Frederik celebrates 41

Crown Prince Frederik celebrates his 41st birthday today. The Danish royals make a big deal of significant birthdays, as was done for Frederik last year, but this one is to be celebrated in private. After the Greek state visit and before starting the Copenhagen Marathon 2009 last Sunday, Frederik was in Capri for four days doing some Farr 40 sailing in advance of the Farr 40 World Championships next month. Tomorrow Frederik leaves for Greenland with the two other Scandinavian heirs apparent, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, for a joint trip aimed at increasing awareness about the melting ice of Greenland and focusing on climate change.

Billed Bladet thoughtfully marks the birthday with a gallery of Frederik sporting his youthful looks, but now decorated with grey hair. It also postulates that, as for Mary's birthday, home-made gifts will be the order of the day at home with the children. Update: Billed Bladet reports that Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Victoria arrived on Frederik's birthday and spent the birthday night at Chancellery House. The photo (above) shows the three heirs leaving Fredensborg this morning (May 27) as they set out for the flight from Denmark to Greenland.

Last Sunday Frederik started the Copenhagen Marathon 2009. This was the 30th anniversary race, which has doubled in size during the past five years, with Frederik himself having competed 5 or 6 times. So Frederik, who knows first hand what was in front of the 10,000 plus competitors during the 42km race, fired the starting pistol at 9.30am at Vester Voldgade in Copenhagen. Two Japanese competitors won the day in the increasingly international field: Toyokazu Yoshimura (men) and Chihiro Tanaka (women).

Yesterday Frederik presented grants from the Crown Prince Frederik Fund at Amalienborg. The fund is to give financial assistance to social policy and sciences students to study for a year at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Presentation of these grants is now in its 16th year since it was given to Frederik as a gift for his 25th birthday by Danish-Americans. This year the recipients are Louise Stenberg Jensen and Anders Vibholt.


Crown Prince Frederik's speech at the presentation:
Crown Prince Frederik Fund | Monday May 25, 2009
It is again a pleasure to welcome you back to Amalienborg for the Annual Scholarship ceremony.
I want to thank Søren Peter for his interesting talk. It was exciting to hear how he as a co-founder of Dalberg has been a driving force in building a global consulting advisory business. We can all support the mission – that is to mobilize effective responses to the world’s most pressing issues, in particular those which affect people in developing countries. It is, of course, also great to hear that the studies at The Kennedy School and the contacts he made during his studies played such a key role. We wish Søren Peter continued success with his important work.
The two new scholarship recipients Louise Stenberg Jensen and Anders Vibholt are as in prior years very qualified and will enjoy the challenges of the year ahead.
Louise Stenberg Jensen is studying International Business and Politics at the Copenhagen Business School. She was born in Zimbabwe, but grew up in Brussels, where she graduated with a European Baccalaureate in 2000. Louise pursued her interest in the arts and history in both Denmark and England and finished her Bachelor degree in history in 2005. As a result of the political influence she had experienced in both Zimbabwe and Brussels she decided to combine her studies in history with international business and politics.
Louise has continued her artistic interest through painting as well as playing the piano.
Anders Vibholt is studying Economics and Finance also at the Copenhagen Business School. After finishing his bachelor degree in Århus he transferred to Copenhagen. Anders has studied abroad at McMaster’s University in Canada and spent a year and a half at Jyske Dragonregiment i Holstebro. During this period Anders was stationed in Kosovo for 6 months. Anders also spent an exciting year at the Danish Embassy in South Africa as a trainee.
Both Louise and Anders have had part time jobs through out their studies and they have found time to be active in various organizations.
The last few years we have had several highly qualified candidates from Copenhagen Business School making it to the interview process but without getting the scholarship. So it is impressive that this year both recipients are from CBS.
I should also mention that for the first time we have a sibling receiving the scholarship. Anders is the little brother of Helene Vibholt who received the scholarship in 2003.
It is a pleasure to give the scholarships to Louise and Anders.
Congratulations.



Photos: Frederik in Capri last week, and at the Copenhagen Marathon 2009, starting the race and photographed with Wilson Kipketer (Photos © Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi in Capri, Jens Dresling/Politiken for the Marathon), Ole Bjørk/Billed Bladet, ¡Hola!

Billed Bladet 'Tillykke med fødselsdagen, Frederik' - Congratulations on the birthday, Frederik
Crown Prince Frederik celebrates his 41st birthday today.
When there is a birthday, the little ones in Chancellery House are there on the spot and able to wake up Frederik with birthday flags and a song by his bedside.
When Mary turned 37 on February 5th, she reported that the children had presented her with home-made presents, so probably Frederik expects similar personal things from the children.
The birthday this year is a little quieter than last year when the Crown Prince celebrated his 40th birthday with parties and a tribute on the balcony at Amalienborg.
On Wednesday morning Frederik will travel to Greenland together with Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Prince Haakon to highlight the problems of climatic change...

Earth Times 'Scandinavian royal heirs to study climate change in Greenland'
MSN Green 'Scandinavian royal heirs to travel to Greenland'
TV2 article & clip at the marathon

Madeleine Glindorf's marathon gallery
Politiken's Marathon 09 slideshow gallery
Billed Bladet's 'grey hair' gallery (LOL)
Billed Bladet's birthday gallery - a great (large) gallery of photos showing Frederik over recent years in honour of his birthday
Added:
B.T. birthday gallery - including a few funny ones

Greek State Visit to Denmark: day 2

The second day of the Greek state visit has been busy with Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary doing the heavy lifting of accompanying the presidential couple through their programs during the day. In the evening the Royal Family attended the return gala at the Royal Museum of Fine Art where the Greek delegation put on a concert followed by dinner. During the morning Crown Prince Frederik accompanied the Greek President Karolos Papoulias and his wife May Panou Papoulia on a tour of some of Denmark's climate and energy initiatives and sustainable urban development projects. They sailed from Amaliehavn onto Copenhagen Harbour to inspect the off-shore wind farm at Middelgrunden. Afterwards the party visited the Mountain Dwellings sustainably designed project at Ørestaden. Mountain Dwellings, inspired by Aztec design, was awarded the world’s best housing solution at the World Architecture Festival 2009. A lunchtime session of the Danish-Greek Climate and Business Forum at the Confederation of Danish Industries followed for Frederik and the president, focusing on the major theme of the visit: renewable energy. During the afternoon President Papoulias visited the Memorial cemetery - Mindelunden - for a wreath laying ceremony. Mindelunden is a cemetery for executed freedom fighters and members of the resistance movement who died in German concentration camps during World War II. During the afternoon Crown Princess Mary and Mrs May Panou Papoulia visited the Skodsborg Observation and Treatment Home. Mrs Papoulia is a trained psychologist and shares an interest with Mary in issues of neglected children. The home is for children with serious special needs and is connected to the Mary Foundation. Crown Princess Mary and Mrs May Papoulia later visited the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, north of Copenhagen. In the evening the Regent Couple and members of the Royal Family attended the return engagement, a gala concert and dinner, hosted by the Greek President at the Royal Museum for Fine Art (Statens Museum for Kunst).

Frederik on the environment tour of Copenhagen:



Mary and Mrs May Panou Papoulia visit the Skodsborg Observation and Treatment Home for neglected children and then go to the Louisiana Modern Art Museum:



The Greek President Karolos Papoulias and his wife Mrs May Panou Papoulia greet the Danish Royals on the steps of the Royal Museum of Fine Art for the return engagement of a concert and dinner:



Photos © Jesper Sunesen/BilledBladet, Hanne Juul Billed Bladet, Martin Høien/BilledBladet, Tariq Mikkel Khan/POLFOTO/Fyens Stifstidende, Tariq Mikkel Khan/POLFOTO, Scanpix/TV2, Keld Navntoft/Getty, DayLife/Reuters, Peter Dahlerup/LocalAvisen.dk

TV2 article 'Kronprins og præsident stod til søs'
Crown Prince Frederik and the visitor Greek president, Karolos Papoulias, stood together at sea on Tuesday - however, only on a trip to Copenhagen Harbour to see the off shore wind farm near the Middleground.
Back on land again, the president had a guided tour of the Mountain Dwelling building in Ørestaden before it was time to have lunch and talks about green technology at Dansk Industri.
After lunch President Papoulias layed a wreath at the Memorial Cemetary in Ryvangen, before Tuesday evening's concert at the State Museum for Art.
While the gentlemen had the industry lunch, the First Lady, May Panou Papoulia visited Skodsborg Obserervation and Treatment Home north of Copenhagen with Crown Princess Mary...
Jyllands Posten 'Frederik på sejltur med præsidentparret'
LocalAvisen.dk 'Kronprinsesse Mary var med Mrs. May Panou Papoulia på Skodsborg Observations- og Behandlingshjem' - Crown Princess Mary was with Mrs May Panou Papoulia at Skodsborg Observation and Treatment Home
The Greek First Lady Mrs May Papoulia, who is a trained psychologist, is interested in children exposed to negligence, as is our own Crown Princess Mary [through programs of the Mary Foundation], who accompanied her during the visit to Skodsborg Observation and Treatment Home at midday on Tuesday.
The Crown Princess arrived first directly from Fredensborg Palace and was received by psychologist Inger Thormann and Lone Anine Sørensen, who is a deputy principal.
After about 15 minutes talking indoors the Greek First Lady arrived and the visit continued with a talk on the outcomes offered for children in the beautiful/peaceful place facing the Øresund Sound.
Skodsborg Observation and Treatment Home is a children's home for 20 children in the age group 0-6 years...
Some of the children are placed directly from the hospital where they have been born, while other children are placed when the negligence they are exposed to becomes known by social workers/authorities.
The children have been born to parents with few resources who are themselves unable to cope cope with the needs of their children, most frequently because of domestic abuse or mental illness.
For the privacy of the children and parents, only buildings and the distinguished visitors and their hosts were permitted to be photographed.
The children's home has interdisciplinary staff to give each individual child optimal treatment, care and protection.
Children born to drug addicts and alcohol dependent mothers starts life under difficult circumstances.
At the children's home they are helped to good health and well-being despite withdrawal symptoms, brain damage or mental and physical traumas.
The children live on average 1 1/2 years at the children's home, after which most are then able to be moved to live with a foster family.
LocalAvisen.dk - scroll for photos of Mary and Mrs Papoulia visiting the Louisiana Art Museum

B.T. gallery featuring Mary
Billed Bladet gallery - day 2
Fyens Stiftstidende gallery

TV2 clip (00:28) - Frederik arriving in Ørestaden with the President and his wife
JPwebTV (00:37)
TV2 clip (02:03)

Frederik & Mary @ Vestas groundbreaking in Colorado

Today Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary travelled to Denver, Colorado, to take part in the topping-out ceremony for two new Vestas Wind Systems manufacturing plants. They lunched privately with local business people and business leaders within the climate and energy sector in Denver. Later in the afternoon they were at the groundbreaking event at the Vestas Factory March 25, 2009 in Brighton, Colorado).



Photos © DayLife

Crown Prince Frederik's speech

The Greeley Tribune - Danish royalty to attend Vestas site groundbreaking in Brighton
Omaha World Tribune 'Danish prince celebrates new Colo. wind plants'
Judith Kohler | AP
BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) - Danish Crown Prince Frederik said Wednesday that expanding a country's renewable energy sources and recovering from a recession didn't have to be mutually exclusive.
"Denmark is economically competitive not in spite of these efforts, but because of them," he said at a Brighton plant groundbreaking for Danish wind-turbine maker Vestas Wind System. "Opening a manufacturing plant, unfortunately, is not very common these days."
The prince, his wife Crown Princess Mary and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter attended the ceremony for two parts plants by Vestas, which already has a blade-making plant in Windsor, about 50 miles north of Denver.
The company also is planning a 400-employee factory in Pueblo to build towers that support the turbines, which it has said would be the world's largest such factory.
Ritter has championed alternative energy, which he called the state's "new energy economy" for creating jobs and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.
"It isn't a slogan. It's an idea," he said.
The crown prince said that during a similar economic downturn in the 1970s, Denmark decided to wean itself off fossil fuels, leading to dramatic economic growth and a drop in carbon dioxide emissions of more than 13 percent. He also said renewable energy accounted for 28 percent of Denmark's electricity supply.
Ritter said Denmark could be an example for his state and the United States to follow.
The crown prince and his wife also visited Dana College in Blair, Neb., and attended a groundbreaking for a new ethanol enzyme plant being built by Danish-based Novozymes.
The Denver Post
CBS4 Denver

Vestas

CBS4 Denver clip (two clips on the menu)
TV2 clip (02:32) - a feature about Danish heritage (posted again)