Happy birthday Nikolai!

A belated happy birthday to Prince Nikolai who turned nine on August 28. Nikolai began in Grade 4 at Kreb's School two weeks ago and two days later Prince Felix began at Kreb's Pre-School. Nikolai is reported to be very active on bicycle, skateboard, tennis and so forth.


Above: Steen Brogaard birthday pics, Nikolai's smiley first day at school and the Ecco Walkathon with Countess Alexandra, Martin Jørgensen Felix, friends and Winston.

Billed Bladet 'Nikolai gav den gas på første skoledag' - Nikolai puts his foot on the accelerator for first day at school
Billed Bladet 'Prins Nikolai fylder 9 år' - Prince Nikolai turns 9
Nikolai celebrated his birthday both at school and at home.

Billed Bladet 'Nikolai flået omkuld af cockerspaniel' - Prince Nikolai had a bit of a fall, saved by step-dad Martin, when he got mixed up in Winston's leash and the friends near him on the family's traditional Ecco Walkathon over the weekend.

B.T. photo gallery - from babyhood to now

Photos © Steen Brogaard and Billed Bladet

Princes playing

Here is a lovely little story from Billed Bladet (no. 13, 1 April, 2008) 'Slog smut med far' – Skipp[ing] stones with Dad.

The Crown Prince Couple’s Easter holiday ended with Christian yet again seeing how you skip stones. This time, as it was at the North Sea last summer, that Frederik found the flat stones and while he made it jump elegantly across the water beside the small ferry terminal, Christian looked on in admiration. The family dog was in on it too, for the border collie Ziggy was also at the waters edge.

After a few days at grandmother's and grandfather's (farmor & farfar) at Marselisborg, Frederik and Mary and the children left Århus on Easter Monday. The first part of the trip home to Fredensborg went via the Mols ferry to Odden and from there to Rørvig where a place on the very point of the small ferry had been reserved on the trip to Hundested. It was Frederik himself who sat behind the wheel in the family four-wheel drive, an Audi Q7, but before the royal family could embark there was time to both air Ziggy and teach Christian to skip stones. Mary in the meantime waited in the car with Isabella on the quay.

Frederik was dressed in a camouflage jacket and it did take some time before the small group of people waiting for the ferry realised that it was THE Crown Prince himself who was “out playing” with his little son. In order to keep warm in the biting Easter chill Prince Christian was dressed warm, but the hood with fur-collar was never put up on his head. That would have taken away some of the view of the stone that skipped neatly along on the calm water.

Frederik and Christian had exactly twelve minutes to play. At 17.25 the ferry sailed to Hundested and from there it was only half an hour more to drive home to Kancellihuset in Fredensborg with two tired children in the backseat. (by Anna Johannesen)




Earlier this year, in March, Prince Joachim played around at Schackenborg with Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix as well as Winston. They all looked like they might have needed a good bath afterwards (including, or especially, Winston). But that is the point of playing. (from Billed Bladet no. 11, 2008 © Niels Henrik Dam)



Thanks Muhler!

Winston & Apple make their royal debut

Prince Joachim has a new puppy Billed Bladet reported last week, and this week he made his royal debut with Marie Cavallier's dog Apple and the royal daschunds. He is a red-brown cocker spaniel called Winston. The dog is a descendant of Oscar which was the cocker spaniel Alexandra brought with her from Hong Kong. Prince Joachim and Oscar became very attached to each other. Oscar was put to sleep in 2005 at the age of eleven.

Winston was brought into the world with the help of insemination. Sperm from Oscar was frozen, as no suitable mate was found before he died. Nikolai and Felix had been brought up with Oscar and it was very sad for the whole family when it was discovered Oscar was ill two years ago.

Apparently the now 14 week-old Winston is dog to both Joachim and Marie and Joachim has been seen running and jumping around in the park around Schackenborg with the new puppy. Last weekend Winston and Apple travelled together on a visit to Sweden with Joachim and Marie and Billed Bladet says the dogs have a good relationship.


4 October 2007. Prince Joachim and fiancee Marie Cavallier watch the changing of the guards with family members at Fredensborg Palace the day after the announcement of their engagement. Prince Henrik, Queen Margrethe, Marie's father Alain Cavallier, her mother Françoise Grassiot, step-father Christian Grassiot and the family dogs were also present.


Photos: Kaspar Wenstrup/Her og Nu/Sipa

Lots of doggy business, from Billed Bladet:



(part Trine Larsen, Billed Bladet nos. 39 & 40 2007 and thanks Muhler!)

Also, see Søren Steffen's photo gallery from the press conference at Amalienborg

Added: Her&Nu web TV of the the changing of the guard at Fredensborg (this can take a while to load, let it run through with sound down and do something in another window!)

The Sydney Morning Herald 'Denmark's divorced Prince to marry again'