The Future of the Danish Monarchy

[MARG]

Can you explain the qualification retirement debacle? May a man in his Eighties and after 50 years of service to Queen and country not slow down, in good consultation with his spouse and his family?

As polyesco mentioned, 2015 was a very bad year for Prince Henrik. I am sure he never intended to become a laughingstock . . . "King"? He wishes! But the truth is that both nationally and internationally he is not being seen for his 50 years of "Service", mainly because there have been too many self-serving actions seen and heard by the press and the public. Too many public outbursts about his position as Prince Consort, a position he accepted 50 odd years ago so it is not as if it is a surprise to him.

I mean, what can you say about a grown man who publically throws his toys out of his cot and runs away home to his Chateau in France? He not only humiliated his wife, which in my book makes him a cad, but he publically humiliated The Queen of Denmark in the eyes of her 'subjects'.

It's not as if it was a oncer. He pulled a sickie for her Gala 75th Birthday celebrations. Everyone was sorry for both of them until he went on holiday to Venice within a couple of days looking hale and hearty. In doing this, he made her a figure of pity, publically abandoned on her big birthday celebration! I bet there weren't many women at home or abroad who didn't feel sorry for her.

As for his "Retirement", yes he is 84 but what has that to do with abandoning his official duties as Consort? Nobody would mind him slowing down, but he does what no Consort has done before, he has bailed on the Queen. It is not onerous to attend formal banquets and Levees, and if he skipped the travel, finding it too onerous, who would wonder. Except, he's traveling solo quite happily when traveling officially every little detail is taken care of for him.

All this makes people wonder . . . did he jump or was he pushed? Either way, Queen Margrethe was left to make the sort of announcement no other Monarch has ever had to make. Her Consort has retired and one would think he found the pace too hard. One would be wrong, he's off on holiday again.

 

[Soula]

As polyesco mentioned, 2015 was a very bad year for Prince Henrik. I am sure he never intended to become a laughingstock . . . "King"? He wishes! But the truth is that both nationally and internationally he is not being seen for his 50 years of "Service", mainly because there have been too many self-serving actions seen and heard by the press and the public. Too many public outbursts about his position as Prince Consort, a position he accepted 50 odd years ago so it is not as if it is a surprise to him.

I mean, what can you say about a grown man who publically throws his toys out of his cot and runs away home to his Chateau in France? He not only humiliated his wife, which in my book makes him a cad, but he publically humiliated The Queen of Denmark in the eyes of her 'subjects'.

It's not as if it was a oncer. He pulled a sickie for her Gala 75th Birthday celebrations. Everyone was sorry for both of them until he went on holiday to Venice within a couple of days looking hale and hearty. In doing this, he made her a figure of pity, publically abandoned on her big birthday celebration! I bet there weren't many women at home or abroad who didn't feel sorry for her.

As for his "Retirement", yes he is 84 but what has that to do with abandoning his official duties as Consort? Nobody would mind him slowing down, but he does what no Consort has done before, he has bailed on the Queen. It is not onerous to attend formal banquets and Levees, and if he skipped the travel, finding it too onerous, who would wonder. Except, he's traveling solo quite happily when traveling officially every little detail is taken care of for him.

All this makes people wonder . . . did he jump or was he pushed? Either way, Queen Margrethe was left to make the sort of announcement no other Monarch has ever had to make. Her Consort has retired and one would think he found the pace too hard. One would be wrong, he's off on holiday again.

I totally agree Marg!

 

[princess maggie]

It is true Margrethe can die tomorrow; such things we have no control of. But she does have control of a decision on whether to step down, and one would think she would......

Is it really her decision to step down ? What does the constitution say? I think with the exception of the Netherlands most monarchs are there for life. I could be wrong.

 

[Cris M]

A person who retires doesn't need to stay at home waiting for death. Many retired people enjoy travelling.

The Prince Consort is doing nothing wrong. The Queen didn't said he was retiring for health reasons, he just decided to stop with his duties to enjoy his final years travelling and spending time with grandchildren.

We all praise the royals for not retiring, but I'd never keep working at 95 like Prince Philip.

 

[Muhler]

Is it really her decision to step down ? What does the constitution say? I think with the exception of the Netherlands most monarchs are there for life. I could be wrong.

There is constitutionally speaking nothing to hinder QMII from abdicating tomorrow if she wanted to. However, it would be only the second abdication ever in Danish history, so it will naturally cause a stir.

 

[royal-blue]

Has the workload of the other members of the royal family changed yet, or is it likely to do so? How many working Danish royals are there altogether?

 

[Muhler]

M&F's workload has certainly gone up over the past couple of years, while QMII's has gone down.
J&M and Benedikte's workload is more or less the same.

Whether there will be changes after PH's retirement is too early to say.

There are currently M&F, J&M, QMII and Benedikte as working members of the DRF.
For a total of 5½ persons.

 

[Kylar1]

How much longer do you think Queen Margrethe II will reign?

Crown Prince Frederik is now 47 and his mother is now 76. Margrethe II has been on the throne for 42 years.
How much longer before we see King Frederik X do you think?

 

[Al_bina]

Queen Margrethe II will rule as long as it is required. Prince Charles is 67, and there are no debates about Queen Elisabeth's II abdication.

With the exception of the Netherlands, where it is possible for a monarch to retire through an abdication, the other European abdications happened because of serious reasons.

 

[princess maggie]

I think she has stated she will not retire.

 

[Kylar1]

I meant in terms of life? Like how many years do you think

 

[casualfan]

That's kind of morbid, isn't it? "How much time do you think Daisy has left?"

 

[Curryong]

Apart from quite a bit of pain in her joints I can't see any reason why Daisy can't live on into her eighties or even nineties. Her lifelong habit of smoking might provoke a health condition later on but she seems OK so far.

 

[iceflower]

.

I think we all agree that speculating about someones duration of life - may he or she be ill or not - is not appropriate. We all hope that Queen Margrethe will have a long, happy and healthy life and reign!

 

[royal rob]

I think the future of the Danish Royal Family is in great hands. Out of all the RF's I think it's the most secure IMO


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[Duc_et_Pair]

Having a great personal popularity or esteem even is not the same as being in favour of a monarchy. We may say that Felipe de Borbón or Willem-Alexander van Oranje-Nassau are generally met with goodwill and approval. That does not automatically mean that people are in favour of a monarchy.

But I agree with you: as the situation is as present, Denmark seem a secure monarchy to me.

 

[royal rob]

I didn't mean because they are popular etc I believe they are extremely hard working, concerned about worthy causes etc. if you look at what Mary does you can't help but be inspired. But it's not just Mary or Fred I feel sure they way they are bringing up their children they will fulfill their roles as well.


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[Roskilde]

BT's front page today:

The Danes in a new Gallup survey:

"Queen Margrethe is strong alone, but Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary would be a better Regent Couple"

I have not had time to buy and read the newspaper properly, so we have to wait for more information until BT are posting an online article (probably later today)

But I think it's about (and it's also my firm impression) that no matter how satisfied we are with Margrethe as Queen many Danes think it's a pain to look at Margrethe now walking lonely around like a solitary majesty to all things. And with Henrik (or the media's treatment of him) giving the DRF quite a big dosis of turmoil quite continuously. More and more Danes think it's time for a generation change now we have a ready, hard working and popular future King and Queen ready. Why not change a tradition if it's for the better? I think more and more Danes thinks like that. And maybe especially after the DRF already has broken one tradition - that a royal member retire.

But let's see when BT post a online-article.

 

[polyesco]

thank you Roskilde. I look forward to it.

I think there is great respect for Margrethe but also, as we have seen time and time in polls and articles; that Frederik and Mary are not only popular but they are seen as hard workers and down-to-earth, in-tune with the people.
People have confidence in their Crown Prince Couple who have taken a larger role and work load.

article and poll that came out in March, not only highlighting the confidence the Queen has in Frederik but also that shows that over 90% believe that Frederik will be a good king
Dronning Margrethe afslører: Sådan forbereder jeg Frederik til livet som konge

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

But are Felipe and Letizia, Philippe and Mathilde, Willem-Alexander and Máxima, Victoria and Daniel no "hard workers" and not "close to the people"? In all these monarchies they, as individuals, enjoy great approval but the support for the monarchy is nevertheless not necessarily corresponding with their good personal ratings. An apprectiation for the monarchy because "people like Frederik or Mary" is also delicate. Something can happen and people will then dislike. Look at Infanta Cristina and her husband. Look at Princess Madeleine and her husband. It can go, pfffwwwtttt, with a whiff of wind. But Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary may be very happy with their ratings, but I feel it is also the desire for change, for something fresh, something new which is playing a part here. We have seen the same in other monarchies. Queen Beatrix was seen as a Regina Perfectissimae but people thought it was time to go, after 33 years, to make place for the "more modern" and "more in touch" younger generation.

 

[Muhler]

There are now more details on the poll, which Roskilde referred to: Efter Henriks pensionering: Her er danskernes dom over Margrethe

Gallup asked 1.114 persons on behalf of BT:

Should QMII follow her husband into retirement?
50 % says no.
36 % say yes.
14 % don't know.

If M&F take over now, will they be a better regent couple than QMII and PH?
47 % say yes.
4 % say no.
38 % say M&F will do just as well.
11 % don't know.

- In the eyes of QMII these can not be bad figures.
Despite being more or less semi-retired herself, her ratings are still very good as half wish to keep her on the throne. And keep in mind that we live in a youth-fixated age.
The... ehh... raised eyebrows after the retirement of PH don't seem to have affected her that much, only in regards to apparently an increasing number of people believe M&F's marriage will be more shall we say stable in the eyes of the public than QMII and PH's marriage. - But it's difficult to make predictions - especially about the future...

But it must also be very reassuring for QMII that the people in general have a high confidence in M&F as the next regent couple. That means they have been well-trained and have done well themselves. The current approach with M&F taking over more and more and developing their own style works.

In other words the dynasty is unlikely to go down if she dies tomorrow. That is not something all present day monarchs can be sure of.

 

[Al_bina]

It is absolutely wrong to have such kind of polls. Some traditions must be preserved. Why should Denmark follow steps of Spain and Belgium, if there are no serious reasons for Queen Margrethe to retire?

 

[Hans-Rickard]

It is absolutely wrong to have such kind of polls. Some traditions must be preserved. Why should Denmark follow steps of Spain and Belgium, if there are no serious reasons for Queen Margrethe to retire?

It is just so the media will have anything to write :-D

Same situation here in Sweden. There are regularly polls and the King is frequently asked about when he is going to abdicate in favour of the extremly popular Crown Princess.

I think those polls is just a way for people to say that they like Victoria (and Daniel). I don't think many swedes want her on the throne now with 2 small kids at home. I imagine that it's the same situation in Denmark even though Frederik and Mary's 4 kids are a bit older. They should be able to have their family life in peace right now because that opportunity won't come back for them.

Like you said earlier, the abdications in Spain and Belgium happened more or less to save the monarchy. Ther is no need for that in Scandinavia or UK.

 

[xenobia]

It is just so the media will have anything to write :-D

Same situation here in Sweden. There are regularly polls and the King is frequently asked about when he is going to abdicate in favour of the extremly popular Crown Princess.

I think those polls is just a way for people to say that they like Victoria (and Daniel). I don't think many swedes want her on the throne now with 2 small kids at home. I imagine that it's the same situation in Denmark even though Frederik and Mary's 4 kids are a bit older. They should be able to have their family life in peace right now because that opportunity won't come back for them.

Like you said earlier, the abdications in Spain and Belgium happened more or less to save the monarchy. Ther is no need for that in Scandinavia or UK.

It's a great thing that the heirs to the throne (and their spouses) are very well prepared and popular, in both Sweden and Denmark. I'm quite sure that our swedish king have no plans at the moment to abdicate. But in, let's say 10 years or so, when Victorias children are older, and he himself is 80? I wouldn't be surprised if he retired by that point in time.

In Denmark, the queen is still very popular. An abdication wouldn't be necessary to save the monarchy, as it was in Spain. But I think that the danish people wouldn't fault her if she retired. They would understand and accept that decision. At least that's what I'm picking up from my danish friends. She has worked hard for Denmark. Now she's older, has problems with her back, and her husband is mostly off somewhere else. Her retirement would be well deserved.

 

[ricarda]

- In the eyes of QMII these can not be bad figures.
Despite being more or less semi-retired herself, her ratings are still very good as half wish to keep her on the throne. And keep in mind that we live in a youth-fixated age.

That's complete nonsense. If you would check the facts you would find that she had more engagements this year (just like all the years before) than anybody else in the DRF.

 

[Muhler]

That's complete nonsense. If you would check the facts you would find that she had more engagements this year (just like all the years before) than anybody else in the DRF.

Semi-retired in the sense that she is leaving more if not most of the heavier duties to younger members of the DRF. Like at the recent state visit.

And those engagement she does nowadays are state councils and public audiences which are part of her duties as the Monarch. And very much engagements that are within her personal interests like opening an art museum where they sometimes have to drag her away or presenting prizes and awards, which are jobs that require a minimum effort of her, are pretty short and are very much routine.

Which is of course also why the upcoming summer cruises are looked at with interest, because for the first time QMII will the one who is 100 % in focus. She has no one to interact with, neither during the show or afterwards when the show is over.

In other words: IMO QMII seems to take on jobs these years that are "fun", and that again IMO is only fair considering her age.

 

[MARG]

Sounds like the ideal split. The CP Couple do the more onerous jobs which they are young enough to enjoy and there is still time for Frederik and Mary's sports, health and child-centred engagements and their family life.

Margrethe gets to be the Monarch and be "Queen Margrethe" with audiences, and the 'formal' parts of state occasions and focusing on her arts, a sphere in which noone can deny both her interest and spectacularly flamboyant talent!

It is a natural progression and one that slights noone and let's everyone's best light shine. Why shouldn't Margrethe get all the fun bits after all these years of hard work for Denmark?

 

[LibrarianDaisy]

I totally agree with you. Also, QMII's strong faith is very much tied in with how she views her role and that it is for life. To deny her that would I think would be almost cruel. That sense of faith, tied with duty is very much why she admire QEII so much as well.

 

[Blog Real]

Do you think the Queen Margrethe will eventually give up in a few years? Does everything what the Prince Henrik has done can take the Queen to abdicate?

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Do you think the Queen Margrethe will eventually give up in a few years? Does everything what the Prince Henrik has done can take the Queen to abdicate?

She has the Queen (Elizabeth II) as her role model and has repeatedly said that she believes her role is for life. She even said so in a interview with Norwegian television in January to mark King Harald's 25 years on the throne. So I am therefore 100% sure that she will never abdicate, back problems or not.

If Margrethe becomes unable to perform her duties, she'll still be monarch, but Frederik will act as regent as he has done several times before.

The same will happen in Norway. Haakon have as Frederik acted as regent several times including when Harald had the operations. The same happened when Harald was regent during the period from when King Olav suffered a stroke in May 1990 to when he died in January 1991.

Something similar will also happen in the UK. If the Queen gets dementia (which is very unlikely since she's already 90) or a stroke, a regency will be created. She will still be monarch and Charles will serve as regent.