Danish Royal Family Christmas: 2003, 2004, 2006-2014, 2016-2023


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When I saw the thread in recent posts, I had to look. Thanks for posting all of the wonderful Christmas pictures and stories! They are getting me in the Christmas mood! I especially love the table set with a mirror to serve as an ice rink.
 
JR76 said:
The term used is "Grand tour".
Click to expand...

well, that is the 19th century term; today it would be called a gap year!:flowers:

Muhler said:
Right now there is an exhibition at Christiansborg of how the Christmas table was laid within the DRF for the couple of centuries.

https://app.box.com/s/jr9kcn494g58pgxtqhomgd56d7ebcgd4
https://app.box.com/s/pday2svbmmb7mfu0pwd0fx323rxk6rgd
The first table was laid at some point by QMII at Marselisborg. Which is why there is a model of Marseliborg in the center. The original however is made from silver.
The three bowl contain rice porridge with cinnamon. And you can see a whole almond. The tradition is that you put an almond into the bowl with rice porridge. The porridge is then served for the individual guests. the guest who finds the almond win a present.
It's not always easy to find a present that covers adults, as well as children of very different age, so QMII has solved the problem by buying several almond-presents. So depending who wins, she selects a present that suits the age and gender of the lucky winner.

https://app.box.com/s/8o18bkxmk67assjds7jc5dx1l8rsp7gn
https://app.box.com/s/b0iyirkwi44v8j5n51rdv9wc4ty8dwl0
This table stems from back when QMII and her sisters were children and they celebrated Christmas at the hunting lodge in Trend. The table was laid by Queen Ingrid and she created the illusion of a frozen lake by using a mirror.
The red candle-holders were Swedish that Queen Ingrid brought with her as a memory of her childhood.

https://app.box.com/s/jajgyhq0krfw19s4xl3qdz353bkp5fjv
This Christmas setting is from 1896 at Amalienborg.
Christian IX often had the opportunity to gather his pretty extensive family for Christmas, so quite a lot could be present.
The sleigh was a present to two of the little princes that year.

https://app.box.com/s/brsvh6bxahyinlioi6paele0ba9b1vum
The top table is the from the 1700's. From the reign of Christian VII. The figures were made from sugar. And Christmas back then was party-time! With good food, masquerades and lots of mischief and general merriment. I imagine there was no shortage of wine either...

The bottom table is from 1841, from the court of Christian VIII.
The theme is an cornucopia. The china was the brand new Flora Danica and the mood must have been festive, because it is recorded that no less than 32 pieces of Flora Danica were smashed during that Christmas dinner! - It literally hurts just to think about it! :eek:

And finally I cannot resist this little endearing story from 1958.
https://app.box.com/s/tngosscd7g10qk3zs4es94nronwpqp8u
BB that year reported how King Frederik IX had been seen prowling through a department store in Copenhagen looking at scarves, shoes, toys and ties.
It is not known what the king decided to buy, because it was all send to the palace afterwards, but it is known that the king did not enjoy the ordeal. Like most men of his age, Frederik IX did not posses a well-developed shopping-gene!

Here is the rest of this weeks issue of Billed Bladet:
https://app.box.com/s/dl5ci2ljvdwqzlyoo5dsilbpboefhqvl

And here is the DRF calendar for 2019:
https://app.box.com/s/b4ppnax9229pt22llemwqwly6ypupdi6
Click to expand...

Thanks so much, as always, Muhler. Such a delight and so inspirational to see these tables..I must get to work!:bang:
 
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dorop said:
When I saw the thread in recent posts, I had to look. Thanks for posting all of the wonderful Christmas pictures and stories! They are getting me in the Christmas mood! I especially love the table set with a mirror to serve as an ice rink.
Click to expand...

Congratulations on your first posts, dorop. :flowers:

Thanks, Eya.
That toilet-case must have listened in on many interesting things on Queen Alexandrine's travels. Especially if her mother, Anastasia Mikhailovna also used it!
A necessairer is indeed an apt name for such a thing.
 
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Well in german or american is "toilet-case" perhaps not the right word anymore (the whole "washroom-thingy)...)... - maybe "beauty case" (that is, what it would be called in Germany).

Whatever!

This is very cool thing about old families, especially royal and noble ones: Everything is loaded with history!
 
I plead ignorance, Your Honor. ;)

Beauty-case it is then. ?
 
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Thanks Eya, that's a little gem. ?

These are QMII's school books from when she started at 4th grade at Zahle's School.
As you can tell, her artistic talents came early!

Especially in regards to the lessons in German in appears! That at least seems very much evident on the cover of the notebook for the German lessons (tysk = DK for German.)
Even though QMII speaks perfectly good German, methinks she was pretty bored during the lessons at school. :D
 
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Tak! Thank you for the photos of the Danish Christmas Story. My family and I took a Baltic Cruise this past summer. We only had one day in Copenhagen but I insisted that Amalienborg be part of the itinerary. It was early August and as I recall none of residents were there, but we did tour the museum. Lovely to see the photos of the artifacts, the table settings and more. Glad that HMQM will have her children, daughters-in-law and all of grandchildren with her this Christmas.
 
Thanks, Eya.

More than 100 years old paint-thingies, used by Queen Louise when she painted porcelain.
I guess it has an almost therapeutic effect to paint porcelain.
 
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Thanks, Iceflower. :flowers:

Well, that should interest people who are in to antiques. This comfortable wheelchair is from 1898. Princess Alexandra of Wales bought it for her mother, Queen Louise. But alas, she died shortly after and the "sick-chair" as such a contraption was apparently known in DK at the time, has been put away in an attic since then.

Makes me think of Monty Python and Spanish Inquisition! :eek:
 
Thanks, Eya.

This "indianer"(*) suit was bought for Queen Ingrid by her morfar Duke Arthur of Connaught in 1916, when he was governor general in Canada.
Later that year then princess Ingrid wore it while being held by her dad, crown prince Gustav Adolf.
Later on a delighted princess Margrethe also wore it.

And while we are at the topic of dressing up.
Luicia day is coming up and here are princesses Margrethe and Benedikte at the Swedish embassy in 1946.
The Swedes have a more elaborate tradition regarding Lucia Day than we have here in DK.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BN8xMqSgmz_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_camera

And here is a photo from 1954, when Zahle's School performed the play Aladdin. Princess Margrethe is here playing princess Gulnare.
https://bt.bmcdn.dk/media/cache/resolve/image_1240/image/122/1229784/22498537-julekort.jpg

(*) Indianer is the north-central (Germannic) European word for all native peoples of the Americas. There are no negative connotations to that word here, nor is it connected to India. Indians are "indere" in Germannic and India = Indien.
 
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This thread is thoroughly enjoyable, and I check it every morning. What a unique Christmas countdown! Thank you to all who have posted and commented.

The picture of little Princess Ingrid shows a strong resemblance to Princess Josephine.

Unrelated question: the winter solstice is coming up - how many hours of daylight are there in Denmark these days?
 
MidwestMom said:
This thread is thoroughly enjoyable, and I check it every morning. What a unique Christmas countdown! Thank you to all who have posted and commented.

The picture of little Princess Ingrid shows a strong resemblance to Princess Josephine.

Unrelated question: the winter solstice is coming up - how many hours of daylight are there in Denmark these days?
Click to expand...

7 hours plus/minus 5 minutes. (I just checked.)
The clock is now 15.35 and the sun is going down.

That's 10 hours 44 minutes less daylight than the height of this summer.
 
:previous: Thanks, Muhler. Take heart, the days will be longer soon! In my part of the US, we're having about 10 1/2 hours of daylight. To get back on topic, that gives us plenty of time to see the Christmas lights, some of which I can see from my kitchen window.

Now, back to QM's nisse and their Christmas memories. :advent::stocking::xmastree::santa2:
 
These three PH-hats symbolize his life.
The diplomatic top-hat symbolize PHs pre-DRF career.
The frilled admirals-hat symbolize his position in DK as Prince Consort.
The jungle-hat symbolize his work for his protections. Including somtimes going out in the field with his protections.

Thanks, Eya.

A homemade, silk-morning gown, made for princess Margrethe during WWII.
Complete with shoes.
As silk was very hard to find during the war, that is some gift!
 
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That is so very beautiful and just gorgeous, I would love to see those in person, bet the embroidery is still like new today as it was yesterday......this I love!:flowers:
 
Wow! Do the Danish keep absolutely everything? Ancient Paints, antique wheel chairs, etc just stored away? That’s pretty awesome actually :) that nisse attic looked empty though.
 
amaryllus said:
Wow! Do the Danish keep absolutely everything? Ancient Paints, antique wheel chairs, etc just stored away? That’s pretty awesome actually :) that nisse attic looked empty though.
Click to expand...

Apparently they do! I'm a little surprised as well.
I know that the whole main building at Sorgenfri Manor is reserved for storing furnitures. There is room for quite a few chairs!
 
They could make a huge amount of money for the various charities and causes if they sold them as antiques or at auction. Maybe Not the childhood memorabilia like the Indian costume and silk coat but chairs, tables etc. The Nisse will be thankful for the room ;)
 
:previous:

You know, I really like the picture of Margrethe with her father and the dress looks so nice on her. With it just hanging there on the dummy looking nice was questionable for me....they style is of yesterday and so is the fabric yet Margrethe shined in the dress. She is such and still a beautiful woman, her dad must be very proud of the Queen she has become.
 
Daddy Frederik IX was beaming with pride that day, when QMII turned eighteen and attended her first meeting in the State Council wearing that dress.
 
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