Mary Donaldson, Current Events 1: September 2002 - May 2004
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I don't understand why so many people dislike Mary so much. It's alright for us to stand and comment, but we are not in her position and we are not scrutinised for every move we make, good or bad.
I am happy that she has found love,as I hope for all people. The only difference is she has fallen in love with a Crown-Prince. I wish her all the best and I think she is great.
I don't know Camilla either but <Deleted offensive comparison/Mandy>
I am happy that she has found love,as I hope for all people. The only difference is she has fallen in love with a Crown-Prince. I wish her all the best and I think she is great.
I don't know Camilla either but <Deleted offensive comparison/Mandy>
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Josefine
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www.bt.dk
Mary is going to princess school now
Mary knokler for at blive prinsesse
Hun er nu gået i skarp prinsesse-træning, og det er hårdt arbejde. At blive prinsesse kræver nemlig langt mere end at få en prins til at forelske sig i én. Hun er meget velbegavet, mener hendes læremester, hofchef Per Thornit
Mary skal ikke længere stå tidligt op for at køre på arbejde i morgenmørke og myldretid. Efter at forlovelsen med kronprins Frederik blev offentliggjort, sagde hun nemlig sit arbejde op på Navision i Vedbæk.
Lige nu går Mary på prinsesseskole på Amalienborg hos hofchef Per Thornit, og han er meget tilfreds med sin australske elev. Kronprinsens forlovede er nemlig meget
...lærenem.
»Uh ja, hun er velbegavet,« siger hofchefen, som ikke har faste skoletider til Mary, men mødes med hende cirka to gange om ugen. Ved siden af skal hun også passe sin danskundervisning tre timer hver dag.
Taler mest dansk
For det meste foregår Thornits undervisning på dansk, når han lærer hende alt lige fra den danske historie til teknikken i at neje dybt. »Vi taler dansk i det omfang, det er muligt.
Hvis emnerne bliver for svære, må vi jo skifte over. Men vi prøver med sådan en skøn blanding af dansk og engelsk,« siger Thornit, som også tager sin elev med på skoleudflugter, når hun skal lære det danske samfund at kende.
»Senere skal vi rundt at besøge forskellige institutioner. Statsministeriet, Folketinget, Dansk Industri, Landbrugsraadet, en kommune og forskellige andre ting,« siger Thornit, som også oplever, at jo bedre Mary taler dansk, desto mere kan han overlade til hende selv.
For eksempel er hun nu kommet så langt, at hun selv kan læse de danske historiebøger, som han giver hende med hjem. Danske aviser klarer hun også - ligesom hun også fint selv klarer at begå sig til et selskab uden at få prinsesse-undervisning i, hvordan man holder på kniven. Der er altså ikke noget, der hedder kongelig etikette på skoleskemaet.
Med kniv og gaffel
»Hvad er kongelig etikette? Det er jo dét, vi alle sammen kan. Når hun skal ud til en middag, fortæller jeg hende jo ikke, hvordan hun skal sidde ved bordet. Hun kommer jo fra et civiliseret samfund.
Man kan jo godt spise med kniv og gaffel, selvom man kommer fra Australien. Folk tror vel ikke, man sidder og spiser med fingrene og kaster knoglerne væk i Australien.«
Forberedt til officielt besøg
Inden det officielle besøg fra Luxembourg for to uger siden var der dog en del skikke, som Mary skulle lære. »Der er nogle rent tekniske ting vedrørende officielle besøg. Hvordan kommer man ind, hvad er det, der foregår, hvordan bliver gæsterne præsenteret? Det er ren teknik.
Hvordan forløber aftenen? Hvordan gør man under middagen, hvad gør man bagefter, og hvor får man kaffen? Sidder man i et andet rum, eller står man? Alle de der ting skal hun lære, fordi det er lidt anderledes end i et privathjem, men ellers foregår meget som i et privat hjem,« siger Thornit, som ikke er den eneste, som har givet Mary prinsesseundervisning.
Marys første prinsesse-træning indledtes allerede for næsten tre år siden. Kort efter at hun havde mødt Frederik på en bar i Sydney første gang, meldte hun sig nemlig på takt- og tone kurset Starmakers.
Væk med genertheden
Her kom Mary blandt andet for at slippe af med sin generthed foran et kamera - noget, som hun mere end nogen anden har fået brug for senere. Hendes kropssprog blev også vendt og drejet, så det var en kommende prinsesse værdigt.
Hun lærte desuden helt basale ting om, hvordan man kommer ind i et rum, hvordan man giver hånd, og hvordan man står stille på den helt rigtige måde.
Mary var på kurset i seks måneder, og videooptagelser fra undervisningen viser tydeligt, hvordan hendes holdning bliver mere og mere rank, hendes selvtillid mere og mere strålende og hendes smil mere og mere afslappet.
Det er nu ikke afslapning, som fylder mest i Marys liv lige nu. Der er ingen tvivl om, at hun knokler for at blive en god prinsesse.
Mary is going to princess school now
Mary knokler for at blive prinsesse
Hun er nu gået i skarp prinsesse-træning, og det er hårdt arbejde. At blive prinsesse kræver nemlig langt mere end at få en prins til at forelske sig i én. Hun er meget velbegavet, mener hendes læremester, hofchef Per Thornit
Mary skal ikke længere stå tidligt op for at køre på arbejde i morgenmørke og myldretid. Efter at forlovelsen med kronprins Frederik blev offentliggjort, sagde hun nemlig sit arbejde op på Navision i Vedbæk.
Lige nu går Mary på prinsesseskole på Amalienborg hos hofchef Per Thornit, og han er meget tilfreds med sin australske elev. Kronprinsens forlovede er nemlig meget
...lærenem.
»Uh ja, hun er velbegavet,« siger hofchefen, som ikke har faste skoletider til Mary, men mødes med hende cirka to gange om ugen. Ved siden af skal hun også passe sin danskundervisning tre timer hver dag.
Taler mest dansk
For det meste foregår Thornits undervisning på dansk, når han lærer hende alt lige fra den danske historie til teknikken i at neje dybt. »Vi taler dansk i det omfang, det er muligt.
Hvis emnerne bliver for svære, må vi jo skifte over. Men vi prøver med sådan en skøn blanding af dansk og engelsk,« siger Thornit, som også tager sin elev med på skoleudflugter, når hun skal lære det danske samfund at kende.
»Senere skal vi rundt at besøge forskellige institutioner. Statsministeriet, Folketinget, Dansk Industri, Landbrugsraadet, en kommune og forskellige andre ting,« siger Thornit, som også oplever, at jo bedre Mary taler dansk, desto mere kan han overlade til hende selv.
For eksempel er hun nu kommet så langt, at hun selv kan læse de danske historiebøger, som han giver hende med hjem. Danske aviser klarer hun også - ligesom hun også fint selv klarer at begå sig til et selskab uden at få prinsesse-undervisning i, hvordan man holder på kniven. Der er altså ikke noget, der hedder kongelig etikette på skoleskemaet.
Med kniv og gaffel
»Hvad er kongelig etikette? Det er jo dét, vi alle sammen kan. Når hun skal ud til en middag, fortæller jeg hende jo ikke, hvordan hun skal sidde ved bordet. Hun kommer jo fra et civiliseret samfund.
Man kan jo godt spise med kniv og gaffel, selvom man kommer fra Australien. Folk tror vel ikke, man sidder og spiser med fingrene og kaster knoglerne væk i Australien.«
Forberedt til officielt besøg
Inden det officielle besøg fra Luxembourg for to uger siden var der dog en del skikke, som Mary skulle lære. »Der er nogle rent tekniske ting vedrørende officielle besøg. Hvordan kommer man ind, hvad er det, der foregår, hvordan bliver gæsterne præsenteret? Det er ren teknik.
Hvordan forløber aftenen? Hvordan gør man under middagen, hvad gør man bagefter, og hvor får man kaffen? Sidder man i et andet rum, eller står man? Alle de der ting skal hun lære, fordi det er lidt anderledes end i et privathjem, men ellers foregår meget som i et privat hjem,« siger Thornit, som ikke er den eneste, som har givet Mary prinsesseundervisning.
Marys første prinsesse-træning indledtes allerede for næsten tre år siden. Kort efter at hun havde mødt Frederik på en bar i Sydney første gang, meldte hun sig nemlig på takt- og tone kurset Starmakers.
Væk med genertheden
Her kom Mary blandt andet for at slippe af med sin generthed foran et kamera - noget, som hun mere end nogen anden har fået brug for senere. Hendes kropssprog blev også vendt og drejet, så det var en kommende prinsesse værdigt.
Hun lærte desuden helt basale ting om, hvordan man kommer ind i et rum, hvordan man giver hånd, og hvordan man står stille på den helt rigtige måde.
Mary var på kurset i seks måneder, og videooptagelser fra undervisningen viser tydeligt, hvordan hendes holdning bliver mere og mere rank, hendes selvtillid mere og mere strålende og hendes smil mere og mere afslappet.
Det er nu ikke afslapning, som fylder mest i Marys liv lige nu. Der er ingen tvivl om, at hun knokler for at blive en god prinsesse.
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Alexandria
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Hoping that someone can translate this ...
www.billedbladet.dk
Kvinden bag Marys kjoler - 06.11.03
Den kommende kronprinsesse har fundet sin egen, fine stil. Designeren bag Mary er Julie Fagerholt. Men det er næsten en hemmelighed...
For tre år siden var designeren og navnet Julie Fagerholt mere eller mindre ukendt for de fleste. Fra hendes butik i det indre København er der i flere år blevet kreeret kjoler og smukke sæt tøj med det romantiske navn »Heart Made« og det lille symbolske hjerte på mærket i nakken. Men så kom smukke Mary Donaldson og tog plads ved siden af sit hjertes udkårne, ofte iført Julies design ved festlige anledninger. Siden er Julies mærke og navn kommet på alles læber.
Julie var den, der kreerede den florlette, todelte kjole, som Mary bar til Thomas Fabienkes juli-bryllup sidste år og viste bar mave i.
Siden har Julie stået for flere smukke kjoler, som oftest er yderst feminine, en smule boheme-agtige med romantiske perlekanter og mønstre. Stilen er ofte smuk og personlig, når Mary har fået hjælp af Julie Fagerholt.
www.billedbladet.dk
Kvinden bag Marys kjoler - 06.11.03
Den kommende kronprinsesse har fundet sin egen, fine stil. Designeren bag Mary er Julie Fagerholt. Men det er næsten en hemmelighed...
For tre år siden var designeren og navnet Julie Fagerholt mere eller mindre ukendt for de fleste. Fra hendes butik i det indre København er der i flere år blevet kreeret kjoler og smukke sæt tøj med det romantiske navn »Heart Made« og det lille symbolske hjerte på mærket i nakken. Men så kom smukke Mary Donaldson og tog plads ved siden af sit hjertes udkårne, ofte iført Julies design ved festlige anledninger. Siden er Julies mærke og navn kommet på alles læber.
Julie var den, der kreerede den florlette, todelte kjole, som Mary bar til Thomas Fabienkes juli-bryllup sidste år og viste bar mave i.
Siden har Julie stået for flere smukke kjoler, som oftest er yderst feminine, en smule boheme-agtige med romantiske perlekanter og mønstre. Stilen er ofte smuk og personlig, når Mary har fået hjælp af Julie Fagerholt.
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karolinabraganza
Nobility
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lets bridge the time until there thare new pictures published.
lets post pictures chronologically, one learns a lot about a person through their appearance
lets post pictures chronologically, one learns a lot about a person through their appearance
Cathérine Bergeyck
Heir Presumptive
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This lady is "neither fish nor fowl" .... meaning, she is engaged, but not yet married. On the other hand, she has left behind the life of the commoner.
What does she do on the average workday ?
- does she have a lie-in on Monday morning ?
- maid service
- language lessons at 10
- a nap at 1
- royal history at 2
- in emergency class at 0630, this morning it was related to her, that when the butler spills the soup tureen over the next guest, and you're in the "line of fire", what is it you're to do ?
Can you give some concrete examples here of what Mary's Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday agenda might look like, and some "what if" scenario's ?
What does she do on the average workday ?
- does she have a lie-in on Monday morning ?
- maid service
- language lessons at 10
- a nap at 1
- royal history at 2
- in emergency class at 0630, this morning it was related to her, that when the butler spills the soup tureen over the next guest, and you're in the "line of fire", what is it you're to do ?
Can you give some concrete examples here of what Mary's Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday agenda might look like, and some "what if" scenario's ?
I am posting it here! Hope it's ok.
Class Rules - How Mary Donaldson is being trained for life as the Queen of Denmark - Working all Dane and night to be fit for a king.
Mary Donaldson may be a modern Cinderella but she's got a long road ahead before she's Denmark's Queen of Hearts.
Once upon a time there was a beautiful Australian commoner called Mary who fell in love with a handsome young prince named Frederik.
Frederik was from Denmark, where the royal family is worshipped. Mary was from Tasmania, where Ricky Ponting is worshipped. Though Frederik probably wouldn't know Ricky Ponting if he fell over him and though Sydney resident Mary is nothing like a Dane, Frederik asked for his fair Mary's hand in marriage.
He was royal and she was a commoner but all the land of Denmark rejoiced. And Australia was pretty chuffed too.
Here's where the story should read: "And they lived happily ever after."
But the life of the modern Cinderella is no fairy tale and Mary Donaldson has enormous glass slippers to fill.
Donaldson is not just marrying a prince. She is marrying the Crown Prince, putting her directly in line to be Denmark's Princess Consort, or even Queen if Frederik decrees. Royal watchers say the latter is likely.
She is also marrying a royal family, a wildly beloved one at that, with some fiercely guarded traditions and a history that many Danes can recite in their sleep. She's marrying into a national pride that is not her own.
And she's getting herself one heck of a mother-in-law in Queen Margrethe II, the reigning monarch, almost saintly in the eyes of her subjects. In fact, next time your lamb roast doesn't measure up to your mother-in-law's, spare a thought for Mary Donaldson. You'll feel much better about your inadequacies. Mary Donaldson is about to get the mother of all mother-in-laws.
Betty Windsor can only dream about popularity like Margrethe's. The adoration she generates is closer to that poured on Princess Diana than anything else.
An acclaimed artist, intellectual, visionary, academic and woman of the people, not to mention a tremendously beautiful woman, Margrethe has the added magical ingredient of having been born only days into the Nazi occupation of Denmark during World War II. The baby princess was seen as a symbol of hope then and as the Queen, continues to define Danish pride in its culture, particularly in relation to art, literature and history.
It's often said if Denmark became a republic, Queen Margrethe II would be its first president. Even republicans say: "Yes, a republic, but not during the reign of this queen".
Big shoes indeed.
Not that Donaldson will fill them directly. She is destined to be a ribbon cutter and stately presence by her monarch husband's side but the comparisons will be made.
"Poor Mary," said a senior Danish journalist. "I wouldn't be her for the world. We own her now. She has sold Denmark her soul and her body and her heart. But she has done it with eyes wide open." A close observer of the Danish court said Mary already had started the dramatic change in her life. "The moment it [the engagement] became official, she stopped being Mary and started being the future Queen Mary," he said. "The jump from one to the other is the original quantum leap."
For a start, said sources close to the court, Donaldson has already had a fertility test. They doubted the Danish Government - which generally approved wholeheartedly of Mary - would have approved the union if it were unlikely to produce an heir to the throne. Perhaps most sudden of all, from Wednesday of this week Donaldson stopped being a professional career woman; stopped dead. She resigned instantly from her position in a computer software company.
"There cannot be the slightest hint of undue influence in business dealings now that she is to be Queen," one source said. "From now on, she is a royal." And, said one source, as Mary moved out of her office, her new bodyguards moved in to protect her.
But where was she and Prince Frederik? Some reports said they were in Rome, others in southern Sweden. What was clear is that the couple were savouring last moments of privacy together before Donaldson meets her first big test on October 8 when the betrothal becomes official.
And some test that will be. Donaldson will face the Danish media, probably live on TV, when most Danes will hear her speak for the first time.
She will have to speak in Danish, a notoriously difficult language spoken nowhere else on Earth and she had better get it right.
Will she be able to say: "God-dag, rart at mode dig" (hello, it's nice to meet you) to her
adoring public? While Alexandra, the Hong Kong-born wife of Frederik's younger brother, Prince Joachim, has been lauded for her perfect Danish, Mary's soon-to-be father-in-law, the French-born Henrik, the Prince Consort to Queen Margrethe II, has been the source of much gleeful derision in Denmark over his inability to speak Danish without a French accent.
It seems the Danes take their Danish - ironically, a much-lampooned language outside Denmark - very seriously and just love to poke fun at foreigners' mishandling of it.
Kristian Lund of the BT newspaper told a Danish university newsletter: "Danes have never really been particularly kind to [Henrik]. We've all had a laugh over his obvious difficulties with our language and his very French way of doing things."
Billed Bladet, a Danish royal-watching magazine, said in 2001 when Henrik was having somewhat of a crisis about the whole thing: "What Prince Henrik could not manage to do in 35 years, Alexandra has managed in less than seven. She speaks Danish pretty much without an accent."
Talk to any Dane and the language thing is the first chestnut to arise."First of all the Danish public require her to speak and read Danish. That's number one," says Ole Malmgren of the Australian Danish Consulate. "I don't know if she is fluent. I haven't heard her speak."
Per Thornit, Lord Chamberlain of the Danish royal court says: "Right now Mary Donaldson is taking intense Danish lessons. This is mission number one for her right now, and it will be for quite some time to come."
Donaldson's big coming out as a Danish speaker will be the October 8 official engagement announcement. That will be followed by another great Danish test.
Bodil Cath, one of Denmark's leading royalty reporters says "her baptism of fire could very well be the official visit to Denmark by his Royal Highness the Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg on October 20 to 22, just 12 days after Mary's engagement to Frederik".
"Mary doesn't know the grand duke but she will stand next to the Crown Prince for the official reception at Copenhagen Airport Kastrup. This will be her first-time experience of a proper royal reception with all its pomp and circumstance. She will be able to get an idea of how to carry herself when she eventually becomes Denmark's queen." But, she adds: "Mary is already very popular among the Danes. They are madly excited about her, even if she's not said a word yet."
The very popular Princess Alexandra's grasp on Danish - and she is - half Chinese - has been one of the major factors in her popularity. Indeed, there is one school of thought in Copenhagen that the long delay in announcing Mary's engagement was directly linked to her Danish lessons. As an indication of just how vital this is, supervision of her becoming as Danish as an Aussie girl could be was handed over earlier this year to one of the Danish court's senior men. He is Per Thornit, the Lord Chancellor, also chief-of-staff to Prince Frederik's household and the man who eased Princess Alexandra into Danish life.
"Mary will need more than good Danish," said a Copenhagen editor. "She will need to know Danish history going back generations, she will need to know all about Denmark in World War II, she will need to know the traditions and history of a court that traces itself back to the days before Prince Hamlet.
Thornit says: "We are not giving her any training in handling the press. That would be a shame. She is such a sweet and natural young lady. She doesn't need any training to meet the press." Danish 101 is a whole other matter, however. "We haven't been able to start any particular educational projects for her yet," Thornit says.
"(But) she will undertake intense history lessons and social science studies. She will be taken on extensive visits to all the major Danish institutions; the parliament, the prime minister's office, the Confederation of Danish Industries, the Danish Agricultural Council, the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions and so on. "These visits will not be official visits but work visits to educate Mary Donaldson on the many different national institutions in the Danish society."
If the Australian is indeed being asked to give herself not just to her husband but to Denmark, the rewards are not at first sight lavish, especially compared with the lifestyles of other royal families, notably the Windsors.
For example, the apartments at Fredensberg in which she will reportedly live are only about 1000sq m, court observers say.
And Prince Frederik's annual allowance - which will probably be increased when he marries - is about $1 million, chickenfeed compared with allowances handed out to, say, Prince Charles in Britain. While the Danish royals own two pretty grand palaces, they are not absurdly luxurious and their palatial retreat in France in fact belongs to Queen Margrethe II's husband.
The pre-nuptial agreement that Donaldson has been made to sign was essential for the necessary permission for the marriage from the Danish Government. Not only does she forfeit her rights to any children of the marriage should the two separate but the agreement also forbids her from taking any of the Danish crown jewels or works of art out of the country if the two divorced.
Combined with the loss of privacy and what could be a long, long wait for Prince Frederik to become king - Queen Margrethe is only 63 - the disadvantages of what is being portrayed in the glossy magazines here as yet another fairytale romance start to add up in a fairly forbidding way.
Of course, where Mary Donaldson is different is that she, just as was Alexandra, is a commoner from a country far away and thought to be very exotic. However not as exotic, perhaps, as the new husband of Princess Stephanie of Monaco, who is a Portuguese circus acrobat. A lawyer from Hobart seems pretty tame in comparison. October 8 will also tell us when and where the marriage is to be.
The betting is on either Easter (after Lent of course) or May, in Holmens Kirke, home of Danish Lutheran-influenced Protestantism not far from the statue of some medieval Viking axe-murderer in central Copenhagen.
"People were despairing of Frederik ever getting married and they will be expecting babies and babies quite quickly," says an observer. "It is a long time, more than 30 years, since we had a royal occasion to match this, Frederik's mother's coronation.
"Then, it will be confirmed that Mary is indeed ours, Mary of Denmark."
from http://www.rasmusheide.dk
Class Rules - How Mary Donaldson is being trained for life as the Queen of Denmark - Working all Dane and night to be fit for a king.
Mary Donaldson may be a modern Cinderella but she's got a long road ahead before she's Denmark's Queen of Hearts.
Once upon a time there was a beautiful Australian commoner called Mary who fell in love with a handsome young prince named Frederik.
Frederik was from Denmark, where the royal family is worshipped. Mary was from Tasmania, where Ricky Ponting is worshipped. Though Frederik probably wouldn't know Ricky Ponting if he fell over him and though Sydney resident Mary is nothing like a Dane, Frederik asked for his fair Mary's hand in marriage.
He was royal and she was a commoner but all the land of Denmark rejoiced. And Australia was pretty chuffed too.
Here's where the story should read: "And they lived happily ever after."
But the life of the modern Cinderella is no fairy tale and Mary Donaldson has enormous glass slippers to fill.
Donaldson is not just marrying a prince. She is marrying the Crown Prince, putting her directly in line to be Denmark's Princess Consort, or even Queen if Frederik decrees. Royal watchers say the latter is likely.
She is also marrying a royal family, a wildly beloved one at that, with some fiercely guarded traditions and a history that many Danes can recite in their sleep. She's marrying into a national pride that is not her own.
And she's getting herself one heck of a mother-in-law in Queen Margrethe II, the reigning monarch, almost saintly in the eyes of her subjects. In fact, next time your lamb roast doesn't measure up to your mother-in-law's, spare a thought for Mary Donaldson. You'll feel much better about your inadequacies. Mary Donaldson is about to get the mother of all mother-in-laws.
Betty Windsor can only dream about popularity like Margrethe's. The adoration she generates is closer to that poured on Princess Diana than anything else.
An acclaimed artist, intellectual, visionary, academic and woman of the people, not to mention a tremendously beautiful woman, Margrethe has the added magical ingredient of having been born only days into the Nazi occupation of Denmark during World War II. The baby princess was seen as a symbol of hope then and as the Queen, continues to define Danish pride in its culture, particularly in relation to art, literature and history.
It's often said if Denmark became a republic, Queen Margrethe II would be its first president. Even republicans say: "Yes, a republic, but not during the reign of this queen".
Big shoes indeed.
Not that Donaldson will fill them directly. She is destined to be a ribbon cutter and stately presence by her monarch husband's side but the comparisons will be made.
"Poor Mary," said a senior Danish journalist. "I wouldn't be her for the world. We own her now. She has sold Denmark her soul and her body and her heart. But she has done it with eyes wide open." A close observer of the Danish court said Mary already had started the dramatic change in her life. "The moment it [the engagement] became official, she stopped being Mary and started being the future Queen Mary," he said. "The jump from one to the other is the original quantum leap."
For a start, said sources close to the court, Donaldson has already had a fertility test. They doubted the Danish Government - which generally approved wholeheartedly of Mary - would have approved the union if it were unlikely to produce an heir to the throne. Perhaps most sudden of all, from Wednesday of this week Donaldson stopped being a professional career woman; stopped dead. She resigned instantly from her position in a computer software company.
"There cannot be the slightest hint of undue influence in business dealings now that she is to be Queen," one source said. "From now on, she is a royal." And, said one source, as Mary moved out of her office, her new bodyguards moved in to protect her.
But where was she and Prince Frederik? Some reports said they were in Rome, others in southern Sweden. What was clear is that the couple were savouring last moments of privacy together before Donaldson meets her first big test on October 8 when the betrothal becomes official.
And some test that will be. Donaldson will face the Danish media, probably live on TV, when most Danes will hear her speak for the first time.
She will have to speak in Danish, a notoriously difficult language spoken nowhere else on Earth and she had better get it right.
Will she be able to say: "God-dag, rart at mode dig" (hello, it's nice to meet you) to her
adoring public? While Alexandra, the Hong Kong-born wife of Frederik's younger brother, Prince Joachim, has been lauded for her perfect Danish, Mary's soon-to-be father-in-law, the French-born Henrik, the Prince Consort to Queen Margrethe II, has been the source of much gleeful derision in Denmark over his inability to speak Danish without a French accent.
It seems the Danes take their Danish - ironically, a much-lampooned language outside Denmark - very seriously and just love to poke fun at foreigners' mishandling of it.
Kristian Lund of the BT newspaper told a Danish university newsletter: "Danes have never really been particularly kind to [Henrik]. We've all had a laugh over his obvious difficulties with our language and his very French way of doing things."
Billed Bladet, a Danish royal-watching magazine, said in 2001 when Henrik was having somewhat of a crisis about the whole thing: "What Prince Henrik could not manage to do in 35 years, Alexandra has managed in less than seven. She speaks Danish pretty much without an accent."
Talk to any Dane and the language thing is the first chestnut to arise."First of all the Danish public require her to speak and read Danish. That's number one," says Ole Malmgren of the Australian Danish Consulate. "I don't know if she is fluent. I haven't heard her speak."
Per Thornit, Lord Chamberlain of the Danish royal court says: "Right now Mary Donaldson is taking intense Danish lessons. This is mission number one for her right now, and it will be for quite some time to come."
Donaldson's big coming out as a Danish speaker will be the October 8 official engagement announcement. That will be followed by another great Danish test.
Bodil Cath, one of Denmark's leading royalty reporters says "her baptism of fire could very well be the official visit to Denmark by his Royal Highness the Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg on October 20 to 22, just 12 days after Mary's engagement to Frederik".
"Mary doesn't know the grand duke but she will stand next to the Crown Prince for the official reception at Copenhagen Airport Kastrup. This will be her first-time experience of a proper royal reception with all its pomp and circumstance. She will be able to get an idea of how to carry herself when she eventually becomes Denmark's queen." But, she adds: "Mary is already very popular among the Danes. They are madly excited about her, even if she's not said a word yet."
The very popular Princess Alexandra's grasp on Danish - and she is - half Chinese - has been one of the major factors in her popularity. Indeed, there is one school of thought in Copenhagen that the long delay in announcing Mary's engagement was directly linked to her Danish lessons. As an indication of just how vital this is, supervision of her becoming as Danish as an Aussie girl could be was handed over earlier this year to one of the Danish court's senior men. He is Per Thornit, the Lord Chancellor, also chief-of-staff to Prince Frederik's household and the man who eased Princess Alexandra into Danish life.
"Mary will need more than good Danish," said a Copenhagen editor. "She will need to know Danish history going back generations, she will need to know all about Denmark in World War II, she will need to know the traditions and history of a court that traces itself back to the days before Prince Hamlet.
Thornit says: "We are not giving her any training in handling the press. That would be a shame. She is such a sweet and natural young lady. She doesn't need any training to meet the press." Danish 101 is a whole other matter, however. "We haven't been able to start any particular educational projects for her yet," Thornit says.
"(But) she will undertake intense history lessons and social science studies. She will be taken on extensive visits to all the major Danish institutions; the parliament, the prime minister's office, the Confederation of Danish Industries, the Danish Agricultural Council, the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions and so on. "These visits will not be official visits but work visits to educate Mary Donaldson on the many different national institutions in the Danish society."
If the Australian is indeed being asked to give herself not just to her husband but to Denmark, the rewards are not at first sight lavish, especially compared with the lifestyles of other royal families, notably the Windsors.
For example, the apartments at Fredensberg in which she will reportedly live are only about 1000sq m, court observers say.
And Prince Frederik's annual allowance - which will probably be increased when he marries - is about $1 million, chickenfeed compared with allowances handed out to, say, Prince Charles in Britain. While the Danish royals own two pretty grand palaces, they are not absurdly luxurious and their palatial retreat in France in fact belongs to Queen Margrethe II's husband.
The pre-nuptial agreement that Donaldson has been made to sign was essential for the necessary permission for the marriage from the Danish Government. Not only does she forfeit her rights to any children of the marriage should the two separate but the agreement also forbids her from taking any of the Danish crown jewels or works of art out of the country if the two divorced.
Combined with the loss of privacy and what could be a long, long wait for Prince Frederik to become king - Queen Margrethe is only 63 - the disadvantages of what is being portrayed in the glossy magazines here as yet another fairytale romance start to add up in a fairly forbidding way.
Of course, where Mary Donaldson is different is that she, just as was Alexandra, is a commoner from a country far away and thought to be very exotic. However not as exotic, perhaps, as the new husband of Princess Stephanie of Monaco, who is a Portuguese circus acrobat. A lawyer from Hobart seems pretty tame in comparison. October 8 will also tell us when and where the marriage is to be.
The betting is on either Easter (after Lent of course) or May, in Holmens Kirke, home of Danish Lutheran-influenced Protestantism not far from the statue of some medieval Viking axe-murderer in central Copenhagen.
"People were despairing of Frederik ever getting married and they will be expecting babies and babies quite quickly," says an observer. "It is a long time, more than 30 years, since we had a royal occasion to match this, Frederik's mother's coronation.
"Then, it will be confirmed that Mary is indeed ours, Mary of Denmark."
from http://www.rasmusheide.dk
from http://www.rasmusheide.dk
Court in the act of an engaging preparation
MARY Donaldson is living every girl's dream - being swept off her feet by a prince. RASMUS HEIDE in Copenhagen reports that an engagement is imminent.
SHE lives in the Danish Royal Court's holiday palace, takes lessons in the local language and has a personal bodyguard.
Sydney real estate agent Mary Donaldson has come a long way.
The 30-year-old brunette is officially a princess-in-waiting, having moved permanently into Prince Frederik of Denmark's private apartment in the regal holiday residence, the 100-year-old Marselisborg Palace in Aarhus.
It is yet another delightful chapter in Mary's fairytale romance with the heir to the Danish throne, whom she met when he was visiting Sydney during the Olympic Games.
Denmark is on tenterhooks as it awaits a palace announcement of the couple's engagement and the royal court is taking extreme care that nothing goes wrong in the meantime.
It is believed this is why Mary now lives alone at Marselisborg where she can enjoy all the privacy, peace and quiet a Danish queen-in-the-making could wish for.
It is only in the past few weeks that Mary has moved into the holiday palace to avoid the prying eyes of local media.
Holed up in quiet luxury she is spending as much time as possible with the Crown Prince and becoming a firm favourite on the royal circuit.
Although the couple has been skiing in Switzerland, eating out in Copenhagen and strolling on Danish beaches, the Sydney girl spends most of her time hidden away from the glaring eyes of the Danish press.
She is yet to make any kind of voluntary public appearance or statement - but Mary seems to have found her feet in the cooler Danish climate and on the polished floors of the royal palaces.
In February she took up residency in the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, where Prince Frederik hosted a party to mark her 30th birthday.
But the prospect of a future Danish crown princess being photographed jogging in the parks, receiving intensive Danish lessons or shopping in the capital's most exclusive boutiques was deemed inappropriate.
Hardly any official events take place at her new residence, Marselisborg Palace, which is the newest palace in Denmark.
It sits in an English-style 13ha park surrounded with vast lawns, trees and small lakes.
The palace is Queen Margrethe's favourite holiday spot, and the park is rarely opened to the public.
Sources close to the royal court believe Mary's residency at the palace indicates that Frederik's mother, Queen Margrethe, has given her all-important blessing to her son's love for the Sydneysider.
Although Frederik is studying in Copenhagen, he often makes the three-hour-drive to Aarhus to spend time with his love.
Marselisborg is not far from Schackenborg Palace near the German border, where Mary is getting to know Frederik's brother, Prince Joachim and wife Princess Alexandra.
The Australian expat has a great deal in common with Hong Kong-born Alexandra - both are foreigners far away from home, and Danish lessons are a very important part of becoming a Danish princess.
The speed and extreme ease with which Alexandra took to the Danish language soon after her arrival endeared her to the Danish people and Mary hopes to do the same.
Just before Easter, the Crown Prince and Mary were spotted lunching at a Copenhagen cafe, and later attracted curious looks as they strolled along a beach outside the Danish capital.
Walking hand-in-hand, the couple enjoyed the beautiful early Danish spring with only a couple of bodyguards keeping them company.
Mary and Frederik spent the week before Easter skiing at Verbier in the Swiss Alps, where the couple stayed with some of the Crown Prince's close personal friends.
Danes believe Mary has brought out a quieter side in the Crown Prince, who enjoyed a reputation as an international playboy before his Australian romance.
When he is skiing in the Alps, Frederik usually stays at hotels, but last month it was reported he had enjoyed a more discreet time holidaying with Mary at the private holiday cottage of IT millionaire Peter Warnoe, one of Frederik's friends.
Even if the week in Switzerland was a romantic getaway for the couple, they did not spend all their time together.
Mary is not as experienced a skier as Frederik, so she mostly stuck to the lighter tracks, and also spent less time on the slopes than him.
The Crown Prince is an early riser and often hit the slopes in the early mornings, while Mary stayed at the cottage. She joined Frederik and Warnoe on the slopes later for a few hours of skiing before returning to the holiday home by late afternoon.
The Crown Prince is renowned for his late night parties, and Verbier is known for its jet-setter nightlife and exclusive guests - sometimes including duchess Sarah Ferguson.
But the lures of the nightlife do not appear to offer the same attraction for Prince Frederik as they did before he met Mary.
The Easter holiday in the Swiss Alps was filled with evenings at home with Frederik's friends rather than nightly escapades at clubs and bars - a far cry from Frederik's usual late-night holiday fun.
The royal once known as "turbo prince" for his fast living has been tamed by an middle-class Australian girl who is expected to be his bride.
Princess in waiting
* Mary Donaldson, 30
* Born: Tasmania, 1972
* Raised: Taroona, a middle-class suburb of Hobart
* Parents: John Donaldson, an Oxford University mathematics professor; stepmother is novelist Susan Moody
* Siblings: Two sisters, Patricia and Jane, who still live in Tasmania
* Career: Real estate agent at up-market firm Belle Property in Kings Cross
* During the Sydney Olympics she was an advertising account manager at the Love agency. She also worked at Young & Rubicam.
Court in the act of an engaging preparation
MARY Donaldson is living every girl's dream - being swept off her feet by a prince. RASMUS HEIDE in Copenhagen reports that an engagement is imminent.
SHE lives in the Danish Royal Court's holiday palace, takes lessons in the local language and has a personal bodyguard.
Sydney real estate agent Mary Donaldson has come a long way.
The 30-year-old brunette is officially a princess-in-waiting, having moved permanently into Prince Frederik of Denmark's private apartment in the regal holiday residence, the 100-year-old Marselisborg Palace in Aarhus.
It is yet another delightful chapter in Mary's fairytale romance with the heir to the Danish throne, whom she met when he was visiting Sydney during the Olympic Games.
Denmark is on tenterhooks as it awaits a palace announcement of the couple's engagement and the royal court is taking extreme care that nothing goes wrong in the meantime.
It is believed this is why Mary now lives alone at Marselisborg where she can enjoy all the privacy, peace and quiet a Danish queen-in-the-making could wish for.
It is only in the past few weeks that Mary has moved into the holiday palace to avoid the prying eyes of local media.
Holed up in quiet luxury she is spending as much time as possible with the Crown Prince and becoming a firm favourite on the royal circuit.
Although the couple has been skiing in Switzerland, eating out in Copenhagen and strolling on Danish beaches, the Sydney girl spends most of her time hidden away from the glaring eyes of the Danish press.
She is yet to make any kind of voluntary public appearance or statement - but Mary seems to have found her feet in the cooler Danish climate and on the polished floors of the royal palaces.
In February she took up residency in the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, where Prince Frederik hosted a party to mark her 30th birthday.
But the prospect of a future Danish crown princess being photographed jogging in the parks, receiving intensive Danish lessons or shopping in the capital's most exclusive boutiques was deemed inappropriate.
Hardly any official events take place at her new residence, Marselisborg Palace, which is the newest palace in Denmark.
It sits in an English-style 13ha park surrounded with vast lawns, trees and small lakes.
The palace is Queen Margrethe's favourite holiday spot, and the park is rarely opened to the public.
Sources close to the royal court believe Mary's residency at the palace indicates that Frederik's mother, Queen Margrethe, has given her all-important blessing to her son's love for the Sydneysider.
Although Frederik is studying in Copenhagen, he often makes the three-hour-drive to Aarhus to spend time with his love.
Marselisborg is not far from Schackenborg Palace near the German border, where Mary is getting to know Frederik's brother, Prince Joachim and wife Princess Alexandra.
The Australian expat has a great deal in common with Hong Kong-born Alexandra - both are foreigners far away from home, and Danish lessons are a very important part of becoming a Danish princess.
The speed and extreme ease with which Alexandra took to the Danish language soon after her arrival endeared her to the Danish people and Mary hopes to do the same.
Just before Easter, the Crown Prince and Mary were spotted lunching at a Copenhagen cafe, and later attracted curious looks as they strolled along a beach outside the Danish capital.
Walking hand-in-hand, the couple enjoyed the beautiful early Danish spring with only a couple of bodyguards keeping them company.
Mary and Frederik spent the week before Easter skiing at Verbier in the Swiss Alps, where the couple stayed with some of the Crown Prince's close personal friends.
Danes believe Mary has brought out a quieter side in the Crown Prince, who enjoyed a reputation as an international playboy before his Australian romance.
When he is skiing in the Alps, Frederik usually stays at hotels, but last month it was reported he had enjoyed a more discreet time holidaying with Mary at the private holiday cottage of IT millionaire Peter Warnoe, one of Frederik's friends.
Even if the week in Switzerland was a romantic getaway for the couple, they did not spend all their time together.
Mary is not as experienced a skier as Frederik, so she mostly stuck to the lighter tracks, and also spent less time on the slopes than him.
The Crown Prince is an early riser and often hit the slopes in the early mornings, while Mary stayed at the cottage. She joined Frederik and Warnoe on the slopes later for a few hours of skiing before returning to the holiday home by late afternoon.
The Crown Prince is renowned for his late night parties, and Verbier is known for its jet-setter nightlife and exclusive guests - sometimes including duchess Sarah Ferguson.
But the lures of the nightlife do not appear to offer the same attraction for Prince Frederik as they did before he met Mary.
The Easter holiday in the Swiss Alps was filled with evenings at home with Frederik's friends rather than nightly escapades at clubs and bars - a far cry from Frederik's usual late-night holiday fun.
The royal once known as "turbo prince" for his fast living has been tamed by an middle-class Australian girl who is expected to be his bride.
Princess in waiting
* Mary Donaldson, 30
* Born: Tasmania, 1972
* Raised: Taroona, a middle-class suburb of Hobart
* Parents: John Donaldson, an Oxford University mathematics professor; stepmother is novelist Susan Moody
* Siblings: Two sisters, Patricia and Jane, who still live in Tasmania
* Career: Real estate agent at up-market firm Belle Property in Kings Cross
* During the Sydney Olympics she was an advertising account manager at the Love agency. She also worked at Young & Rubicam.
Alexandria
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Thank you for these two articles, Paulette.
After reading the first one I felt sorry for Mary and the very big shoes she will have to step into. If we all thought Alexandra was a hard act to follow, after reading this story, the thought of having to follow Margrethe is enough to make me want to run and hide forever!
Margrethe is very much lauded and put up on a pedestal in Denmark. In fact, I think all the women of the Danish royal family are, from Margrethe's mother Ingrid to her sisters, Anne Marie and Benedikte, and more recently Alexandra. And I think that while the Danish people have embraced Mary as the future Crown Princess and likely Queen of Denmark, they are at the same time holding up a long list of things she must do and achieve and hoops she must jump through to earn that last inch of complete support and utter love and devotion they have for Margrethe, her mother and sisiters and Alexandra.
Mary, what an unenviable position to be in!
After reading the first one I felt sorry for Mary and the very big shoes she will have to step into. If we all thought Alexandra was a hard act to follow, after reading this story, the thought of having to follow Margrethe is enough to make me want to run and hide forever!
Margrethe is very much lauded and put up on a pedestal in Denmark. In fact, I think all the women of the Danish royal family are, from Margrethe's mother Ingrid to her sisters, Anne Marie and Benedikte, and more recently Alexandra. And I think that while the Danish people have embraced Mary as the future Crown Princess and likely Queen of Denmark, they are at the same time holding up a long list of things she must do and achieve and hoops she must jump through to earn that last inch of complete support and utter love and devotion they have for Margrethe, her mother and sisiters and Alexandra.
Mary, what an unenviable position to be in!
karolinabraganza
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i love her glasses
less successful
karolinabraganza
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her skin is always quite oily
Lena
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What means the boat in the second post in this thread?! And is there a thread with pics from Mary as child? I´ve seen so many from Letizia but none from Mary.
anna
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1. may 2002 the danish mag Se og Hør printed a Wanted poster for photos of Mary Donaldson - and or one showing Crown Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson together - the mag promised a huge amount of money in bounty.
The rest of the media pretended to be outraged by their idea.
The bounty made the couple decide to give the media 2 photo opportunities 10.may 2002 - they left Marselisborg palace and arrived Amalienborg palace - Frederik drove his car slowly pass the photographers while Mary sat beside him.
The cartoon - the kid bear on the vessel "Mary" - Frederik fitted on "Mary" - was just one of the many imaginative things the mag received.
01. maj 2002 - http://www.seoghoer.dk/default.aspx?Action...D=63&GroupID=51
08. maj 2002 - http://www.seoghoer.dk/default.aspx?Action...D=67&GroupID=51
The bounty got coverage also in Australia - the mag has told they got some Mary photos - they have not used many yet - perhaps some kid / teen photos will be published in the wedding editions ?
When Mary was beginning to be the center of attraction for the press not just in Denmark but globally, I know there was and still too much pressure on her for she has to deal first with her staggering Danish that times and so with some of the harsh papparazzi. Then she lived her everyday life normally as usuall but she can't still avoid the press following her and taking stolen shots of her. Always keeping track of her daily appointments even her vacations with her friends and CP Frederick. Then after long months or years of silence, there was an announcement when will she and the CP be engaged. Then, here comes again Mary in the frontpages of newspapers in every corners. During the engagement, many were happy not just the Danes for she is to be married at last with her lover. Some were also sad for her Danish still needs too much practice and together with other factors. And then Mary started to be present in various occasions the Royal Family attended maybe as a way of exposing her and letting her feel what does her future job looks and feels. Some liked her and some didn't. Another pressure on her part. Then she had and is still taking lessons in preparation for her future job as a Queen.
I think by then Mary is very blessed. Not just because the Danes accepted her with open arms but they have even given her their whole support in her endeavors. She is also and should be grateful for she is receiving a very big support from the members of the Royal Family. Mary should by then be able to show to the whole world that she is worthy and she is doing her job and lessons seriously. She should then show that she knows what kind of world she is entering and she knows how to deal with her life in this new world filled with trials and challenges that when not overcomed may result to a divorce and wide criticisms in the future. So she should exert extra effort and dedication for she should by then experience the fruits of her hardwork in the end.
I think by then Mary is very blessed. Not just because the Danes accepted her with open arms but they have even given her their whole support in her endeavors. She is also and should be grateful for she is receiving a very big support from the members of the Royal Family. Mary should by then be able to show to the whole world that she is worthy and she is doing her job and lessons seriously. She should then show that she knows what kind of world she is entering and she knows how to deal with her life in this new world filled with trials and challenges that when not overcomed may result to a divorce and wide criticisms in the future. So she should exert extra effort and dedication for she should by then experience the fruits of her hardwork in the end.
I hope now that she is a royal fiancee she will stop wearing slipdresses / camisole tops. Slipdresses just aren't regal enough in my opinion (remember Diana in Dior, and even Maxima tried and it wasn't her best look).
Dennism, bewitching eyes is right. There is something about her features that is Anne Boleyn-ish to me.
Keep the pics coming, this is fun.
Dennism, bewitching eyes is right. There is something about her features that is Anne Boleyn-ish to me.
Keep the pics coming, this is fun.
karolinabraganza
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why on earth did she do a modeling course?? when was that?
thanks for posting the pictures, i hadnt seen them either
thanks for posting the pictures, i hadnt seen them either
she had the course few weeks after meeting the prince at the Olympics, might be 5 weeks after that. it was more of helping herself to build up confidence and how to pose for the media, some etiquette. i also wonder why she enrolled herself for that, don't understand that , but some people think that she did it because she was after the Crown, preparing herself for that,... I think there might be some truth in that.....
another thing which i don't understand is why is she still shy or appear to be shy when she's with the public.. probably too much for her to take at this time.? i symphatise with her sometimes coz i think she might not be appropriate to be the kind of person which is under constant limelight. she look so fragile !! i hope she can change on that.
from the modelling photos, i only like the 3rd and 4th ones . they look ok to me but she looked really normal in those photos, doesn't look gorgeous nor outstanding.. she look a bit big though..i prefer the way she looks now, she seems to know how to dress up and make herself look pretty but still room for improvement.
All in all.. i think she has lots of potential to be the next much-sought-after CP.
she looks really happy and natural in the photo posted by alexandria. mm.. if u notice the second photo posted by salma, mary seems to be a bit disgusted or annoyed with the media , another indication that she doens't enjoy the limelight, finding it stressful ?? poor girl..
another thing which i don't understand is why is she still shy or appear to be shy when she's with the public.. probably too much for her to take at this time.? i symphatise with her sometimes coz i think she might not be appropriate to be the kind of person which is under constant limelight. she look so fragile !! i hope she can change on that.
from the modelling photos, i only like the 3rd and 4th ones . they look ok to me but she looked really normal in those photos, doesn't look gorgeous nor outstanding.. she look a bit big though..i prefer the way she looks now, she seems to know how to dress up and make herself look pretty but still room for improvement.
All in all.. i think she has lots of potential to be the next much-sought-after CP.
she looks really happy and natural in the photo posted by alexandria. mm.. if u notice the second photo posted by salma, mary seems to be a bit disgusted or annoyed with the media , another indication that she doens't enjoy the limelight, finding it stressful ?? poor girl..
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Crown Princess Mary News: November 2003 - September 2004
Anna provided a link to a video of Frederik and Mary's press conference on the day of their engagement and I must say that Mary seems quite charming! I found her to be very likeable and appropriately spunky. She seems as if she has a sense of humor as well.
For some reason she is much more likeable in video (and in real-life, I would imagine!) than in photographs. Not that I disliked her from her photos but I was never really quite sure if I really liked her. After having seen her on video I can say that I do like her.
Does anyone else have this feeling? That she is more likeable on video than in photographs?
Anyway, I came away with a good feeling AND there is a good chemistry between Mary and Frederik in the video.
Anna provided a link to a video of Frederik and Mary's press conference on the day of their engagement and I must say that Mary seems quite charming! I found her to be very likeable and appropriately spunky. She seems as if she has a sense of humor as well.
For some reason she is much more likeable in video (and in real-life, I would imagine!) than in photographs. Not that I disliked her from her photos but I was never really quite sure if I really liked her. After having seen her on video I can say that I do like her.
Does anyone else have this feeling? That she is more likeable on video than in photographs?
Anyway, I came away with a good feeling AND there is a good chemistry between Mary and Frederik in the video.
sunlesstanning
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I can't really give my opinion on Mary yet even though I've seen the video of her from the press conferenceand the interview. She seems to generalise most of the questions and answer them in a third person.
In most photographs i have seen of her she seems to be flirting with the camera. Sometimes the picture of her appears to be proud and arrogant. But the media is largely responsible for presenting her in these pictures.
I think I rather wait until after she's married. Then I will be able to see how she is--whether she's involve charity functions or humanitarian events rather than royal dinners or high society events.
In most photographs i have seen of her she seems to be flirting with the camera. Sometimes the picture of her appears to be proud and arrogant. But the media is largely responsible for presenting her in these pictures.
I think I rather wait until after she's married. Then I will be able to see how she is--whether she's involve charity functions or humanitarian events rather than royal dinners or high society events.
Alexandria
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I have to say that I agree with you, Julia. I went to the link anna posted and watched the clip. Mary's nervousness comes off clearly in the video whereas in pictures, she came off as a bit aloof. And hearing her speak in Danish it was very endearing to see how hard she was trying to speak the language and to speak it well. There was a definite sense of 'make or break' for her as she first started to speak; as if she really understood that this was her "first" (formal) impression upon the Danish public and a lot of public opinion of her would be based on this one moment.
I don't know what flawless Danish, or even well-spoken Danish sounds like, so I cannot comment on that.
But from Mary's body language, the constant playing with her hair, it was obvious that she was quite a nervous young lady.
Funny, but I thought Frederik sort of came off as bad in this video, whereas in pictures he had the air of a lovesick, gushing puppy, especially in pictures of him showing the ring to the cameras. It was Frederik whom I thought seemed a bit aloof.
And could he and Mary have sat further apart on that couch from one another?!
Geeze! Margrethe could've gone in and sat between them! In hindsight, when you look at pictures of Felipe and Letizia's engagement, they were always holding hands and sanding arm to arm, but here it was a very different vibe indeed.
All in all, the video makes a very different case for Ms. Mary Donaldson then her pictures did of that day. ... From now on, I say, only videos of Mary here!
I don't know what flawless Danish, or even well-spoken Danish sounds like, so I cannot comment on that.
But from Mary's body language, the constant playing with her hair, it was obvious that she was quite a nervous young lady.
Funny, but I thought Frederik sort of came off as bad in this video, whereas in pictures he had the air of a lovesick, gushing puppy, especially in pictures of him showing the ring to the cameras. It was Frederik whom I thought seemed a bit aloof.
And could he and Mary have sat further apart on that couch from one another?!
Geeze! Margrethe could've gone in and sat between them! In hindsight, when you look at pictures of Felipe and Letizia's engagement, they were always holding hands and sanding arm to arm, but here it was a very different vibe indeed.All in all, the video makes a very different case for Ms. Mary Donaldson then her pictures did of that day. ... From now on, I say, only videos of Mary here!
It was very endearing to see how hard Mary was trying to get everything just right in this first formal appearance, wasn't it? She really made a tremendous effort.Originally posted by Alexandria@Nov 23rd, 2003 - 4:36 pm
I have to say that I agree with you, Julia. I went to the link anna posted and watched the clip. Mary's nervousness comes off clearly in the video whereas in pictures, she came off as a bit aloof. And hearing her speak in Danish it was very endearing to see how hard she was trying to speak the language and to speak it well. There was a definite sense of 'make or break' for her as she first started to speak; as if she really understood that this was her "first" (formal) impression upon the Danish public and a lot of public opinion of her would be based on this one moment.
I don't know what flawless Danish, or even well-spoken Danish sounds like, so I cannot comment on that.
But from Mary's body language, the constant playing with her hair, it was obvious that she was quite a nervous young lady.
Funny, but I thought Frederik sort of came off as bad in this video, whereas in pictures he had the air of a lovesick, gushing puppy, especially in pictures of him showing the ring to the cameras. It was Frederik whom I thought seemed a bit aloof.
And could he and Mary have sat further apart on that couch from one another?!
All in all, the video makes a very different case for Ms. Mary Donaldson then her pictures did of that day. ... From now on, I say, only videos of Mary here!
It was odd that Frederik and Mary sat so far apart. However, I wonder if he sat far from her so that she would be given her "due" so to speak? Or, was he terribly nervous? OR, is Frederik just not comfortable with physical displays of affection in front of the press? I did feel that he was proud of her, though.
Alexandria
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Yes, maybe Frederik isn't a very affectionate person in front of cameras. And maybe he really did want Mary to shine on this occasion of her own accord and not be like an attached limb to her. Which is fine, but on their engagement day, I wanted to see, even just once, a pat on the knee to reassure Mary. Or some other simple gesture like that, even once. I'm not saying I'd have liked to see Frederik "plant a big one" on Mary in the middle of the press conference, but a pat on the knee, a rub of her back, to hold her hand for a few seconds? Too much to ask?Originally posted by Julia@Nov 23rd, 2003 - 5:47 pm
OR, is Frederik just not comfortable with physical displays of affection in front of the press? I did feel that he was proud of her, though.
But yes, Julia, I do agree that while Mary was speaking Danish in the intro, Frederik did seem quite pleased with her efforts.
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