Confirmation of Count Henrik: May 18, 2023

[iceflower]

* *

Count Henrik will be confirmed at the Frederikskirken – The Danish Church in Paris on May 18, 2023,
the Palace announced today, April 13:

** kongehuset: H.E. Count Henrik’s confirmation **

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[Duc_et_Pair]

Interesting. Will that mean their grandmother, the Queen, to travel to Paris to attend Count Henrik's confirmation?

 

[Muhler]

No, because QMII has had to decline, due to her not being able to go there as she has not recovered sufficiently after her surgery.

https://www.bt.dk/royale/dronningen-melder-afbud

Further details may follow.

It will be the DRF personal priest, royal confessionarius, Henrik Wigh-Poulsen, who along with the local Danish priest, who will confirm Henrik.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Hopefully other family members will attend the Counts Confir8mation at the The Danish Church in Paris!

 

[tommy100]

Hmm interesting, and pretty sad if it goes ahead with only Joachim's immediate family there.

 

[Muhler]

I think I can safely say that most Danes expect M&F to attend. Otherwise...

 

[Nordic]

I think I can safely say that most Danes expect M&F to attend. Otherwise...

The BT article you linked to does actually say that they are attending.
Confirmed by the court.

 

[Muhler]

So the page has been updated.
Great. It'll be nice to see all the kids. And perhaps Josephine and Athena will entertain us again. I hope they still have and will maintain a good relationship - and cause a little mischief.

 

[polyesco]

Glad to see Frederik, Mary and family will attend. Mary is Henrik's godmother.

 

[Denville]

No, because QMII has had to decline, due to her not being able to go there as she has not recovered sufficiently after her surgery.

https://www.bt.dk/royale/dronningen-melder-afbud

Further details may follow.

It will be the DRF personal priest, royal confessionarius, Henrik Wigh-Poulsen, who along with the local Danish priest, who will confirm Henrik.

Shouldn't it be a Bishop or dont they have Bishops?

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Shouldn't it be a Bishop or dont they have Bishops?

The confessionaris is the bishop of Århus: https://aarhusstift.dk/biskoppen/om-biskoppen

 

[tommy100]

Glad M&F will be there!

 

[Muhler]

The court has issued a statement as to why Count Henrik breaks with the tradition and is getting confirmed in France.
https://www.bt.dk/royale/bryder-med-aarelang-tradition-derfor-skal-grev-henrik-konfirmeres-i-paris

Lene Balleby from the PR office: "The family has lived in Paris for the past four years and Count Henrik is used to going to The Danish Church. It is also here he has attended preparations in regards to his confirmation and it is therefore completely natural that the confirmation takes place in Paris."
She goes on to explain that our Marie has a close affiliation with the church, among other things opening the Christmas Bazaar there.

 

[Somebody]

To me it seems completely natural that he is confirmed in the church he regularly attends and where he attended preparations. That his mother opened the Christmas Bazaar seems less relevant.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

The court has issued a statement as to why Count Henrik breaks with the tradition and is getting confirmed in France.
https://www.bt.dk/royale/bryder-med-aarelang-tradition-derfor-skal-grev-henrik-konfirmeres-i-paris

Lene Balleby from the PR office: "The family has lived in Paris for the past four years and Count Henrik is used to going to The Danish Church. It is also here he has attended preparations in regards to his confirmation and it is therefore completely natural that the confirmation takes place in Paris."
She goes on to explain that our Marie has a close affiliation with the church, among other things opening the Christmas Bazaar there.

Does this imply the family are regular churchgoers, unlike most Danish and French people, or is Lene Balleby referring to special events such as Christmas servies?

 

[An Ard Ri]

The court has issued a statement as to why Count Henrik breaks with the tradition and is getting confirmed in France.
https://www.bt.dk/royale/bryder-med-aarelang-tradition-derfor-skal-grev-henrik-konfirmeres-i-paris

Lene Balleby from the PR office: "The family has lived in Paris for the past four years and Count Henrik is used to going to The Danish Church. It is also here he has attended preparations in regards to his confirmation and it is therefore completely natural that the confirmation takes place in Paris."
She goes on to explain that our Marie has a close affiliation with the church, among other things opening the Christmas Bazaar there.

I had actually forgotten about the annual Christmas Bazaar taking place there.

 

[Muhler]

Does this imply the family are regular churchgoers, unlike most Danish and French people, or is Lene Balleby referring to special events such as Christmas servies?

I don't know.

They haven't left me with the impression that they were regular churchgoers in the past. But things can change.
Joachim had his stroke and that can change people's view of the world and their mindset, so who knows.

 

[Elizaveta]

Does this imply the family are regular churchgoers, unlike most Danish and French people, or is Lene Balleby referring to special events such as Christmas servies?

I don't know if it is the same in Denmark (Danish church), but here in Germany, before we have our confirmation we have confirmation preparation classes for almost two years (for me it was one hour a week for two years) and are also expected to attend regular masses during that time. So even if your family doesn't actually go to church regularly (basically no one does here), you'd would be used to going to your church at the time of your confirmation.

 

[doro]

The children of CP Frederik will attend the confirmation of their cousin?

 

[ricarda]

Yes, they will, according to the BT article.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Will Count Henrik take a confirmation name?

 

[JR76]

Will Count Henrik take a confirmation name?

That's not a custom in Lutheran churches.

 

[Biri]

That's not a custom in Lutheran churches.

Lutherans don't worship Saints, and Catholic confirmants take a name after a chosen Saint.

 

[Viv]

Shouldn't it be a Bishop or dont they have Bishops?

In the Lutheran church any minister can carry out a confirmation! The
current confessionarius happens to be the bishop of the diocese of
Aarhus. A royal confessionarius need not necessarily be a bishop, however
they usually are!

 

[polyesco]

Some more info is shared about the church, with a lovely photo of King Frederik IX

"Namely the Danish church Frederikskirken, which bears the name of the future confirmand's great-grandfather Frederik IX. The king inaugurated the church together with Queen Ingrid back in 1955, and ever since, Frederikskirken has been a gathering place for Danes in Paris and the surrounding area.

The church also functions as an assembly hall, music hall, culture center, youth center and children's home, and Their Royal Highnesses Prince Joachim and Princess Marie often come together with their two children to the church for various events - from Christmas bazaars to large-screen viewing of national team matches "
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsTT3R3NyXp/?hl=da

 

[Somebody]

Some more info is shared about the church, with a lovely photo of King Frederik IX

"Namely the Danish church Frederikskirken, which bears the name of the future confirmand's great-grandfather Frederik IX. The king inaugurated the church together with Queen Ingrid back in 1955, and ever since, Frederikskirken has been a gathering place for Danes in Paris and the surrounding area.

The church also functions as an assembly hall, music hall, culture center, youth center and children's home, and Their Royal Highnesses Prince Joachim and Princess Marie often come together with their two children to the church for various events - from Christmas bazaars to large-screen viewing of national team matches "
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsTT3R3NyXp/?hl=da

I cannot help but notice that the family attends the church for events but no mention of coming to the church to attend church services... I would think they would have mentioned that as well had that been the case.

So, this seems to clarify the earlier question of Henrik's link to this church. He is used to attend Danish cultural events here.

 

[Muhler]

Could also be that they purposely don't mention it, is they attend services.

Religion and whether you attend services in generally considered a very private thing in DK.

 

[Somebody]

Could also be that they purposely don't mention it, is they attend services.

Religion and whether you attend services in generally considered a very private thing in DK.

All of this is about Henrik being confirmed in this church, making his religious affiliation rather public.

 

[Muhler]

All of this is about Henrik being confirmed in this church, making his religious affiliation rather public.

Yes, but that's not the same as being open about his religious beliefs, if he even have any.
Nonfirmation as we call a non-religious celebration in place of a confirmation is still a relatively new thing in DK, only about 20 years or so, and for a family that is rooted in tradition and with a close (official) relationship with the church, a nonfirmation would be pretty unusual IMO.
So being confirmed is not necessarily the same as being religious.

I was confirmed because it was tradition and because there was no alternative back then. You either got confirmed and was celebrated or you didn't.
But I was an atheist, from a family who were overwhelmingly atheists, so it was admittedly pretty hypocritical.
Not that I felt I was on the verge of spontaneous igniting by going to church, I learned some cultural lessons, even though I didn't appreciate it back then.

To sum up: Henrik can be a devout Christian or he can be a full-blooded atheist who is confirmed because of tradition. We don't know. Because the J&M branch of the family has never talked about their personal beliefs.

 

[Muhler]

Lots of articles and photos from Henrik's confirmation from BB.
Our Marie's family:
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongeli...esse-maries-familie-ankommer-til-grev-henriks

Guests:
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongeli...ev-henriks-konfirmation-her-er-alle-gaesterne

M&F and family:
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongeli...milien-ankommer-til-grev-henriks-konfirmation

Henrik arriving with his family:
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongeli...il-sin-konfirmation-med-sine-stolte-foraeldre

A good friend of Henrik, Louis, also went to the confirmation:
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongeli...firmation-se-hvem-grev-henrik-fulgtes-med-til

The choir:
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongeli...v-henrik-og-den-kongelige-famile-faar-en-stor

A quote from Vincent:
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongeli...-familien-til-grine-det-er-fedt-vaere-i-paris
The family was asked how it was to be in Paris. Vincent was fast with a response: "It's cool to be in Paris." - Leading him to getting a loving whack from Christian.

Video coverage:
They should leave the church about now:
https://www.billedbladet.dk/video