Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg's Charities and Patronages

[camelot23ca]

While I think Alexandra seemed like she was dedicated to her obligations and work as a member of the royal family, in the years since the divorce I've never gotten the sense in interviews that she misses royal life, as such. She gives the impression with being quite happy with her family life and private endeavours, and I think she's tried to strike a balance between being a well known former royal and a private citizen. But it's an inherently awkward situation to be in and,while I think Alexandra and the DRF have handled the divorce and all the resulting issues as best they could, there were bound to be bumps in the road at some point.

 

[denice]

Is this a big news story in Denmark or just a dust up. Is Alexandra popular and news worthy like she was when a member of the royal family? I like to follow the DRF from afar, but there is little news about her these days.

 

[Muhler]

Is this a big news story in Denmark or just a dust up. Is Alexandra popular and news worthy like she was when a member of the royal family? I like to follow the DRF from afar, but there is little news about her these days.

Not really.

It's not prime time news.
It's something everybody knows something about and have formed a quick opinion about. It's mentioned at coffee tables and work places and discussed for a few minutes and that's about it.

The question about Alexandra's apanage is bigger and still going on to some extent. With the majority thinking it's about time that ends one way or another. The general impression being, as I understand it, that Alexandra can do without financially and that Joachim alone is financially able to ensure Nikolai and Felix a solid education and start in life.
She is not considered a semi-royal anymore, she is genuinely a commoner now.

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

There are actually a kind of patrons for other organisations, who are not royals.
Ambassadors or figureheads would perhaps be a better term. They use their celebrity status or contacts or reputation to promote or create awareness for other causes.

However, having a royal patron is an official stamp of approval for an organisation, because it means an organistation has been checked and found to be serious. Akin to Supplier to the Royal Danish Court.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Is Countess Alexandra the only "non-royal" that is a patron of organizations?

Of course not. Thousands and thousands of ladies (mostly are ladies) are patrons. From the local brassband to the local horticultural society. From a local scouting group to the "Ladies Committee" of a local parish. Patrons are everywhere and usually are the local notable ladies.

In my own little town (Lapalisse) the lord and the lady of the Château de la Palice are the most notable inhabitants. Actually our mayor, M. Jacques de Chabannes de la Palice, is from the family which inhabits the big castle since 1430 (!) and of course madame is protectoress of almost everything in and around Lapalisse. Not to mention that it helps the mayor to get re-elected again and again...



This phenomenon of having prominent or notable ladies as patroness is common all over Europe.

 

[Viv]

Is Countess Alexandra the only "non-royal" that is a patron of organizations?

Yes, basically! There's a handful of actors/singers who are Unicef-ambassadors, and the odd celebrity might occasionally be the
figurehead of some charity-event. But thats about it.

Royal patrons are the couple regent, the crown-princely couple, the
Prince Joachims and Princess Benedikte.
IIRC the Queens youngest sister, the former Queen Anne-Marie
still has a patronage in Denmark; she's not representing the Danish
Royal House as such but still a member of the royal family.
Then there are the Queen's cousins, Princess Elisabeth, with
four patronages and Count Ingolf of Rosenborg, who has a handful
of 'minor' patronages in Jutland.

For a country of 5½ mill. inhabitants we're not exactly short of
potential royal patrons....!

A comment to Duc et Pair: Thanks for your information! Merci!
The charity culture differs from country to country! I'm more familiar
with that of the UK, where charities and good causes are in the fabric
of the society!

In Denmark, the charity/patron culture did not play a significant role
in recent decades because of the welfare state! Taxation was heavy
and many were of the opinion that 'the State' could take care of those
and that in need!
Things are changing now, because we're living in a different time,
age and political climate. These days the Danes are becoming more
and more willing to engage in charity Work in different ways.

viv

 

[denice]

All these coments are very enlightening. I find it interesting Alexandra is still given an apanage. I would have thought once she remarried she would no longer be considered a member of the DRF. Does her husband attend the events with her and considerd semi-royal?

 

[Viv]

I would have thought once she remarried she would no longer be considered a member of the DRF. Does her husband attend the events with her and considerd semi-royal?

She certainly isn't, and she was removed from the DRF website some two-three hours after she exchanged vows with Martin Jørgensen!
That's also why she doesn't get an apanage any more but an annual grant.
I just checked the Bill passed on Nov. 24th 2004 and it states that if she remarries, the apanage will be replaced by a grant of the identical amount, subject to value added tax.


viv

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

All these coments are very enlightening. I find it interesting Alexandra is still given an apanage. I would have thought once she remarried she would no longer be considered a member of the DRF. Does her husband attend the events with her and considerd semi-royal?

When Alexandra separated in September 2004 and divorced in April 2005, her husband Prince Joachim and her sons Prince Nicolai and Prince Felix were the Number Two, the Number Three resp. the Number Four in the line of succession to the throne. I think the quite well-willing arrangement must be seen in that light.

Would Alexandra divorce today, with her sons Prince Nicolai and Prince Felix all the way behind their uncle Crown Prince Frederik, behind their cousins Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent, Princess Josephine and behind their father Prince Joachim, the arrangement would most likely have been totally different.

 

[muriel]

I think it is only fair that Alexandra move on from "the stage". It is a decade since she separated from Joachim, and there really is no room for her.

 

[Muhler]

I think it is only fair that Alexandra move on from "the stage". It is a decade since she separated from Joachim, and there really is no room for her.

Agree.

She did her bit, when she was royal. And she did it well.
I believe it would be gracious of her to give up her protections now. - She can still continue working as a ambassador or front figure for a couple of organisations.
Better than to remain a half-hearted patron, that could be interpreted as her unwilling to let go of her former status.

 

[tommy100]

out of interest did she drop some patronages when she divorced or are the ones she has now all ones she had when she was still officially part of the DRF?
I ask only because to me it makes a difference as I would agree she should perhaps review her charities if she has not really done so since she left the DRF as it is likely very hard to keep links and up to to date with a larger number however if she scaled back and cut her ties to some charities already then these once remaining are possibly ones she feels very personally close to.
Again to me the whole issue here is her allowance (or what ever it is technically called). As she gets money from the state it creates perhaps an expectation that she has such links to a reasonable number of charities as payback. That's just how it seems to me.
Personally I would rather see her keep one or two charities such as UNICEF possibly and do more with them.

 

[Terri Terri]

Well if the majority of Danish public are not in favor of her getting her grant given the number of patronages that she has now...imagine how much more unpopular it would be for her to continue to get the same money from the state while only representing just 2 charities. Added to that with Joachim and Marie now in Copenhagen full time, there are more than enough royal patrons to go around and getting media attention.
Seriously, Countess Alexandra is between a rock and a hard place!

 

[Viv]

out of interest did she drop some patronages when she divorced or are the ones she has now all ones
she had when she was still officially part of the DRF? .

As a member of the royal Family she used to have some 23
patronages. Immediately before her marriage and leaving the RF in
2007 these were reduced to fourteen probably on the initiative of the
royal Court.
Of these fourteen patronages two have been dropped or 'lost' since then!

Again to me the whole issue here is her allowance (or what ever it is technically called). As she gets money from the state it creates perhaps an expectation that she has such links to a reasonable number of charities as payback. That's just how it seems to me. .

Absolutely! It must be said that noone apart from the
republicans contested her apanage as long as she still was a
working member of the DRF in the years 2005 - 2007. The objections began
to appear after her marriage to Martin Jorgensen. The reasons are
many; she is no longer royal, new marriage to a toyboy husband,
losing the royal lustre and embarking on a more sort-of-celeb- lifestyle,
the downscaling of her official duties and her fading echo on
the public radar, buying luxury holiday homes in Turkey at a time of
recession.
Many members of the general public fail to understand why she
should keep her apanage after her remarriage ( now technically called
an 'allowance'!). However some petty mindedness is also showing its ugly face!
Add to this the new marriage of Prince Joachim, a new princess
on the block and a shift of interest by the general public.
Yes the allowance is an issue for many ! But so is her albeit reduced
public role as a former member of the royal family. Either way, she's damned!

viv

 

[polyesco]

Countess Alexandra to the annual ECCO Walkathon with her husband, Martin Jørgensen and his sons Prince Felix and Prince Nikolai

Grevinde Alexandra trodsede regnen | Billed Bladet

 

[iceflower]

.

Alexandra as Patron of the Danish Association of the Blind together with Martin Jørgensen attended an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Fuglsangcentret in Fredericia on August 30. It's a course and conference center owned by the Danish Association of the Blind.



** fb: Stemningsbilleder fra Fuglsangcentrets 25 års jubilæum **


** frdb.dk: Grevinde Alexandra festede med Fuglsangcentret **


** BB: Grevinde Alexandra besøgte Dansk Blindesamfunds center i Fredericia ** translation **

 

[Al_bina]

Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, visited The Danish National hospital on September 1

Grevinde Alexandra besøger Rigshospitalet som protektor for Landsforeningen Spædbørnsdød - YouTube

 

[iceflower]

.

The following link includes a video of an interview (also including Nikolai and Felix!) during the Walkathon on August 31 and pics of Alexandra's visit to the hospital:



** pp: Comtesse Alexandra : Ravie avec ses princes, sensible avec les parents en deuil **

 

[Al_bina]

As a member of the royal Family she used to have some 23
patronages. Immediately before her marriage and leaving the RF in
2007 these were reduced to fourteen probably on the initiative of the
royal Court.
Of these fourteen patronages two have been dropped or 'lost' since then!


Absolutely! It must be said that noone apart from the
republicans contested her apanage as long as she still was a
working member of the DRF in the years 2005 - 2007. The objections began
to appear after her marriage to Martin Jorgensen. The reasons are
many; she is no longer royal, new marriage to a toyboy husband,
losing the royal lustre and embarking on a more sort-of-celeb- lifestyle,
the downscaling of her official duties and her fading echo on
the public radar, buying luxury holiday homes in Turkey at a time of
recession.
Many members of the general public fail to understand why she
should keep her apanage after her remarriage ( now technically called
an 'allowance'!). However some petty mindedness is also showing its ugly face!
Add to this the new marriage of Prince Joachim, a new princess
on the block and a shift of interest by the general public.
Yes the allowance is an issue for many ! But so is her albeit reduced
public role as a former member of the royal family. Either way, she's damned!

viv

Given the re-marriages, the developments are not surprising at all.

 

[polyesco]

Countess Alexandra and her two sons, Princes Nikolai and Felix, visited on Saturday Randers Rainforest.
Grevinde i regnskoven - De Kongelige - De kongelige

The Countess is the patron of the rainforest and was also responsible for the initiation, as Randers Rainforest opened in 1996.

 

[iceflower]

Here are some more pics of their visit last weekend:


** BB: Prins Felix og prins Nikolai slugte stegte melorme ** translation ** royalista.com article **


As Patron of UNICEF Alexandra today, September 26, visited a school in Copenhagen that wants to become the first Danish Rights School in close cooperation with UNICEF.


** BB: Grevinde Alexandra besøger Rettighedsskole ** translation **

 

[Muhler]

Well, Countess Alexandra has been gone from another of her protections, it seems. Afsked med pigekoret: Mørket sænker sig over Alexandra - Royale | www.bt.dk

Normally a protection is for life - or until it is handed over to someone else (within the DRF that is).
Now Alexandra and the DR1 Girls Choir (with whom she been with often, if you look through these pages).
The reason is that the ending of the patronage is after mutual concent.

As such Alexandra and her two sons attended a show with the Girls Choir for the last time as patron.

The gossip magazine Her & Nu quotes unnamed sources for Alexandra being too expensive to have around, in other words her demands were too luxurious - presumably when on tour. (How credible Her & Nu is is very debatable however).

The royalty expert Lars Hovbakke Sørensen has previously commented: "It happens very rarely that such protections ends.
I don't know how interested the DRF is in Alexandra having a future role. Her protections have been justified because she was a member of the DRF, but she isn't anymore. So neither the DRF nor the Danish society/community/public has an interest in her keep having a prominent role".

BT goes on to speculate that as Nikolai and Felix gets older and eventually become adults, Alexandra's role is ending. So it cannot be ruled out that she will relinguish further protections. - (That in my eyes seems a logic and reasonable assumption).

Ironically Alexandra went into the concert arm in arm with the chairman of the Association of the Blind, who had some pretty harsh words to say about Alexandra as patron just a few months ago. Today however he had nothing but good to say about her...

 

[iceflower]

.

Countess Alexandra participated in the Crack Cancer fundraiser event in Copenhagen on October 25:




** fb Pic ** bt.dk gallery ** royalista.com article **


** knaekcancer.tv2.dk: Grevinde Alexandra: Jeg vil lytte og være omsorgsfuld ** translation **

 

[iceflower]

.

Countess Alexandra as honorary member of the Copenhagen Zonta Club handed out the Zonta fellowships last weekend:




** sn.dk gallery ** BB article and video: VIDEO: Grevinde Alexandra overrækker Zonta-priser ** translation **

 

[denice]

Seems like the dust up over Alexandra recieveing money has blown over.

 

[iceflower]

.

On February 27 Countess Alexandra as Patron of UNICEF attended the inauguration of Herning as UNICEF City 2015.



** royalista.com article ** BB: Grevinde Alexandra åbnede Herning som UNICEF-by ** translation **

 

[iceflower]

.

Countess Alexandra as Patron of the Parkinson Society and husband Martin attended the Parkinson Gala 2015 on April 26:



** parkinson.dk gallery **

 

[Archduchess Zelia]

Thank you for posting that gallery Alexandra looks beautiful – she has such a lovely smile. I'm really happy that she has grown her hair out, it looks so good at the length it is now.

 

[polyesco]

Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix with their mother Countess Alexandra rededicated the North Jutland North Sea Oceanarium.

Grevinde Alexandra, prins Nikolai og prins Felix kom tæt på havets hemmeligheder | Billed Bladet

looks like Felix has a new haircut

 

[iceflower]

Countess Alexandra is Patron of the North Sea Oceanarium, I've therefore moved your post over here.


Here are some more pics and a video:


** nordjyske.dk gallery ** tv2nord.dk video **

 

[polyesco]

thanks

I wonder if this is the same aquarium that Frederik and Mary visited some years ago
http://www.hellomagazine.com/imagen...isit-aquarium/0-23-512/princess-mary-1--a.jpg
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01981/aquarium_1981308i.jpg