Danish New Year Courts: 2004, 2006-2021, 2023, 2024

[Lasse Pedersen]

Additional information: The New Year's Speech is written by HM Queen Margrethe herself. She receives a list from the Prime Minister's Office, which includes topics for the Queen to consider mentioning. Her Majesty then writes her speech, deciding for herself what to in- and exclude from the given list, and sends her speech to the Prime Minister's Office. Here, the speech is read and approved.

/Lasse Pedersen

 

[JPhinala]

Thanks for posting and translating that! What a beautiful speech!

"The book of the year is a strange book. Some of the text is already there, and will reveal itself, day by day, without us having much influence hereon. But some of the text, we write ourselves; therefore, the book of the year is also our very own."
Isn't that a great quote! It's really nice how she writes that herself. It adds something to it.

 

[capricorninin]

Thanks a lot. It was a very good effort. This is the first speech I have had the chance to read of QM and it is just beautiful and thoughtful, and just what I would expect from an artistic person like her. Beautiful imagery of words.

 

[Paula**]

What a wonderful Queen The people of Denmark have I feel a bit orphan, cause I'm american and we dont have queen(duh) and about the president and first lady is not the same thing, know what a mean?
I wanna marry with some denmark's guy and be from denmark so I can have a queen LOL
Queen Margrethe is absolutely adorable

 

[Scott]

I doubt any of the dresses Mary wore this new year would be my first choice for a reception with the queen.

The blue one, at first I liked it but there's something too simple about it that I don't like. It does enhance the elephant, the chain and also the tiara though.

The yellow one, at first I found it hideous but it's growing on me. Probably because it's the kind of dress I imagine only a royal person could wear.

Although the clothes are somewhat important we shouldn't forget that it's the actual presence of the members of the royal family that's really important on these occasions.

How would we feel if Mary decided to stay home because she thought to herself; ''Oh this dress doesn't really fit me and I will get a lot of criticism for it so I better stay put here in my couch with my baby and watch some television''.

I actually really liked both dresses. I love Mary in Royal Blue but I like her best in Lavendars and Aquas. I have to admit my favorite dress is what I callthe "Thai" Dress (The purple and gold)

Considering she is a new Mum I think she is looking really great.

Scott

 

[tabbitha]

I actually really liked both dresses. I love Mary in Royal Blue but I like her best in Lavendars and Aquas. I have to admit my favorite dress is what I callthe "Thai" Dress (The purple and gold)

Considering she is a new Mum I think she is looking really great.

Scott

Hello Scott,
You like Mary in Royal Blue !!!!! Think about it- it's quite funny- good for you. Yes i do too if you know what i mean She looks great in the bold colors but I like the soft pastels and florals on her too- she looks good - motherhood does suit her..

 

[Scott]

Hello Scott,
You like Mary in Royal Blue !!!!! Think about it- it's quite funny- good for you. Yes i do too if you know what i mean She looks great in the bold colors but I like the soft pastels and florals on her too- she looks good - motherhood does suit her..

I think I just made a real "Boo Boo" saying that!!!!!! If anyone on this Board has ever read the Forum "Royal Blue" you will know why I have a red face.

I will rephrase my sentance. I like Mary in the colour Royal Blue. Perhaps she wore it to snub her nose at RB posters

Thank you so much tabbitha for pointing that out.

Scott.

 

[Liva]

Thanks for posting and translating that! What a beautiful speech! .

I agree. I have always enjoyed the Queens speeches. It´s become sort of a tradition for a lot of families in denmark to gather in front of the tv on the evening of the 31th at 18.00 to listen to her.. I think she did a great job with this speech

 

[Daneborn]

Liva > I remember that too from my upbringing in Denmark. No matter the occasion the party didn't start until people heard the Queen's speech.

As I remember it the Queen's speech is broadcasted on both national TV-channels plus all the national radiochannels. Very majestic in my opinion. Which shows what great prominence the speech has.

Lasse > I'm very impressed by the translation. I don't think even the Queen herself could have done that better.

Paula > That's exactly why I think a kingdom is better than a republic. Especially in a country like the USA where the president is so involved in everyday politics. Politicians are replaced, they have their own agenda and they rarely represent more than some 50% of the population.

 

[Little_star]

Thank yuo Lasse_Pedersen for the translation, an excellent speech by the Queen.

 

[purple_platinum]

excellent translation, Lasse Pedersen . . .
it was a beautiful speech by the Queen, i'm even more impressed she wrote it herself. a very talented queen indeed..

 

[GrandDuchess]

Thank you very much for posting your excellent translation of Queen Margrethe's New Year speech, Lasse Pedersen!

As I'm Swedish and can read Danish, I read it when it was first released, and I love it! She speaks in pictures, one can really see the things she talks about in the head or as images before you, and that's a great gift to have as a speaker.

 

[H.M. Margrethe]

excellent translation, Lasse Pedersen . . .
it was a beautiful speech by the Queen, i'm even more impressed she wrote it herself. a very talented queen indeed..

I hate to say this BUT Queen Margrethe don´t write her newyears speech.
She gets an outecast from Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen about what to say in her speech. She migthe writhe somthing down but it is not the full version of it.

 

[UserDane]

I hate to say this BUT Queen Margrethe don´t write her newyears speech.
She gets an outecast from Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen about what to say in her speech. She migthe writhe somthing down but it is not the full version of it.

I always had the impression that it was the othe way around; that Queen Margrethe writes her speech and then it is reviewed for approval (for undue political content) by the prime minister before being aired?

​

 

[Daneborn]

I hate to say this BUT Queen Margrethe don´t write her newyears speech.
She gets an outecast from Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen about what to say in her speech. She migthe writhe somthing down but it is not the full version of it.

How do you know this ??

Anders Fogh Rasmussen has his own speech broadcasted on January 1st. I can't see why it's necessary for him to fit his agenda into the queen's speech.

I agree with UserDane, and besides it's clearly a speech made by a woman, an artistical and unpolitical person. I don't think she writes it all by herself, but who knows, she's got the experience for it.

I hope she's giving Frederik some training for his future speeches.

 

[Lasse Pedersen]

I hate to say this BUT Queen Margrethe don´t write her newyears speech.
She gets an outecast from Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen about what to say in her speech. She migthe writhe somthing down but it is not the full version of it.

To some extent, I stand corrected. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II, as H.M. Margrethe has pointed out, actually receives an already written speech from the Prime Minister's Office. This speech contains five or six topics which the Prime Minister's Office regards as being relevant. The Queen then writes her own speech.

First, the Queen chooses some topics, if any, from the already written speech, and then writes her completely own speech. When writing the speech, Her Majesty's private secretary (at the moment LLD Niels Eilschou Holm) assists Her Majesty in matters of political concern. When Her Majesty feels that her speech is perfect, it is returned to the Prime Minister's Office. Though communication between the Prime Minister's Office and the Court is strictly confidential, it has been said that the speech received from the Queen does not at all resemble the original speech.

About the New Year's Speech, Her Majesty has said: "Jeg har altid sommerfugle i maven inden nytårstalen. Jeg håber at jeg rammer noget, der kan bruges. Det værste ville være at ramme slet ingenting. Naturligvis er jeg da spændt på reaktionerne. Særlig fordi der de senere år har været så meget interesse om den tale. Så bliver det væsentligt mere spændende at se, om man har truffet noget. Det væsentlige er ikke hvad aviserne siger, jeg fortæller tværtimod mig selv: ‘Det drejer sig ikke om god og dårlig kritik, men om, at folk syntes du har sagt noget, som angår dem.’"

In English: "I always have butterflies in my stomach before the New Years Speech. I hope that I touch something of use. The worst would be to touch absolutely nothing. Naturally, I am excited about the reactions. Especially because this speech has become a centre of attention over the last years. Thus, it becomes even more exciting to see if you have struck something. The essential is not what the news papers say, on the contrary, I tell myself: 'It is not a matter of good and bad critique, but of whether people think that you have said something which concerns them'"

Finally, thank you for your comments on the translation. You are much too kind!

/Lasse Pedersen

 

[Daneborn]

Aha.

It certainly is nice and considerate of the prime minister to supply the Queen with relevant topics in case she couldn't think of any herself

I guess this is a good thing. It gives the Queen the approval to speak about things she might have felt was too delicate / political to dare suggest herself.

I'm thinking about what she said about freedom of speech and that she hopes no young people in Denmark would engage themselves in extreme actions.

 

[pollyemma]

I guess this is a good thing. It gives the Queen the approval to speak about things she might have felt was too delicate / political to dare suggest herself.
.

I agree. I think it gives the queen some 'cover.'
though i'm not aware of the queen's message ever having been controversial. is that right?

 

[Scott]

You know, it really is strange that Princess Alexandra used the same dress for the same event two years in a row. How much do these dresses cost, anyway? Even in my modest family, for instance, the women would not wear the same dress to two family weddings in a row. If she had a different (lesser) character, I would guess that she is trying to make a point. But I'm a real believer in her character.

Her day clothes are also recycled to a strange degree. She has a beautiful figure, she really doesn't need terribly expensive clothes to look good or to look royal. I'm surprised and curious.

There is no Royal lady who is quite as good at recycling clothes - gala, day or whatever than HRH The Princess Royal.!!!!!! Now that is one very frugal lady. I do wish she would change her haistyle for a younger look. I am sure she would look much nicer with short hair now.

I think the coat Princess Mary wore at the 2nd event grows on you the more you see it. With regard to the hairstyle, I think as it was a very formal occasion she hairstyle she chose was perfect, It looks far better than when she wears her hear down when wearing any tiara.

Scott

 

[Lasse Pedersen]

I agree. I think it gives the queen some 'cover.'
though i'm not aware of the queen's message ever having been controversial. is that right?

Well, many a Dane was quite upset by Her Majesty's New Year's Speech of 1984, two years before I was born.

Her Majesty said:
"Ikke blot den materielle nød, mangelen på det nødvendigste, er vi forskånet for her i Danmark. Hos os hersker også den fred, det frie politiske liv og de ordnede samfundsforhold, som gør vort land til en eftertragtet havn for mange. Med vidt forskellig baggrund kommer flygtninge hertil, kvæstede somme tider både på sind og krop. Vi tager imod dem og er nok også lidt stolte over, at de har valgt netop vort lille paradis, men når vi ser dem stå famlende over for vort livsmønster og vort sprog, så kniber det alt for hurtigt med gæstfriheden, og skuffelsen melder sig på begge sider.
Det er der også andre, der har måttet føle, nemlig gæstearbejderne og deres familier. Nu er tiderne lidt mindre gunstige, end da mange af dem kom hertil, og det går ofte hårdere ud over dem, der igennem generationer er indlevet i den danske hverdag og derfor har sværere ved at omstille sig. Så kommer vi med vores `danske humor' og små, dumsmarte bemærkninger. Så møder vi dem med kølighed, og så er der ikke langt til chikane og grovere metoder - det kan vi ikke være bekendt."

In English (translation by yours truly):
"Here in Denmark, we are spared material needs and the lack of necessities. Amongst us, the peace, the free, political life and the orderly social conditions, which make our country a wanted harbour for many, prevail. With widely different backgrounds, refugees come here, bruised some times on both mind and body. We receive them, and are probably also a little proud that they have chosen our little paradise of all places, but when we see them fumbling at our pattern of life and our language, hospitality is much too soon scarce, and disappointment shows on both sides.
Others have also felt this, that is the guest workers and their families. Now, times are a little less propitious than when many of them arrived here, and often, this is harder on those who through generations have familiarised themselves with Danish everyday life, and therefore have a harder time adjusting themselves. Then, we come with our 'Danish humour' and little, stupid remarks. Then, we meet them with chill, and then, harassment and crueller methods - that is not good enough!"

NOTE: The word, 'dumsmart', which I have translated into 'stupid', was invented by the Queen for this occasion. It was soon adopted into the official, Danish vocabulary.

This speech, of which the above is an excerpt, made many a Dane quite angry. Many felt that Her Majesty was being political. Personally, I believe that Her Majesty was being ethical. Moreover, Her Majesty can be political, as long as she is not party-political. But of course, I was not even thought of by my parents, and did not experience the hysteria I imagine that Ekstra Bladet could stir up! But what do you think? Did Her Majesty exceed her powers?

/Lasse Pedersen

 

[Saragli]

That speech was not political at all. It had nothing to with immigration but with rather how danes treat them. She was just telling them they were wrong and should change. Like a mummy scolding her child for picking on someone. I thought it was a good speech and you cant always have the easy go lucky leader.

 

[Iain]

Only very few heads-of-state have their New Year's Speech transmitted live. Along with HM Queen Beatrix of Holland, HM Queen Margrethe is, to my knowledge, the only European one to do so.

Doesn't Queen Beatrix give a Christmas speech rather than one at New Year?

 

[Larzen]

Princess Elisabeth at the New Years gala and Chief of F&M Court Per Thornit with Marys Lady in Waiting who was IMO the most elegant lady there

E-Billedbladet 1

 

[Sultana]

My two cents on Mary's Near Year blue dress debate. As many have already said, the style is quite different from the ones she would wear before the baby; it makes one wonder whether the fact that she is now the mother of the prince second in line to the throne has had to do with this change of image. With the baby, she must have moved up a notch in the royal family's hierarchy: not a green new bride anymore, and the dress was meant to reflect that (how successfully is a different question!).

 

[Alisa]

Mary's lady-in-waiting is usually very elegant but the silver dress is just too much. She looks like a "space queen" with all that silver from head to toe....I'd definetely file this under "when bad dresses happen to good people"

 

[auntie]

This is my opoinion on Mary's new year fashion:I think before giving birth she had a very skinny figure and could get away with wearing almost anything, what ever the style was, and almost always looked gr8. Unfortunately both new year gowns were not popular amongst the Royal watchers, due to the fact that she is a bit rounder and can't get away with everything anymore.

 

[Larzen]

Here is a picture from sjældne diagnoser form Marys New Years kur

 

[Larzen]

From Nyrenyt nr 1 2006

 

[kate14]

CP Mary looks very nice, thanks for the new pics Larzen

 

[sirmax]

It looks like a flamboyent cheetah was killed to make that outfit.

Its a flower dress!!!!!

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/355059-post143.html