General Questions and Information about the Danish Royal Family


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Will all the children receive the Order of the Elephant? If so will they receive it on their 18th or will only Christian receive it at 18? Do you have to hold the Order to attend the NY Courts.

The answer to the first question must be yes. Traditionally all members of the DRF recieve the Order of the Elephant.
They do not have to attend the New Year Courts, they are entitled to do so, if they wish, even if they are no longer active royals or alternatively have been made counts/esses. As holder of the Order of the Elephant they are automatically entitled to attend the grandest of the New Year Courts as well as the court for the various classes of rank.

Do you think all of Frederik's children will do royal duties when they are old enough? Full time or part time.
If they do fulltime with Frederik and Mary, Joachim and Marie that is eight. I guess Christian will join the Navy/Army and may not be around most of the time.
Sorry, but I find this interesting.

Yes, this is indeed interesting.
Actually I don't think so. As I said in my previous post I think it's very likely at least one of them will do like Madeleine. Retain the royal title but settle abroad and only occasionally attend a royal event. I.e. being a non-working member of the DRF.

I think Christian will indeed take up a military career in all three branches and no doubt go the university as well to, like Frederik, get a more in depth understanding of how the society works. - I think royal educations in the future will be much more comprehensive than today. Not only with political science but also an understanding of how the media works, rhetoric and so on.
It would be very useful if one of the eight would get an education as a journalist.

Traditionally, at least the males within the DRF have all joined the military. We can almost be certain that Nikolai will be a volunteer conscript. Whether he will continue a career as an officer from there, remains to be seen.
But the girls may also join the military, or indeed become a professional within the Civil Defence, or become an active member of the Home Guard. Even a volunteer firefighter. (More likely with J&M's children).
I think we can expect all eight children, in one way or another, to do service within the total defence.

Christian is bound to join the military, but for the rest of M&F's children, as well as the two youngest of Joachim's children, it's more open. Because I don't think there will be conscription in ten-fifteen years from now.
As it is now, conscription is basically a trial period for those who contemplate a career within the military or who wish to serve abroad. It's more for recruitment than for practical use. (One exemption from that are the all-volunteer conscripts onboard Dannebrog).

ADDED: I find it more than likely that M&F's children will work and study for at least a year in Australia.
Certainly Athena and bette Henrik may very well study in France or Switzerland.
 
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Thanks once again Muhler.

Say we skip forward 16/17 years Athena will be 18, the twins 19 and Isabella will only be 23. If Isabella is in Denmark at this time, the younger ones including Henrik are still at school/university is it possible that they would all attend the NY Event? What a entrance that would be especially if we add Christian in as well.

I love to see the children study/ work in Australia maybe even one of Joachim's he spent a little bit of time also.
 
Thanks once again Muhler.

Say we skip forward 16/17 years Athena will be 18, the twins 19 and Isabella will only be 23. If Isabella is in Denmark at this time, the younger ones including Henrik are still at school/university is it possible that they would all attend the NY Event? What a entrance that would be especially if we add Christian in as well.

I love to see the children study/ work in Australia maybe even one of Joachim's he spent a little bit of time also.

It will be a feast for the photographers and royal watchers! :D

It will almost be a procession.

To make it practical I can imagine king Frederik, queen Mary, as well as Joachim and our Marie will arrive in usual style, probably with Christian too arriving on his own.
But at that age and to make it more manageble I think Bella and the twins will arrive as a group.
So will Joachim's children I guess. (Athena will no doubt reduce her brothers to props).

As for the greeting of the guests, it will be a spectacle akin to the von Trapp family!
Can you see it? M&F first, followed by their four children, then J&M and another four young people.

We can also imagine that Nikolai and Felix will study or work in Hong Kong.
Why I'm almost certain that Athena and bette Henrik will go to France or Switzerland is because they are after all some three-quarters French.
 
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Mayby Mary calls him Pingo when there are alone. When he was in 'Frømandskorpset' (Danish equivalent of The Navy Seals) Frederik's call name was Pingo.
 
It will be a feast for the photographers and royal watchers! :D

It will almost be a procession.

To make it practical I can imagine king Frederik, queen Mary, as well as Joachim and our Marie will arrive in usual style, probably with Christian too arriving on his own.
But at that age and to make it more manageble I think Bella and the twins will arrive as a group.
So will Joachim's children I guess. (Athena will no doubt reduce her brothers to props).

As for the greeting of the guests, it will be a spectacle akin to the von Trapp family!
Can you see it? M&F first, followed by their four children, then J&M and another four young people.

We can also imagine that Nikolai and Felix will study or work in Hong Kong.
Why I'm almost certain that Athena and bette Henrik will go to France or Switzerland is because they are after all some three-quarters French.

Hi Muhler, It would be wonderful to see all the young royals together at least once at the NY Court however I don't think it is something that will happen.

Thanks for making this a little clearer for me.
 
:previous: My pleasure, Marfre :)

Summary of a Q&A in Billed Bladet #8, 2014.

Where a Bent Holm would like to know whether the DRF have a special passport.

Jon Bloch Skipper explains that they don't anymore, not since 1982.
Instead they have a standard diplomatic, beetroot-colored passport like this: https://app.box.com/s/gs6phenw0723825554x2
Which simply says diplomatic passport on the front.

It's the Foreign Ministry which issue the passports to the DRF.
 
Probably this is a silly question but I made a search on internet and I can't find a thorough reply: Does the lutheran church allow a marriage after a divorce? Because P: Joachim married twice in church and I?ve never understand why.
Thank you
 
Not a silly question at all. The people's church of Denmark allows does indeed allow divorcees to remarry. It also allows same sex marriages but each vicar has the option to refuse to perform such a marriage.
 
Thank you very much! :) and did the couple had only a religious ceremony or a civil too?
 
They only had the religious ceremony. In Denmark that is considered sufficient.
 
Summary based on a Q&A in Billed Bladet #11, 2014.

Where a Pia Frederiksen would like to know how far down the royal line royal immunity extends.

Jon Bloch Skipper replies that royal immunity encompass all in the line for the throne and their spouses by marriage as defined by the Law of Succession.

According to the Law of the King from 1665 and the Constitution, all these people are "royals" and they cannot be prosecuted, nor can they or rather nor are they obliged to give testimony at a court of law.
It is only the Monarch who can prosecute and sentence these people. The Monarch can however lift the immunity if need be.

- The Monach can also strip an individual of the royal status at any time, but the Monarch cannot elevate someone into royal status except by birth or marriage. You cannot be in the Line of Succesion unless you are also a decendant of Christian X and Queen Alexandrine.
The only one whose status QMII cannot change at a whim (in theory of course) is that of the Crown Prince. Frederik's status as heir is protected by the Law of Succession.
 
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Summary of a Q&A in Billed Bladet #17, 2014.

Where a Astrid Bruun would like to know in what order the members of the DRF will be rescued in case of an emergency.

Jon Bloch Skipper responds that there detailed plans for that eventuality. In case of war, distaster, terrorism and so on, a number of key figures will be evacuated. The exact details is of course a secret.
However, Jon Bloch Skipper believe that the DRF on top the list are QMII, Frederik and Christian. - Followed by the other members who are in the Line of Succession.

- As mentioned in a previous post somewhere, this is where the adjutants come in, if something should happen while the royals are on the job outside the residences.
 
If a Danish princess married an ordinary man…

If, for instance, Princess Athena of Denmark grew up and married a commoner, would he get any title from his marriage to her?

I'd be very grateful for anyone who would be kind enough to help me! And I hope this is the appropriate place for this thread...

Thank you very much.
 
If, for instance, Princess Athena of Denmark grew up and married a commoner, would he get any title from his marriage to her?

I'd be very grateful for anyone who would be kind enough to help me! And I hope this is the appropriate place for this thread...

Thank you very much.

That is entirely up to the Monarch.
Only the wife/husband of the Crown Prince/ss is practically guaranteed to become a prince/princess because the CP can't be stripped of his/her title.

There are as far as I know no specific rules for the rest.
However, if I were to speculate it would be realistic to think that Athena would be stripped of her royal title and simply be Countess de Montpezat.
In contrast a husband to Josephine or Isabella has a considerable bigger chance of being made a prince. Simply because they are children of the CP couple.
It very much depends on where they settle down, how active they are within the DRF, will they get an apanage and so on.
 
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That is entirely up to the Monarch.
Only the wife/husband of the Crown Prince/ss is practically guaranteed to become a prince/princess because the CP can't be stripped of his/her title.

There are as far as I know no specific rules for the rest.
However, if I were to speculate it would be realistic to think that Athena would be stripped of her royal title and simply be Countess de Montpezat.
In contrast a husband to Josephine or Isabella has a considerable bigger chance of being made a prince. Simply because they are children of the CP couple.
It very much depends on where they settle down, how active they are within the DRF, will they get an apanage and so on.

Why would Princess Athena be stripped of her title? I can understand her husband not getting a tintle, but why would she lose hers?
 
If, for instance, Princess Athena of Denmark grew up and married a commoner, would he get any title from his marriage to her?

I'd be very grateful for anyone who would be kind enough to help me! And I hope this is the appropriate place for this thread...

Thank you very much.


Princess Dagmar (1890-1961), daughter of King Frederik VIII married the untitled nobleman Jørgen Castenskjold in 1922 without him or any of their descendants receiving any titles and without her being stripped of her royal title (atleast as far is I can tell).
 
If, for instance, Princess Athena of Denmark grew up and married a commoner, would he get any title from his marriage to her?

I'd be very grateful for anyone who would be kind enough to help me! And I hope this is the appropriate place for this thread...

Thank you very much.

It's not exactly the same situation, but Princess Benedikte of Denmark married a man who, although a prince in his own right, did not take the "Prince of Denmark" title. Their daughter is married to a commoner, and their child does not hold a title.

It would be my guess that Princess Athena would keep her title, but her husband would not gain a title and their children would be commoners. The Danish Royal Family seems to like keeping the royal family fairly small (now, it is the children and grandchildren of the monarch, her two sisters, and a cousin), so I don't imagine that they would want to continue and continue adding members with little chance of inheriting the throne.
 
Why would Princess Athena be stripped of her title? I can understand her husband not getting a tintle, but why would she lose hers?

Acdc1 nailed it.

To keep the number of core DRF members low.

Right now there are seven adults and eight children for a total of thirteen members.
Say none were stripped of titles, or at the very least spouses and children were not given titles. That means that we in say 25 years from now, presuming Benedikte and the Regent Couple are dead, will have M&F, J&M, eight children with spouses, for a total of now twenty prince/ss! - Not counting their children.
That's way too many, not least in the eyes of the public.

But let's play with the idea.
Christian's life is fixed. - So seven to go.

Two will marry and settle or spend the majority of their lives abroad and not be a part of the daily DRF business. - Really not much need for them, let alone their spouses, to have a royal title.
One will marry but will opt to remain out of the limelight, do an Elisabeth, so to speak. Perhaps join the miitary and have a career that does not conflict with the DRF's political neutrality. Not having a royal title can even be an advantage.
Two will marry and take an active part in the DRF business in whatever way. I.e. do a Joachim.
One will for whatever reason not marry.
The last one will be the joker. Anything can happen, including death.

With a divorce rate of some 40% we must expect at least one of the children to divorce, that's also an incentive to be sparingly with titles.
 
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It's entirely possible that a "pruning" will take place. You see it beginning already with Joachim's children not being "royal highness", but only "highness".

It's possible that the titles will prune as well, to lower degrees of nobility - such as counts, then barons then nothing.
 
Today here in DK there is a general election for the European Parliament as well as a referendum for or against the European Court of Patents.

Having just returned from the polling station I thought I would dispell a common myth.

All Danish citizens of legal age have the right to vote. (*) That includes the DRF. They just don't excersize that right.

What happens is that all citizens who have an official registered address get the in this case two personal voting cards send by mail a couple of weeks before the election.
Some opt to vote by mail beforehand but most don't. On the cards are instructions about where to vote and who to get your ballots from at the voting station.
Then it's just behind a curtain to put your X. It's the KISS principle - Keep It Simple Stupid, so we use a pencil here in DK.

The DRF members will have got such voting cards by mail as well, but they are probably shredded.

Today is also a flagday.

(*) I'm not 100 % sure if that also applies to those very few who are so poor off mentally that they are completely unable to comprehend what an election is about. ADDED: I checked, those who have a legal guardian appointed and who have been stripped of their legal rights do not have the right to vote.
People under all other forms of guardianships have the right to vote.
 
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AFAIK Muhler, the DRF doesn't get a voting card in the mail.
They can legally vote but they do not get a card.
 
AFAIK Muhler, the DRF doesn't get a voting card in the mail.
They can legally vote but they do not get a card.

They don't?

I thought it was automatic. I.e. per computer depending on where you live and then out by mail.
 
This may not be the proper thread to post this, but I have a question: with the news today of Juan Carlos' pending abdication, do any of you think there will be more among the 'older' generation of royals? Personally, I'm not too sure. I think if QEII were going to abdicate, she would have done it by now. Harald in Norway has had some health problems, and the Japanese emperor is getting on in years. Both of their heirs seem to be well prepared. I can't see Margarethe stepping down at all! But if she did, I think Frederik would do a fine job.

Just some ramblings from an American, who is seriously thinking of getting a bumper sticker that says '' Bring Back the Monarchy'' !
 
To QMII, the role as a monarch is a role for life, she has ensured that in several interviews. She'll stay on the throne till she falls off – those are her own words. I'm beginning to doubt that abdication is even a word in her dictionary and I'm glad it isn't. There is no point in QMII abdicating. She's doing a tremendous job as it is.

Besides, we have no tradition whatsoever in Denmark for abdication. I think the last Danish monarch to abdicate was Erik VII (Erik af Pommern) in 1439.
 
What do the Danish citizens think of the Crown Prince and Princess? Purely by accident I stumbled on an obscure Danish blog that was quite critical of them, their spending etc. Not critical of the Queen and even Joachim didn't fare too badly. Alexandra seemingly well thought of and not much mention of Marie. CP Mary especially took the brunt of the criticism but Fredrik received a lot as well. Comments posted on the blog all seemed to agree. Just wondering how people feel about them. I suppose there are those in every country with a monarchy that are "down" on the royals no matter how well they behave.
 
Thelast survey shows that in popularity mary is in the lead.
So mary first then frederik, margrethe,
Prince henrik, marie and Joachim share the last seats.
 
What do the Danish citizens think of the Crown Prince and Princess? Purely by accident I stumbled on an obscure Danish blog that was quite critical of them, their spending etc. Not critical of the Queen and even Joachim didn't fare too badly. Alexandra seemingly well thought of and not much mention of Marie. CP Mary especially took the brunt of the criticism but Fredrik received a lot as well. Comments posted on the blog all seemed to agree. Just wondering how people feel about them. I suppose there are those in every country with a monarchy that are "down" on the royals no matter how well they behave.

There are blogs out there that are extremely critical of especially Mary and everything associated with Mary, or anything that is associated with all the things associated with Mary (a strange form of original sin, I suppose).
Especially Royal Dish is waving it's hands.

The Crown Prince is adored by most people, although people recognize his faliure to perform "live" - i.e. giving speeches etc.
Mary is absolutely loved by almost every person in the realm and she's seen as someone who's very compatible with Frederik.
Most republicans (and they are scarce) seldom, if ever, lash out at the person Frederik or Mary, but at monarchism as a form of government. While some people might dislike monarchy, it's a loosing battle in Denmark to begin to critizise the queen for being in the position she is in.

Re. the critical blogs, while despising especially Mary, they ironically spend seemingly all their spare time reading and writing about her, scouring the interweb for images of her, actually spending most of their time on a person they claim to hate (I suspect they secretly love her, but won't admit it - by ragging on her, they are excused, so to speak).
 
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