Crown Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson, Current Events 1: September 2002 - May 2004


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Danish Prince Opens Tellabs Lab

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NEW DELHI, India -- Tellabs' Indian joint-venture partner, Fibcom India Limited, today inaugurated a new development centre for managed transport solutions and optical transport systems in New Delhi, India. The new development centre will help Tellabs enhance its SDH (synchronous digital hierarchy) and DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) systems that help carriers cost-effectively collect and consolidate voice and data traffic in metro and regional areas throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.

"Expanding development capabilities will speed time-to-market for next-generation SDH solutions," said Peter Viereck, vice president and general manager of Tellabs Denmark. "We are committed to growing our international business by meeting the evolving needs of our customers."

Located in the heart of New Delhi's technology community, Fibcom will work hand-in-hand with Tellabs' development centre in Denmark.

The development centre was inaugurated today by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark at a ceremony attended by Indian and Danish officials.

Tellabs Inc.

Article From: Light Reading
 
Danisco India To Set Up Research Lab In Haryana

Our Corporate Bureau

New Delhi, February 4: Danisco India, a wholly-subsidiary of $3.5 billion international flavours and edible ingredients major Danisco, is building a world class applications laboratory for research and development at its existing manufacturing facility in Sohna, Haryana. The company has also decided to double the size of its factory after more than two years of operations in India during which it has grown at over 50 per cent on a year-on-year basis.

Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and deputy prime minister Bendt Bendtsen laid the foundation stone for both the facilities during a private visit to India. Danisco India’s managing director Neil Prasad said the company today has over 250 customers including most of the international majors present in the region.

Article From: The Financial Express
 
Danish prince declares his love
From correspondents in Denmark
February 08, 2003


DANISH Crown Prince Fredrik has confirmed what most in this Scandinavian nation of 5.3 million thought to be true: He's in love with his Australian girlfriend.

In an interview with Denmark's TV2 that will air on Sunday, Fredrik, 34, confirmed his romance with Mary Donaldson, but didn't say if an engagement is planned.

Frederik has dated Donaldson, 31, since mid-2000. Last month the first photos of them kissing in public sparked national speculation of a royal wedding.

When asked if his relationship with Donaldson was serious, he smiled and said: "I certainly would say so."

The interview was taped yesterday in Bombay, where the heir to the throne of Europe's oldest ruling monarchy is promoting Danish business. He is due back in Denmark on Monday.

Article From: New Interactive, Australia
 
Something about Mary

By Rachel Browne
February 9 2003
The Sun-Herald


The heir to the throne of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik, has broken his silence about his relationship with Australian real estate agent Mary Donaldson.

Prince Frederik told of his love for his Australian girlfriend in a television interview taped on Thursday.

In the interview with Denmark's TV2, which will air in Europe today, the 34-year-old prince confirmed his romance with Ms Donaldson, 31, but would not say whether an engagement was planned.

The relationship, which sparked when the couple met in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics, has kept Denmark enthralled with growing speculation that they will wed.

When asked if his relationship with Ms Donaldson was serious, the prince smiled and said: "I would certainly sayso."

Prince Frederik has been nicknamed "the playboy prince" in Denmark for his romances with models and pop stars.

The interview was taped on Thursday in Mumbai, where the heir to the throne of Europe's oldest ruling monarchy is promoting Danish business.

He left for Mumbai after spending two weeks with Ms Donaldson in Tasmania, where she was born and raised before moving to Sydney where she worked as an agent for Belle Property.

Prince Frederik was in Tasmania to compete in the international sailing competition, the Dragon World Championships, while Ms Donaldson caught up with her Hobart-based sisters Patricia Woods, a nurse, and Jane Stephens, who works at a West Hobart pharmacy. Her father, former University of Tasmania professor John Donaldson, is based in Oxford in Britain, where he lives with his second wife, crime novelist Susan Moody.

Ms Donaldson and Prince Frederik had locals abuzz when they visited some of Hobart's most fashionable night spots and galleries in Salamanca.

The couple also went to Coles Bay to stay at the exclusive Freycinet Lodge during their final days in the island state.

The Tasmanian trip marks the second time they have flown out to Australia in recent months, with the couple visiting Sydney last October to attend the wedding of Ms Donaldson's friends Kylie Matthews and Anthony Jones at St Mark's Church, Darling Point.

Article From: Sydney Morning Herald
 
I think that it is so sweet that the finally declared his love although truth be told I didn't really like her in the beginning.

I wonder who is going to be the best man.
 
I do sense an engagement announcement soon....

I think Mary seems like a cute person, but I still cannot see her as the Crown Princess of Denmark and it's nothing against her. Maybe once the royal court gets a hold of her for another makeover (more polished, if that makes sense) she will seem more like a princess. Then again, I have never heard her speak and she is most likely very intelligent and sensible. ;)
 
Julia,
I appreciate your words about Mary most likely being intelligent and sensible. I have noticed that many people on these royal message boards tear Mary to shreads and don't know anything about her. Even if she did volunteer in the red cross or a soup kitchen people would still find something to criticize her for. I feel bad for her.

I know you can't date a prince without cameras and press and I think she's doing a very admirable job handling them. I don't think the way she dresses is necessarily my style ,but I can't say anything about her work habits or any of this because I do not know at all!. I haven't talked to her employers, her friends or her family so I don't know.

Frederik goes to Australia. It's only natural that his girlfriend would want to be with him. What's wrong with her going to Australia? After all her family lives there. If you had the opportunity to go with your friend or boyfriend on a trip wouldn't you go?
 
Almost all of her time spent with her family was spent following him around. She didn't have "girl time" with her sisters. That's kind of odd. She hasn't seen much of them for the past year. My sisters live several states away from me and when we see each other (every 3 months we meet up in one of our states), we ditch everything and hang out together. No husbands, no boyfriends, no children and no pets allowed. My brothers live several states away, too (we're spread out all over the US), and when we see each other, we have time to ourselves. We go to a sporting event or something. But it's just us -- no one else comes along. She didn't do that and to me, as someone who does live several states away from her siblings, it's odd that she wouldn't focus exclusively on them for some point.

And let's face it: she is not going to work. Even if you do have one of those "work from home" jobs, you have to go into the office every once in a while. And we all know she's being followed everytime she leaves the house.
 
Hi Sylvia,

I do think that a lot of people have "picked" on Mary on many boards. I think that Mary has the following quality: either you like her, or you don't. Does that make sense? I have "trashed" Mary in the past, too. I don't particularily care for her sense of style (but that's what makes us each unique) and I have thought that she was a silly in front of the camera, but we each react differently to pressure (and yes, it is major pressure to have your image show up in tabloids, mags, newspapers, etc...). I cannot think, however, that Frederik would choose an unintelligent and vain woman to be his wife and the future queen of his country. His mother is like a force of nature. She is an incredible person, so there must be something special about Mary that we cannot see. Perhaps, after they announce their engagement (it hasn't happened yet, but the recent statement from Frederik indicates that there soon will be an announcement) and interviews are done with Mary, etc...we will all be better able to judge her character.
Sure, she knew when she met Frederik and something "clicked" between the two of them that she had a chance of becoming the future crown princess of Denmark. But, maybe she is qualified.
Of course this is just my opinion. ;)
 
Hi everyone!

I have never really been very fond Mary or thought that she was CP/Queen material. I have never hidden how I felt about that. ;) However, I certainly cannot dissuade Fred from marrying her. She may be intelligent and a good conversationalist, but I have never liked the way in which she carries herself or the way in which she first presented herself to the people of Denmark. That may make me a bit of an old-fashioned snob, but that's how I feel about the situation.

I have always found Mary to be a bit too eager and far too dependent IMO. Her sense of style is really the least of my issues with her at this point. Many signs seem to point to an engagement annoucement and wedding. I think that there is a significantly large chance that Fred and Mary will be married in the near future, but that will not change the way in which I view her. Perhaps after years in the spotlight as more than just a girlfriend (after she becomes CP) and has to actually do the work, I may see her in a different light. However, I have to at least see her try first.
 
Fred and Mary in AU 2003....

Photos from:Rex Features

....taking a stroll.....
 

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From smh.com.au. I detect a slightly edgy Aussie press.

A wedding at last - so how hard is it to say I do in Danish?
By Rachel Browne
March 30 2003






As the bleak northern winter drags on and war dominates the news, one thing warms the hearts of Danes - the prospect of an engagement between their Crown Prince, Frederik, and his Australian girlfriend Mary Donaldson.

The couple have been an item since meeting in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics and the Danes feel a wedding must now be imminent.

With no official word forthcoming from the Danish royal family - the oldest in Europe - the public has been left to speculate on a date.

Now a source close to the palace says the engagement will be officially announced on May 21 and the wedding will take place on August 16.

The engagement must be announced while Denmark's Queen Margrethe is in counsel with the Danish Government, according to royal tradition, and the wedding should then occur within four months.


The marriage is expected to be at Copenhagen's splendid 16th-century Holmens kirke, or Naval Church.

One reason put forward to explain why it is taking so long for Frederik, 34, and Mary, 31, to make it to the altar is that she has struggled with her Danish lessons.

Ms Donaldson has undertaken an intensive 200-session course so she can master the notoriously difficult language before speaking at any public engagements.

Princess Alexandra, the Hong Kong-born wife of Frederik's younger brother, Prince Joachim, won the hearts of the Danish public by learning to speak the language fluently.

Ms Donaldson is determined to conquer it and make her wedding vows in her adopted country's native tongue.

Ms Donaldson was born in Hobart but moved to Sydney where she worked as a real estate agent for Belle Property.

She moved to Denmark in 2001 and now lives in a waterfront apartment in one of Copenhagen's most fashionable areas and works for technology company Navison, a subsidiary of Microsoft.

By all reports, Ms Donaldson has settled in well although she managed to escape part of the dark winter to enjoy a brief holiday in Hobart, in January, where she joined Frederik who was sailing in the Dragon-class world championships.

The following month, Frederik publicly declared his relationship with Ms Donaldson was "serious" when interviewed by Denmark's TV2.

All this has been taken as further proof that the wedding cannot be far away although others believe it might be delayed depending on the conflict in the Middle East, as Denmark is part of the "coalition of the willing".
 
Thanks for the article Julia. :)

Yep, it seems that the press is as restless ( :wacko: ) as some of us are at this point. They want a wedding. :)
 
Ladies,

I dont blame them for being restless...lol... That is what the press is good at.... As for Mary and her Danish lessions, I hope that she is working hard, I dont think that Denmark would put up with a half of a job, when they have the lovely Alexandria who speaks 7 languages respectivly....

As for Freddy, I wish that he would make up his mind. It is taking so long, but, I can't blame him for choosing wisly. (sp). She is a pretty girl, but, after the Prince catching spree, I dont know if I like her as the future Queen of Denmark, she is too fishy to me.....

Enough on my opinions for now,

more later,

:grrr: Chanel
 
Hi Chanel!

I have had a few problems with Mary along the way as well. I guess that I am no longer that critical of her (probably because we haven't discussed her in detail in a while :lol: ;) ), but I still have a strange feeling about her. I guess that only time will tell on this one.
 
".........but I still have a strange feeling about her.."

------------------------------

Look at it this way: what is the worse thing she could do as Queen Mary? Write a tell all book about her extra-marital affairs while queen! :rolleyes:
 
Has anyone got any news about frederik and mary please. :( :cry: :flower:
 
Hi Billie-Jo!

The last I heard of Mary and Frederik they were skiing. There were some pictures of them together. I will try and track down some photos for you of their most recent trip.
 
Great pic, Alexandria! Fred is darling as usual and Mary looks quite pretty. So, my question is....when's the wedding?? :p

It must be terribly frustrating for Mary unless, of course, she is struggling with the Danish language (not hard to imagine...it's tough) and doesn't want any sort of formal announcement until she is completely capable of addressing the Danes in almost flawless Danish. I am going to make a prediction: engagement sometime this summer and a wedding this autumn. Any other bets? ;)
 
Let's hope they don't repeat the November wedding like Alexandra and Joachim did. There was a snow storm so they couldn't ride throught the streets in an open carriage. Also, it's dark earlier in the fall and winter. There wouldn't be a balcony appearance, ride through the streets, etc., since they all get married in the evening in Denmark.
 
I certainly hope that it will not be a November wedding either. This may sound like a silly question, but does anyone know when the first snowfall usually occurs in Denmark and also what is the annual amount of snow for the winter?
 
Originally posted by Julia@Apr 16th, 2003 - 2:26 am
I certainly hope that it will not be a November wedding either. This may sound like a silly question, but does anyone know when the first snowfall usually occurs in Denmark and also what is the annual amount of snow for the winter?
There can be snow in November but usually January and February are the coldest months.
 
I really think the press are doing their job by being restless....It is better so that the people will know what's on with their princess to be... :(
 
article from www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au

Mary's rocky path to royal altar

10may03
THE Boy Who Cried Wolf is not a Danish tale, but Danes are starting to understand the plot when it comes to Crown Prince Frederik and his Australian girlfriend Mary Donaldson. BRUCE WILSON reports.

In the international league of royal-watchers, Danes just about top the table, leaving behind even the incessant gaze that falls, ever more balefully, on the House of Windsor in the UK.

Australian Mary Donaldson, constant companion of Prince Frederik, is under constant Danish press scrutiny as the will-they won't-they saga rumbles on . . . and on and on.

The question, of course, is will they marry – and when?

A magazine devoted to Mary and the royals has named the date so often one would think it had lost all credibility.

But its readers simply cannot get enough of it – and maybe that's what is giving the Tasmanian woman pause.

Copenhagen newspapers insist Frederik and Mary will announce their engagement on May 26 to coincide with the future king's 35th birthday. This will open the way for Mary to join Queen Margrethe II and her consort, Prince Henrik, on their annual June-July sojourn in their French palace and slip quietly into palace life.

The wedding would be in August. Or maybe not.

Danish journalist Elisabeth Ruhne, whose newspaper Berlingske has been about as accurate as any on this prolonged love story, believes there are certain signs in place.

For a start, Queen Margrethe is now conceding that Miss Donaldson exists.

The affair dates back to the Sydney Olympics, in which the Prince was a competitor and Miss Donaldson an avid onlooker at the yachting.

But three weeks ago Queen Margrethe and her husband had never met Mary – at least officially. Asked last year about Mary, Margrethe affected never to have heard of her.

All this changed at Easter when the royals traditionally took "family time" together at Marselisborg Castle in northwest Denmark. It was then, keen palace watchers say, that Mary, 31, was presented to Queen Margrethe.

The almost mediaeval ceremony made Mary the first of the modest chain of young escorts to be formally presented at court. It was a huge breakthrough, even if the Danes still harbour some doubts about Mary.

The Danish royals take their duties very seriously and, while just about every Dane seems to speak perfect English, Mary will need perfect Danish if she is to be an acceptable Queen.

But on the other hand, Margrethe's husband is French (he was Henri) and Frederik's brother Joachim is married to Alexandra, of mixed Hong Kong Chinese-European blood, so the Danes are not against foreigners per se.

They just want to know them really well in advance.

Since Easter, Mary and Frederik have been travelling openly together, attending family gatherings – a friend's wedding, a Christening.

But there is little doubt the public is getting impatient.

The trouble is, nobody is quite sure who is holding back. The leading tip is that it was Queen Margrethe herself.

While she was quite happy for Joachim, her younger son, to take a fairly exotic wife, it is Frederik who will be king and his wife queen.

In that spotlight, Hobart is a long way from Copenhagen.

The Crown Prince's 35th birthday would seem to be too good a chance to miss if the two are to become betrothed.

If not, doubts will arise about the affair that started by Sydney Harbour going much further.
 
article from www.theage.com.au

Rumours fly over Royal's girlfriend
Friday 9 May 2003, 8:05 AM


Denmark's royal palace again denied persistent rumours that Crown Prince Frederik will marry his Australian girlfriend this year.

Speculations that Frederik and Mary Donaldson will marry this summer surfaced this week after an announcement that the senior member of the queen's household will retire in August.

"A royal wedding is such a big task that you don't let a new man handle such a large event," said Claus Bjoern, a Copenhagen University historian who specialises in Danish royals.

But Frederik's private secretary, Per Thornit, called news reports about a wedding proposal this month "pure fantasy".

"It takes up to eight months to organise a wedding and nothing is in the works," he told The Associated Press.


Lord Chamberlain Ian Soeren Haslund-Christensen will retire on August 31 and be replaced by Ove Ullerup-Petersen.

Haslund-Christensen, who has overseen the conduct of the royal household since 1989, could not be reached for comment. The 69-year-old former army major general is the longest-serving Lord Chamberlain under Frederik's mother, Queen Margrethe.

Frederik, the 35-year-old heir to the throne of Europe's oldest ruling monarchy, met Donaldson, 31, during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Originally from Hobart, Tasmania, Donaldson has been living in Denmark since early 2002. She has met Margrethe at least once when she spent Easter 2003 with the royal family.

The couple have often appeared together at private events. They cannot appear at public events together unless they're engaged or married.

Margrethe ascended the throne in 1972 after the death of her father, King Frederik IX. She repeatedly has denied she would abdicate in her son's favour.
 
www.polfoto.dk - Kronprinsen er landet i Nuuk - Grønlands Hovedstad - hvor vejret ikke vistesig fra sin pæneste side. Det blæser en stiv kulling og den planlagteankomst var 30 minutter forsinket pg.a. blæsten.Som det ses på...

(Not quite sure what this translates to in English, but it's Frederik and he's out and about and not looking too shabby, either!)

From BT Online, Frederik is now in Greenland.
 

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www.ibl.se - Prince Henrik and crownprince Frederik, dragonboatracing in France - 20030508 Douarnenez, Bretagne, France - Dragonboatracing at the Grand Prix Petit Navirein, in Bretagne, with the royal danish boats "Najade" (princeHenrik) and "Nanok" (crownpwinceFrederik) taking part. Photo: Peter hauerbach / Colourpress

www.ibl.se - Prince Henrik and crownprince Frederik, dragonboatracing in France - 20030508 Douarnenez, Bretagne, France - Dragonboatracing at the Grand Prix Petit Navirein, in Bretagne, with the royal danish boats "Najade" (princeHenrik) and "Nanok" (crownpwinceFrederik) taking part. Photo: Peter hauerbach / Colourpress

www.ibl.se - Prince Henrik and crownprince Frederik, dragonboatracing in France - 20030508 Douarnenez, Bretagne, France - Dragonboatracing at the Grand Prix Petit Navirein, in Bretagne, with the royal danish boats "Najade" (princeHenrik) and "Nanok" (crownpwinceFrederik) taking part. Photo: Peter hauerbach / Colourpress

www.ibl.se - Prince Henrik and crownprince Frederik, dragonboatracing in France - 20030508 Douarnenez, Bretagne, France - Dragonboatracing at the Grand Prix Petit Navirein, in Bretagne, with the royal danish boats "Najade" (princeHenrik) and "Nanok" (crownpwinceFrederik) taking part. Photo: Peter hauerbach / Colourpress

www.ibl.se - Prince Henrik and crownprince Frederik, dragonboatracing in France - 20030508 Douarnenez, Bretagne, France - Dragonboatracing at the Grand Prix Petit Navirein, in Bretagne, with the royal danish boats "Najade" (princeHenrik) and "Nanok" (crownpwinceFrederik) taking part. Photo: Peter hauerbach / Colourpress

www.ibl.se - Prince Henrik and crownprince Frederik, dragonboatracing in France - 20030508 Douarnenez, Bretagne, France - Dragonboatracing at the Grand Prix Petit Navirein, in Bretagne, with the royal danish boats "Najade" (princeHenrik) and "Nanok" (crownpwinceFrederik) taking part. Photo: Peter hauerbach / Colourpress

www.ibl.se - Prince Henrik and crownprince Frederik, dragonboatracing in France - 20030508 Douarnenez, Bretagne, France - Dragonboatracing at the Grand Prix Petit Navirein, in Bretagne, with the royal danish boats "Najade" (princeHenrik) and "Nanok" (crownpwinceFrederik) taking part. Photo: Peter hauerbach / Colourpress

www.ibl.se - Some additional pictures from the tree planting event with Frederik that were posted previously.

www.ibl.se - Some additional pictures from the tree planting event with Frederik that were posted previously.
 

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www.polfoto.dk

www.polfoto.dk

From Billed Bladet Online. Father and son sailing.

www.ibl.se - Crownprince Frederik and Pele - 20030515 Copenhagen, Denmark - Denmarks crownprince honoured brasilian soccer-legend Pele with the title HC Andersen-embassador. Photo: Michael Stub / Colourpress

www.ibl.se - Crownprince Frederik and Pele - 20030515 Copenhagen, Denmark - Denmarks crownprince honoured brasilian soccer-legend Pele with the title HC Andersen-embassador. Photo: Michael Stub / Colourpress

www.ibl.se - Crownprince Frederik and Pele - 20030515 Copenhagen, Denmark - Denmarks crownprince honoured brasilian soccer-legend Pele with the title HC Andersen-embassador. Photo: Michael Stub / Colourpress
 

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You're most welcome Fred. :D Henrik and his son seem to get along very well and the whole Danish royal family seems to be very close. Nice to see a functional and happy royal family!
 
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