The Danish Crown Prince Couple and Family Visit to Australia, August 2008

[Duke of Marmalade]

Originally Posted by Empress

DoM, I think that your assessment of the situation here is a little off base. I mean really, what do you think that she should do when she is on vacation? Stay in her room?

I was referring to the picture

Princess Mary in Hobart | Mercury - The Voice of Tasmania

which is very celebritiy style and not "private" at all. I am surprised that people announce "private" vacations months ahead and then decide to go and buy nappies at the chemist like Joe Average does only to find themselves - surprise, surprise - surrounded by bodyguards, camera teams and dozens of reporters as if they were popstars or actors. Their last beach vacation was obviously "private" as the pictures show them trying to get away from the public and finally annoyed by paparazzi photos and media intrusion but going to Australia is rather a semi-private "welcome home" tour with the media obviously allowed close by. They can spend their vacation how their want but my definition of "private" is something else.

[biboquinhas]

I think she knew that the moment she steps out of the house she will have thousands of paparazzi around her, but that's life and she knows that!!! She needs to buy some nappes for Isabella and she went to the store, that is a real trivial thing for us, maybe for Mary is her first visit to a supermaket since she become princess and maybe she needed to do something diferent snd to feel like a normal women I love to see her dress like this

[Winnie]

Originally Posted by Hanymph

Isn't that the Queen of Denmark did her own shopping in a local market when she's in France too? Is that mean she's looking for attention stunt too

You are correct. The Queen did some shopping (and smiled at the camera the same as Mary) but neither looked for attention. They received it because of who they are but they certainly didn't go out looking for it! I just couldn't imagine what that is like -- to be stalked 27/7! Yikes!

[Madame Royale]

I was referring to the picture

Then your statement remains entirely unsupported, You cannot base a situation solely on a photograph as you have here done.

Your accusing someone of manufacturing a situation, based on a photographed which was taken not with her permission, during a holiday which is, contrary to what you may believe, a private affair.

They cannot supress the paparazzi from following them, and are unable to prohibit them from taking photographs.

[Lena]

Originally Posted by Hanymph

Isn't that the Queen of Denmark did her own shopping in a local market when she's in France too? Is that mean she's looking for attention stunt too

Ehm, I´ve been Royal watching for about 10 years and there must have been at least 4 series of oh-so-down-to-earth Daisy shopping at the market in France. All high quality.
One could nearly categorise it the same way as the shooting at Graasten. She definitely isn´t haunted by Paparazzis, I´d rather guess a photographer gets contacted for those pix.
Very much compareable to the sailing show of the Spaniards in summer.
And as we can read out of Trinity´s post, it really seems as if the press got indirectly "invited" for Tuesday afternoon...buying nappies for Isabella and Xian (I guess the blue bag is with diapers for him?)...or buying some veggies at the market...isn´t it the same show, which should show down-to-earth-ness. As it seems one of her sisters had worked at this store (before she had opened the juice bar), she could have bought those diapers beforehand. No, this must be a show. Royalty biz is a tough one...they have to work with all tricks.
Of course it could be, that this show was also a try to make the Paps feeling "fed-up" with the time, so that they would have at least some relaxing days
But of a "coincidence" in the meaning of a spontaneous shopping tour from Mary´s side, I´d really not speak after Trinity´s post (with source)

[dee4855]

DoM once again you have made something of nothing. If she had gone out in a gala dress and tiara then she would have been looking for attention. She is a Mom that went to buy nappies for her babies. Why don't they just lock her and the children up for a month on the little house on the hill. Then maybe in your eyes she would not be looking for attention. She is human, royal or not! She has kids that need nappies. Her schedule is posted just like every other royal family so why pick on her. We know where most of the royals are at all times and what they will be doing.

[Duke of Marmalade]

Originally Posted by Lena

...isn´t it the same show, which should show down-to-earth-ness. As it seems one of her sisters had worked at this store (before she had opened the juice bar), she could have bought those diapers beforehand. No, this must be a show. Royalty biz is a tough one...they have to work with all tricks.
...
But of a "coincidence" in the meaning of a spontaneous shopping tour from Mary´s side, I´d really not speak after Trinity´s post (with source)

Exactly what I meant Lena. What is the point of a private vacation when a "Danish royal media coordinator" (see Trinity's post) is "hinting at" where Mary might make an apprearance on a specific afternoon. She was expecting the media, the media was expecting her so let's make the most of it. As Lena mentioned, royalty biz is a tough one and most royals play the self-promotion game these days ... same with the Spanish during their "semi-private" vacations in Palma.

[agnessa]

I think that private holiday for royals means that there are no public appearance like galas, dinners, openings etc. But talking about journalists - they are there watching royals and this is fact that I'm sure Mary knew long before marriage and looking her it's obvious that she can handle them very well

[Empress]

DoM, I think that what you and I think of as privacy is something that the Royals can only dream about. Their expectation of privacy is pretty much limited to when they go to the toilet, and I imagine that if the press could get ahold of that, they would too!

They simply don't have the ability to have the same amount of privacy as normal people, as evidenced by the very existence of this and other boards like it. Look at what we are doing. We are dissecting the meaning behind a mother (princess or not) going out to buy nappies for her child. They don't have a private pregnancy, nor do they have private courtships and the like. Letting the world know that they are going on vacation is par for the course. They can't just up and dissappear, even if that were feasible. Firstly some of the people of their country would wonder (yet again) why there is a month or more where they are doing nothing, and secondly the press would find out anyway and hound them all the more.

Why is it that this is such a big deal? I think reading such intent into the smile in the photo is a bit much. Maybe (giving her the benefit of the doubt) she just makes the best out of a less than ideal situation? Maybe her thoughts are that if she gives them this one picture they will leave her alone for a while? No one made a big deal out of maxima going to the ATM and smiling at the papparazzi. And if either of those princesses had scowled, then some enterprising tabloid journalist would no doubt have come up with some totally false and ridiculous story to go with the photo. It's a no win situation for them I think.

Clearly she's not out for the publicity in my opinon, else she would not have dressed so casually. And why not send her sisters to get the nappies? Well, maybe she wants to do the normal things moms do? Maybe she doesn't want her family to have to traipse along doing her bidding, and feeling that she is playing the diva (which I don't think she is, but maybe she just doesn't want to put her family in the position of waiting on her.), or maybe she just wanted to try and be a bit normal for a while. We don't know.

[sunsh1n3]

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

That's a pure celebrity and attention stunt, I guess Mary likes to be seen on her private vacation. If she wanted to be private she would have send a member of her entourage to buy nappies as she does when she is in Denmark. I guess the next step will be complaining about paparazzi being intrusive on a private occasion.

I completely agree with you. She could've sent somebody to get the nappies, she is public figure so she should expect to be followed. Hopefully we will not hear them complain about the media following them when she, herself, exposed herself this way.

[dee4855]

Originally Posted by sunsh1n3

I completely agree with you. She could've sent somebody to get the nappies, she is public figure so she should expect to be followed. Hopefully we will not hear them complain about the media following them when she, herself, exposed herself this way.

So, what do you expect her to do for her visit? Never leave her sister's house at all. Maybe it was just great to be home and she wanted to do something normal.
Maybe she needed a personal item for herself. Who cares why she was out in public. It is her right royal or not. She is entitled to be among everyone else without
any explanation to anyone. I am sure there are Aussie items she misses, and maybe just wanted to go and get some. Maybe a candy for the children. The way you
act about this you would think she had done something wrong.

When Maxima goes home she is out shopping. Is that wrong too? At least she was pleasant with the media. She did not run, or try to hide her face. Time to give her a break and let her enjoy her time home with her family and friends. If she feels the need to go and buy nappies, I say hooray for you Mary. You are still the same sweet woman you always were. The "Royalty" has not gone to your head. Good heavens she even takes out the garbage when it needs to be done. She did that in the total privacy of her home and someone still managed to snap a picture of her doing it. Do you think she did that for publicity? It would not matter if she was on a mountain top someone would find some way to take her picture.

[Lilla]

Originally Posted by dee4855

The way you
act about this you would think she had done something wrong.

But she has! Buying nappies is a terrible crime - she ought to be sentenced to imprisonment for life

[Mandy]

Unless one is clairvoyant, one cannot read Mary's mind. The only thing we know for sure is that Mary went to the store to buy nappies/diapers. Everything else is pure speculation especially photo interpretation.

[sunsh1n3]

Originally Posted by dee4855

So, what do you expect her to do for her visit? Never leave her sister's house at all. Maybe it was just great to be home and she wanted to do something normal.
Maybe she needed a personal item for herself. Who cares why she was out in public. It is her right royal or not. She is entitled to be among everyone else without
any explanation to anyone. I am sure there are Aussie items she misses, and maybe just wanted to go and get some. Maybe a candy for the children. The way you
act about this you would think she had done something wrong.

When Maxima goes home she is out shopping. Is that wrong too? At least she was pleasant with the media. She did not run, or try to hide her face. Time to give her a break and let her enjoy her time home with her family and friends. If she feels the need to go and buy nappies, I say hooray for you Mary. You are still the same sweet woman you always were. The "Royalty" has not gone to your head. Good heavens she even takes out the garbage when it needs to be done. She did that in the total privacy of her home and someone still managed to snap a picture of her doing it. Do you think she did that for publicity? It would not matter if she was on a mountain top someone would find some way to take her picture.

I am not suggesting she stays and home and never comes out. What I am saying is that she could've probably send somebody (her assistant/nanny) to pick up the diapers. She knows the press is out there, waiting for a picture of her, so why put herself out like that. They have managed to be on private holiday before so its not impossible to go about their holiday with no pictures taken. I like her, she seems to be ok, but, and big BUT, I still think that she could've done it a different way.

[Empress]

Right, but she was in Denmark or Europe when she was on a private vacation, and even then the press was around. Now she is in her country of birth, where the papparazzi don't have nearly as many chances to photograph her, so they will take every chance that they can get.

What are you suggesting that she do if not stay home. You say that she should send someone else out, thus meaning that she stays home.

And why should she have to? Is she not allowed to go out and buy nappies? She clearly dealt with the situation, so I don't know what the issue is.

[Lilla]

On way of handeling things differently would have been to bring one more suitcase from Denmark - number 19 - filled with nappies

But off course - that would have been a criminal act as well.