What is your opinion of Frederik and Mary

[Jaques Demolay]

I'll take a glass too! Cheers!

princess olga

Cheers!

Jaques D.

 

[tabbitha]

Hi Gloriana,
It was actually not your post I replied to but one from Little Star where she compared the affection which F&M showed on their weddingday with the Beckham couple. A comparison which I find odd since - IMO - all couples on their wedding day should be allowed to show whatever affection they wish. And F&M are not overdoing the display of affection in public. So a good long kiss in the church after the ceremony is quite all right I think - and a far shot from a Beckham-comparison

So true ,It's like comparing Britney Spears to Princess grace Those beckhams wouldn't know taste if it fell on them.Money doesn't maketh any taste.
Princess Mary looked stunning and elegant on her wedding day.

 

[Ariel]

Yes, i agree with Tabbitha. She looked stunning and elegant on her wedding day and even more the day before with the red dress. She looked very regal. Hopefully she and Fredrick will be able to be closer and their love can evolve to a mature relationship with mutual respect and admiration. That will be their ticket to success.

 

[Margrethe II]

Too soon for a group hug? .lol.

Ok, I wont push it

Really though, this is so much better everyone....a tone truely suitable for that of a discussion concerning the Danish Royal Family.

We may disagree on many things, but kindness, subtelty and tact go a long way...valuable qualities I have come to recognise and appreciate myself.


"MI"

 

[Marengo]

One more remark: let we all enjoy the interest of these magazines for today's crownprincesses (most notably in Mary, but also in the others) while we still can, because in a couple of years Princess Kate (or will they change it in Catherine?) sadly will eclipse them all, for the upcoming 20 years at least.

 

[Larzen]

Poor girl who ever she is who ends up marrying William, her ladies in waiting will be more interesting to the general press than the other women (excpet for their own countries that is)

 

[Sancia]

Well, I believe the fact that she worked in top companies tells us about her intelligence, doesn't it?? I don't think she got jobs there just because she was a good student, sorry but that's just not real.

It tells us about her abilities to make very good work here. Intelligence is not performing well or very well in ONE subject. That's my opinion, but for studying with people who will work in very top universities or schools, I know one can be very performant in ONE matter or subject and have poor conversation or no intelligence in everything else. So, no, for me, intelligence is not related to the fact you're working in very top companies.

 

[NJRedDevils]

Nothing bothers me about Freddy and Mary, they are a couple in love which is a good sign because they are human and should be allowed to feel this, they are modern parents and want to bring up their child/ren as normal as possible. They respect their royal duties but they also want a normal life more then royal life, we shouldn't judge either of them or other royals cause none of us know them personally to start off with and we all have our own opinion about Mary and Fred and other royals, for all we know they can be the greatest people on earth with a heart of gold.

 

[paca]

There have been some very interesting comments in this thread- Great discussion!

There is a point missing from this discussion; I believe that what sets Mary apart is that she and her role gives all of us a little bit of hope. She was an average common young woman who met a boy in a bar- and he turned out to be a prince. How many of us don't secretly dream that would happen to us?!

I think this is the big difference between Mary, Letizia and Maxima. Letizia and Maxima were already in careers that brought them naturally to dinner parties hosted by the upper class of society- most of us can't relate to that. Very few of us are going to find ourselves socializing in a situation where nobles, princes and millionaires are regularly seated next to us at dinner. Letizia and Maxima were already in lives where that was a fairly common occurance and had closets filled with designer suits.

However, most of us have been out with friends to a bar (wearing our favourite jeans!), hoping it would be the one lucky night when and where we would meet the future love of our lives. Whether we want to admit it or not, I think we all secretly feel that WE could have been in Mary's shoes, had we just been at the right bar on the right night.

I don't think that is quite true what you are saying here. I read that she said she knew that there was a royal among those people she was going to meet in that bar and they apparently had mutual friends. So it wasn't exactly such a huge coincidence. And when I heard her say that there was a royal among the people she was going to meet, but she didn't know whom she was talking to when she met Fred, how believable is that. There weren't that many unmarried royals arround in her age group and I'm sure she knows who to get info from the net too (besides I'm sure it was mentioned in the papers which royal was there for the Olympics), so to me her story about not knowing who he was jus doesn't ring true. If some one told you you were going to meet a royal, but wouldn't tell you the name, only that he was young and unmarried, wouldn't you try and figure out who it was? I'm sure she knew Wills, so there were Fred, Albert and Felipe. Wills being too young for her anyways. And I think she could have just about memorized 3 faces, don't you think?

 

[Warren]

The story of how Frederik and Mary met has been discussed endlessly elsewhere in the Forums, so there's no need to divert this thread into another re-hash.

thanks,
Warren
Royal Forums SuperModerator

 

[fandesacs2003]

What bothers me abot F&M? Well, They are cute together certainly and popular.

I discovered Mary on her wedding day. Saw her with her chin-up in the carriage..I had mixed feelingz then: she was marrying a prince and later becoming queen, and no tears and no emotions showed. (But maybe I had Maxima in head, so tearful on her big day.)
Little things that could bother me about them (and it's only through the media, I have this image of Them, so can be wrong of course):
-Frederik,a bit, looks like a puppy dog following adoringly Mary.
-Mary said she didn't like photos in the documentary prior to her wedding. So why does she pose for Vogue right after her honeymoon? Why , as another poster said, is she constantly looking at the cameras on her?
I found her a bit superficial, comparing to other CPsesse.

I do not agree that Mary did not show any emotion, in the opposite she was very emotionned, just less than Maxima, but Maxima is another caracter extremely expressive.
And if you found Mary emotionless, what about Letizia in her own wedding ??? Completely cold, but it does not means that she felt cold, she just not wanted to show it.
Some people show their feelings some no, but this is not a proof that they do not have feelings.
And as regards Mary, why it's bad to look at the camera? with her marriage she gained a high public position and she tries to desserve it in her best way, in our days royalty is like a job, you have to work hard on it. In your job you try to be the best no??? By working, learning, and also by having a proffessionnal face, no???
So why for Mary is bad?? If she was not trying tro be nice and open, people would say that "a girl coming from nothing became a princess and she does not desserves her position"
In anyway whatever they are doing it wouild be bad.
I LIKE MARY she is very classy and she learns very well

 

[Little_star]

"thanks for your contribution, little star. can you tell us why she got dissapointed? does your cousin live in denmark or she got to see her somewhere else?"

My cousin lives in Copenhagen, but has I believe travelled out of the city on 2 or 3 occasions to see the Crown Princess. She has been a huge fan of her Royal Family for many years now and even Queen Margrethe's digusting comments last year didn't reduce her enthusiasm for the family.

As for Mary, each time she has seen her she has felt that the Princess seems less and less interested in meeting her people and more and more interested in "perfecting" her appearance. On one occasion she can recall her cutting short her conversation with a lady in the crowd to whip round and pose for the cameras. Moreover the lst time she spoke to her she came across bored and disinterested and my cousin was not the only person in the crowd to feel this way.

It has been a few months now since she has bothered to find out what the Crown Prince and his wife are doing, as she put it, why should she be interested in a lady who seems to be only interested in herself.

"It was actually not your post I replied to but one from Little Star where she compared the affection which F&M showed on their weddingday with the Beckham couple."
I did not make any reference to Mary and Frederick's wedding day. I'm not sure where you imagined that. I was refering to them generally. Another poster pointed out that if they weren't openly affectionate people would say they were having marital problems, which is very true, people would. However, a couple does not need to be touchy feely to be in love or show their love.

Personally I find it quite irritating that some people always bring up a person's preference for another Princess as being a reason for trying to put down their opinion on Mary or worse use that to try and invalidate their opinion on Mary. Even worse are those who claim that those who dislike Mary are "jealous" or something similar. For the record I prefer all the Royal Princesses to Mary, she is the only one who I feel has been completely blown up out of all proportions quite inexplicably.

 

[tabbitha]

Yes, i agree with Tabbitha. She looked stunning and elegant on her wedding day and even more the day before with the red dress. She looked very regal. Hopefully she and Fredrick will be able to be closer and their love can evolve to a mature relationship with mutual respect and admiration. That will be their ticket to success.

Hi Ariel,
How are you?
And I agree with you too I do feel the same with what you said about them maturing together..I think they are doing a great job so far. Looking forward to the christening very much.

 

[Little_star]

"Oh, I see then. Then the misunderstanding comes from my lack of knowledge about the Beckhams. You see, I assumed, that you implied that the Beckhams did a lot of public kissing and displaying of feelings. But it is the other way round then? They don't kiss much in public? Because to my knowledge F&M have only shared two intense kisses in public, in the church just after the wedding and at the balcony in Aarhus during their tour of Denmark. "
I've seen more pictures than that of them cuddling and the like. Personally I found the comparison very apt, both couples seem determined to always "prove! their love to each, via the cameras of course.

"I will endevour to improve my poor knowledge of the Beckhams and their antics in the public eye so I'll understand them better as a frame of reference! ""
If you feel the need, you do that. I just happened to use them as a reference as they seemed to me an excellent comparison.

 

[Meredith]

It has been explained endlessly why Felipe and Letizia's wedding ceremony seemed more cold and stiff. But they happen to be just more 'private' (for lack of a better word) than Fred & Mary concerning their relationship.

Mary & Fred's courtship was longer and was in the public eye (or at least what they let it be). Felipe & Letizia's was completely hidden and they only just came out when rumours started to flow around.

I admire both women (and the other CP's, as well as any commoner who married into a royal family) for their courage and for the sacrifices they made on entering this new life.

Saying that one made more sacrifices than the other is really not fair, since they all gave up a right that I think most of us cherish a lot, they gave up their right to privacy, to walk alone at a park or at a beach just to think about life. With all the perks involved, I'm not sure if I would be able to do something like that.

 

[Ethel]

It tells us about her abilities to make very good work here. Intelligence is not performing well or very well in ONE subject. That's my opinion, but for studying with people who will work in very top universities or schools, I know one can be very performant in ONE matter or subject and have poor conversation or no intelligence in everything else. So, no, for me, intelligence is not related to the fact you're working in very top companies.

She worked for 3 top advertising agencies in Australia, she worked for Microsoft, she learned one of the most difficult languages in the world, since she became CP she has talked with hundreds of people about a huge number of different topics, she interacts on a daily basis with the Queen which is known for her great intellect...

But I don't know, maybe people who aren't intelligent can do this...

You have the right to believe that Mary isn't intelligent, but you can't deny the facts that prove the opposite.

 

[ysbel]

All references to Queen Margrethe's speech on Islam have been deleted. Please keep the topic devoted to Mary.

Thank you.

 

[Mathilde1286]

there's something about Mary that I personally don't like, she looks kind of cold and stiff and Frederik looks like a love struck teen that follows each and everyone of her whims and desires.

I couldn't agree with you more!

I have never met Mary, I don't personally know her of Frederik, but there is just "something" I feel when I look at videos or photos. I am a very good judge of character, and my gut doesn't really...just LOVE her. Again, I don't know her, but I still feel what I feel. It seems to me that she is on a "high on life" because of where she is. I just don't think that she would be "her," the Mary we know today, if she weren't indeed a princess. Nothing hateful, just my two cents.

 

[Noelle9982]

What we all need to keep in mind here is that whether we like Mary (or any other CPs) or not, we're basing these opinions on photographs and maybe a brief, chance encounter here or there. We don't know any of these CPs and it frustrates me to hear people say "Mary is this" or "Maxima is that" because it's simply incorrect. We don't know what kind of people any of CPs are.

In Mary's case, since this thread is about her...
Maybe she wasn't feeling well the day she seemed "disinterested" when meeting people or maybe her "stiffness" is a byproduct of nervousness. Of course we all have our favorites and it's great that this forum allows us to discuss our likes and dislikes, but I don't understand how any of us can sit in judgement when we have no idea what her real life is like.

None of us can judge a person's character by a picture. Working in the public relations field, I can tell you that every move Mary makes, from posing for Vogue after the wedding to whether she looks at a camera or not, is dictated to her by PR people working for the royal household. There isn't one piece of information you see or hear that isn't calculated perfectly-from her clothes to the way she stands to what events she attends.

It's all an image, a game, and what we're seeing isn't necessarily the real thing. I just thing everyone needs to keep that in mind when we all think we like or dislike Mary because "She is/isn't ______".

 

[eireann]

Noelle,
You make an interesting point, together with the other post (sorry, was it Eliza?) on Mary being introverted. I guess a great PR campaign could account for Mary´s popularity but at the same time it may leave her "disconnected" from her surroundings if she´s having to concentrate on behaving in a certain manner.
Like many of you there is something about her that just.....yeah...I hope through these discussions we manage to figure out what it is...

 

[Noelle9982]

Exactly eireann!
It's so hard to tell what kind of people any royals are deep down because there are so many other factors at play regarding their behavior.

 

[Lena]

@ The HELLO polls
One shouldn´t give much on them. Every person, who knows a bit about the celeb&Royal world will notice, that some spans (of figures) between certain candidates are impossible. When a famous person wins with a huge gap to the others (or when there´s a huge gap between the first 2 or 3 and the other candidates) you can be 99% that this poll was influenced through fan-groups.
Just take a look at this. Orlando Bloom got 99237 votes and this old average looking Alan Rickman 88115. Can this be true??
Either it´s manipulated through technical stuff, which votes all 15 minutes or it´s influenced through systematic appeals to members of the group (so that really every member knows, that one has to vote there...while other celebs are only voted of ppl, who come across the page) Take a look at the CPEMB, they have an own section for polls on Mary. I know that members from there read here, so please don´t take it as offence: but what´s the point of influencing a poll Isn´t it far more interesting to know, where Mary really stands and to know, what other ppl think about her?

@ Letizia and the HOLA poll
The poll was made last year and IMO this makes a big difference. I don´t want to generalise, but in catholic countries (esp. in the ones in the South of Europe) giving birth is much more seen as the "first duty" of a wife. The more this goes for a woman, who should give birth to the heir of the state. So I´m pretty sure, that Letizia would get now, after the birth of Leonor, much more votes than last year. Not at least because she seems to get carried away in her mother role.

I don´t think Mary is introverted. An real introverted person would never marry a crown prince. No matter, how much she loves him. I think all of the current Crown princesses (maybe with the exception of Camilla. Who hesitated quite long) could live very well with the idea of becoming famous Even though the dream/wish and reality don´t always work together. Sometimes one wants more, than one can cope with.

I admit that I was a Mary-fan from the first hour, but then a lot of things happened, which pushed her in my personal list of favourites far back. I think worst is for me, that she makes hardly any attempts to grow into the danish culture.The photoshootings (e.g.in PRADA clothes) and her long Australia-tour, which gave me a shallow feeling of "Look how far I´ve gotten, Aussie-gals" were worst in this connection
Another thing are Frederik´s working ethics. He hardly performs duties (I´ve checked the calendar for the past 1.5 years) and both do a lot of sugar&cream duties (fashion shows, premieres of movies...)

To conclude with something positively:
I think Mary is perfect and interesting for Australian Royal watchers and for Royal watchers, who want some glamour and the ideal world.

 

[carlota]

i agree so much on that what you said lena. i think the protoshoot in vogue magazine (not even a danish magazine) with clothes from international designers and not even from danish ones, to talk about her love story and not what she would like to do or how would she start her role as princess seemed really shallow to me. same thing as the australian tour.
i also agree very much on the fact that what she does mainly are not so important things like attending fashion shows or being patron to a golf tournament. it doesn't mean that they are not important, but i think there are far more important causes to think about. the only other crown princess that i recall attending to a fashion show was mette marit, and she only did it once or twice. at the same time she is involved in so many other things to encourage the insertion of people in the society. letizia, maxima, mathilde, mette marit... they all seem more centered and less shallow to me: letizia was all the time before being pregnant by the side of felipe and now wants to start having her own activities, maxima and mathilde are involved in all around the world causes and travel a lot, both with their husbands or alone, and mette marit, as i said before, is really involved in aids and integration.
however, i really like seeing mary most of the times. as lena said (and i also agree on that) she brings that image of ideal things and glitter.

 

[Sancia]

She worked for 3 top advertising agencies in Australia, she worked for Microsoft, she learned one of the most difficult languages in the world, since she became CP she has talked with hundreds of people about a huge number of different topics, she interacts on a daily basis with the Queen which is known for her great intellect...

But I don't know, maybe people who aren't intelligent can do this...

You have the right to believe that Mary isn't intelligent, but you can't deny the facts that prove the opposite.

I don't want to state that Mary is not intelligent. I just wanted to remind a curriculum vitae and a high degree are not automatically an evidence for intelligence, whoever is concerned.

 

[Jaques Demolay]

I don't want to state that Mary is not intelligent. I just wanted to remind a curriculum vitae and a high degree are not automatically an evidence for intelligence, whoever is concerned.

Danielane

I agree wholeheartedly but having a high degree, indicates a certain amount of drive, comittment and determination. Probably even a passion for achieving. There are many who have no degree, who have the same qualities but who do not have the degree to prove those characteristics.

However, if Mary was not intelligent in any way, she would not have made the grade I'm sure. She would have been a liability to the DRF, and Frederik as much as it may have pained him would not have I'm sure continued with the relationship.


Jaques D.

 

[Ethel]

I don't want to state that Mary is not intelligent. I just wanted to remind a curriculum vitae and a high degree are not automatically an evidence for intelligence, whoever is concerned.

A CV isn't evidence for her intelligence, you're right. Fortunately there's a lot of other evidence besides that, which show she is.

 

[paca]

I just read in article in a German mag, that basically has the same topic and also implies that the press' attitude towards her has changed since she has had her baby. They claim she doesn't take time for the people anymore and the fact that at the first event this year she basically didn't stop at all before going inside, made the papers focus on Alexandra instead and have Marys picture printed very small. I wonder whether they feel a bit as though she has done her duty in producing the heir, now they can start to deconstruct. I do agree with those that they have talked a little too much about their love and made a lot of publicity with that, rather then talking about what is going on around them. I understand that when you are in love, you find that that is the most important thing in the world, but on the otherhand, they have been going out for years and everyone new about it. So I wonder whether now also the press decided that they had enough and with the arrival of the baby they should move on to a more settled couple.

 

[UserDane]

i also agree very much on the fact that what she does mainly are not so important things like attending fashion shows or being patron to a golf tournament. it doesn't mean that they are not important, but i think there are far more important causes to think about.

This has been claimed by many before you - and I still don't understand it.

Her list of patronages (taken from www.kronprinsparret.dk):

Culture:
The Children's Choir of the Royal Danish Academy of Music
The Danish Arts and Crafts Association
The Danish Cultural Institute

Fashion:
Copenhagen International Fashion Fair
Designers Nest

Humanitarian Aid:
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Research and Science:
The Danish Youth Association of Science
Research Day
Social and Health:
Children's Aid Foundation
Danish Association for Mental Health
Rare Disorders Denmark
The Alannah & Madeline Foundation
The Christmas Seal Foundation
The Danish Brain Injury Association
The Danish Heart Association
The Danish Kidney Association
The Danish Mental Health Fund
World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe

Sport:
The Danish Golf Union

After less than 2 years as a CPss, what can one really say is lacking?
As to her fashion patronages, I personally am glad that she has taken these two on. While the Danish fashion industry may not be world-renowed, it is a major economical factor in Denmark. Nobody would wonder if Mary had become patron for the Danish beer industry or shipping - areas which are also important to the Danish economy. The goal is ultimately the same; to promote things Danish with the potential to benefit the Danish economy.


​

 

[Lena]

I just read in article in a German mag, that basically has the same topic and also implies that the press' attitude towards her has changed since she has had her baby.

I´ve read that too. And also the other articles. This and last week nearly ALL german mags had negative articles on her. The most positive among them were on depressions and being too skinny (!). The witch hunt has started. I said I´m not too fond of her anymore, but I though hope, that the danish press won´t start to bash her too.

 

[norwegianne]

Are we talking about the same German magazines that say that Haakon and Mette-Marit ignore Marius in favour of Ingrid Alexandra, because Marius (like other Norwegian children) walked in the parade on the national day, and Ingrid Alexandra, being a toddler, stays around the parents? Or are we talking about some more credible ones?

But maybe you're right, paca. Maybe the glamour of the wedding is starting to fade for the press? In addition, they've not gotten the proper mileage out of Alexandra and Joachim's divorce. (from a PR POV)