pouring rain Monday in the square outside the Amalienborg Palace.
The prince waved to the cheering crowd from a balcony together with his wife, Australian-born Crown Princess Mary, and their children: 2-year-old Prince Christian and 1-year-old Princess Isabella.
Frederik's parents, Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik, also joined in the celebrations.
The Copenhagen Post 'Poll: prince 'good guy' should wait to be king'

Madeleine Glindorf's gallery from the Amalienborg balcony
Søren Steffen's Amalienborg gallery

(Thanks Muhler!)