What is your opinion of Frederik and Mary

[Noelle9982]

Although I don't believe any of this junk I'm reading about Mary's extravagant phone bill, let's pretend for a second it is true and we have proof to back it up...

So what?! Do you really think no other CP has ever had a large phone bill? Every one of us here has probably gone over our cell phone minutes for the month or spent extra money around the holidays to call friends and family who live a distance away. Come on. Granted the amount reportedly spent by Mary is a lot more than any of us has spent but it's all relative. She was living almost 14,000 miles away from friends and family and living as a princess in new, unfamiliar country. Again, I don't think any of this is true but if it were and this is the worst we can fault her for then I think she's doing a pretty darn good job!

 

[Margrethe II]

ABOLUTELY, my comment was not towards Mary or the DRF, but a general consideration/reflexion about EVERY royal family.

Thank you for clarifying "F2003"...

"MII"

 

[princess olga]

$16,300 on phone calls! my mistake
Royal wedding creates $4m debt

you know what, that $16,000 (or whatever the number) phone bill of Mary's does not say anything bad about her. If anything, it highlights that oversees phone calls made out of Denmark are way, way too expensive.

Does the Danish phone company have a monopoly on its local market or <what>?

To compare, I live in the States, and make regular phone calls to my various family members, who live all over the planet, including in Australia. I pay about 10 cents a minute for oversees calls.

But even if Mary pays as much for hers as I do, so what?! If anything, that's a cost that's totally justified in her position: her role is all about keeping up relationships, so if anything we should applaud the fact this girl picks up the phone seemingly quite often!

But as Warren said, let's get some facts: does anyone know what the presumed costs per minute would be for an overseas phone call from Denmark? (don't mean to get off topic on this one, but if we are to judge Mary's 'excessive phone bill', we should at least know what one phonecall would set you back in terms of costs, no?)

 

[princess olga]

Although I don't believe any of this junk I'm reading about Mary's extravagant phone bill, let's pretend for a second it is true and we have proof to back it up...

So what?! Do you really think no other CP has ever had a large phone bill? Every one of us here has probably gone over our cell phone minutes for the month or spent extra money around the holidays to call friends and family who live a distance away. Come on. Granted the amount reportedly spent by Mary is a lot more than any of us has spent but it's all relative. She was living almost 14,000 miles away from friends and family and living as a princess in new, unfamiliar country. Again, I don't think any of this is true but if it were and this is the worst we can fault her for then I think she's doing a pretty darn good job!

I am with you. As I said in my former post, if anything, a horrendously high phone bill should be part of Mary's job <requirements>! It is crucial for Mary to keep up relationships with folks, friends, family and whatnot, because later on in her capacity as queen she will need all the goodwill she can grab.

(Now, don't get me wrong: I don't think Royals can just go to town with their tax-payer-created expense accounts. When a few years back for example I kept on hearing about Willem Alexander's and Maxima's 10-plus vacations they supposedly took, without a clear and sound work ethic to compensate this, I did vocally (on this forum, that is!) disagree with that (in all fairness, these Dutch royals seem to have stepped up their work load, with impressive results I think!)--but phone calls and other means of communication are an exception I think)

 

[Noelle9982]

Even if we know the cost per minute of a call from Denmark to Australia, we don't have any proof that the "16,300.00 telephone bill was comprised only of Mary's personal calls.

 

[princess olga]

Even if we know the cost per minute of a call from Denmark to Australia, we don't have any proof that the "16,300.00 telephone bill was comprised only of Mary's personal calls.

very true, but at least we can deduce if she/or whomever made an extravagant amount of phone calls to down-under or whether it was a mere, say, 30 calls for example. I remember back in the early nineties, when I was living in the Netherlands and had a boyfriend in the US, phone calls were a steep 25 guilders a minute, which was a fortune to the student I was then. So perhaps phone calls are these days horribly expensive still in Denmark? Just curious..
and again, it's not like she used the 16,000 $ to purchase a new horse, or get acupuncture sessions or whatever!

 

[Noelle9982]

I'm all for looking into it if someone wants to do the work but like you said, princess olga, it's not like she spent this money on frivolous things. She spent it on keeping in touch her family.

Also, just a comment on that article...
the author is somehow insinuating that because of Mary, all this money had to be spent. Regardless of who Frederik married, the Frederik VIII palace would have to have been renovated so it's not really Mary's fault any more than it would have been any other CPs fault.

In addition, I don't know one single bride who hasn't gone over-budget when planning a wedding. If the queen didn't have it to spend, she wouldn't have.

 

[tabbitha]

The expenses of the wedding of DK's Crown Prince ? Let me assure you that whether the name of CP Frederik's wife had been Mary, Maria, Katja, Thyra, Louise or whatever - there would have been expenses in connection with his wedding. Even though Mary was one of the two principal participants, these expenses are not due to her.

Had she not married Frederik, he would have been on honeymoon with whomever he had then married. Expenses the same; it was the wedding of the future king, that costs and there is nothing unusual in that.

Exactly right.It wasn't down to Fred and Mary how much the Wedding cost- it was out of their hands and as you said Userdane the BIG wedding would have gone ahead whoever fred married but he wanted Mary

 

[Mandy]

Since we are not sure that the phone bills are fact or fiction, I suggest we move on.

Mandy
Danish Forum Moderator

 

[bertie5252003]

I really like Mary I think she appears very real. Naturally these people do not however live in the real world as do we, money is not the same for any of the royals we all chat about, monitor or think we have a handle on. So I guess whatever bothers us about any of these good people is only from the outside looking in.

 

[Toledo]

The title of the thread is:
What bothers you about Frederik and Mary?

Well, not much, they are young, happy and in love. They started a family and have a caring family that supports them on both sides of the planet. Who could ask for anything more? I forgot, they have a cute pet too, the dog given to Mary.
So what bothers me? Nothing, except that they don't get more attention from the international media as positive role models for future Royals. We hardly hear from them in the USA, the royalty here is Hollywood-based and our crown princes are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. I would rather have more news on Fred and Mary than on celebrities of the moment. I'll rather read on Mary's charity work than on Sting and U2's Bono saving a swamp somewhere else.

 

[crisiñaki]

Now we know why you signed in the Royal Forums, Toledo

 

[Toledo]

Now we know why you signed in the Royal Forums, Toledo

Not too many places in the USA have news on Mary, so this forum is great to get those news links from overseas.

 

[Jamerican]

I just want to start off by saying this is a great board, and I hope to post often.

I'm a little torn regarding Mary. I'll start off with the things I think are cool.
she dresses well (for the most part), and I admire her ability to take on a role that I think, for all it's glamour, can be quite difficult at times.

However, I didn't much care for the numerous interviews and photoshoots she did. For one thing, at times she did not come off as sincere or particularly intelligent, which may not be the case in real life.

It has been said that for modern royalty to survive, it has to strike a balance between staying true to the past and adapting to the future. It has also been said as well that 'we cannot let daylight upon magic.' Photoshoots for fashion magazines, for me, smacks of celebrity, and I don't think that is what royalty should be about. You can promote fashion and your country without posing for Vogue. Diana single-handedly revitalized the British fashion industry, and she did not pose for her first official fashion cover until what, 1995?

I also thought that she and the palace agreed to such a lengthy tour of Australia too soon after being Crown Princess. I personally would have counseled her to wait a bit. What was the hurry?

I guess the past is the past, so we can't hold those things against her.. I'm just glad she isn't doing any more interviews.

 

[semisquare]

Not too many places in the USA have news on Mary, so this forum is great to get those news links from overseas.

that is because she is not like princess diana and so she will not be in the news. infact i just heard about her trip to new york.
im sure we will hear about prince william's wife because his girlfriend is already in the news

 

[Toledo]

Jamerican, welcome to the Royal Forums! Thanks for sharing your opinion and we hope to see more of you.

 

[Margrethe II]

I also thought that she and the palace agreed to such a lengthy tour of Australia too soon after being Crown Princess. I personally would have counseled her to wait a bit. What was the hurry?

Thats an interesting observation.

"MII"

 

[Hotdog]

I think the hurry to get the Australian tour was due to:

1. Striking while the iron was still hot.
There was a huge amount of publicity in Australia about their wedding so it was part "thanks for the attention and favourable press" and partly to do it before the public and media lost interest.

After all Royal families are just one big PR business for their nation aren't they if they no longer have any real power?

2. To get it over with before she started pumping out kids.

Hotdog

 

[Scott]

What bothers me about Frederik and Mary? The answer is very little because I do not know them personally nor am I ever likely to meet them. Therefore why should they bother me.

From what I have seen since their engagement and marriage they are a popular young couple in their own Realm and they appear to be doing a good job in Denmark and on any overseas visits they have made. As the Queen is in good health will be able to:
1) concentrate on their marriage and form a good partnership for life
2) produce and raise their family and
3) have plenty time for Mary to acquire the skills she will need to perform her royal duties to perfection and thus find her "niche" in the Royal Family.
I actually think she has already been doing a great job. and I wish both Frederik and Mary a long and happy life together.

Scott

 

[stellam]

Well said Scott. I think M&F are doing great job and they should just be left to get on with their lives. Unfortunately at times it is in the public eye but they have always done their job with aplomb and decorum. We don't know how much work they do behind closed doors so how can any of us judge and condemn. You can please some of the people all the time but you cannot please all the people all the time.

Stellad

 

[Jamerican]

I think the hurry to get the Australian tour was due to:

1. Striking while the iron was still hot.
There was a huge amount of publicity in Australia about their wedding so it was part "thanks for the attention and favourable press" and partly to do it before the public and media lost interest.

After all Royal families are just one big PR business for their nation aren't they if they no longer have any real power?

Good point.

something tells me, though, that the 'iron' in Australia isn't going to cool down any time soon.

I always find it interesting when people say that they can't like or dislike a (public) person as they don't know them, or that public people should be allowed to get on with their lives. I think it goes without saying that most of us don't know any royal personages, and willl probably never meet them. I also take if for granted that most public people have a private life that we never see. Unfortunately, Most European monarchs are not like politicians, who can be evaluated on their policies, or celebrities who can be measured on their talent (or lack thereof). Instead, they are evaluated on their qualities as people-what we perceive to be their good point and bad points, and any missteps they may have made. Margarethe is not considered a good queen because she has cut taxes, or won an academy award. Why is she considered a good queen? because she comes off as an intelligent, talented, and regal yet down to earth person with a lot of charisma. These are personal traits, are they not?

 

[ysbel]

I think the Danish Royal Family agreed to the interviews and the photoshoots because they are naturally a more open monarchy than other royal families and they give interviews rather frequently.

I think they were taken offguard by the Australian media which tends to be more aggressive than the Danish media. The Queen was definitely taken offguard with the hordes of press crowding around her when she visited the Lilleprinsen right after his birth. Also, the Austalian press seems a lot like the American press in my country. Our press likes to build someone up just to tear them down. Giving interviews in this kind of environment is a little like walking a minefield.

I don't think the DRF or Mary could have known beforehand what they were dealing with the Australian press so its understandable that they went ahead with the interviews and photoshoots but its equally understandable that Mary has now pulled back on giving interviews. Once burned you're hardly liable to make the same mistakes again. I also think she and Fred will hold off re-visiting Australia for awhile.

 

[Alexandria]

I think the hurry to get the Australian tour was due to:

1. Striking while the iron was still hot.
There was a huge amount of publicity in Australia about their wedding so it was part "thanks for the attention and favourable press" and partly to do it before the public and media lost interest.

But royalty shouldn't -- and isn't -- about "striking while the iron is hot." Royalty has lasted for centuries over the years because it is about neutral/unbiased heads of state (rather than politicians who come and go) fostering good international and diplomatic relationships.

The relationship between Denmark and Australia doesn't hinge or isn't based on the fact that Denmark's Crown Princess was born and raised in Australia. It is about the relationship that Queen Margrethe, her father and mother, and all their predecessors who have travelled back and forth.

As for the tour being a "thanks for the favourable press," other brides from other countries who have married into royal families did not do a "thanks to the media" tour following coverage of their engagement or wedding. In the immediate months after her February 2002 wedding Maxima did not embark on a "thank you" tour of Agentina.

Furthermore, I don't think the Danish royal family should be overly concerned (if at all) about the lost of interest by the Australian media over Mary and Frederik. They are the royal family of Denmark not Australia.

2. To get it over with before she started pumping out kids.

Hotdog

This is a rather insensitive statement -- Mary is a human being, not a baby machine. Her one big role may be to produce an heir, but she is still a person with feelings and goals and is capable of much more than just "pumping out kids."

But even if you buy into this theory, there is no reason why Mary and Frederik could not have embarked on an Australian tour between "pumping out kids." All of the crown princesses have gone on trips abroad after having children. Mathilde has been to India while Elisabeth and Gabriel stayed home with her parents; Maxima has been to South America most recently, having taken both of her daughters with her but also went to Morocco with her husband leaving Alexia who was only four months or so at home; Mette-Marit went to Mawaii leaving Ingrid Alexandra and Marius at home.

 

[Jamerican]

But royalty shouldn't -- and isn't -- about "striking while the iron is hot." Royalty has lasted for centuries over the years because it is about neutral/unbiased heads of state (rather than politicians who come and go) fostering good international and diplomatic relationships.

exactly.

As for the tour being a "thanks for the favourable press," other brides from other countries who have married into royal families did not do a "thanks to the media" tour following coverage of their engagement or wedding. In the immediate months after her February 2002 wedding Maxima did not embark on a "thank you" tour of Agentina....
But even if you buy into this theory, there is no reason why Mary and Frederik could not have embarked on an Australian tour between "pumping out kids." All of the crown princesses have gone on trips abroad after having children. Mathilde has been to India while Elisabeth and Gabriel stayed home with her parents; .

That is what i think as well. Now, this may be an unfair comparison, but let's look at Maxima. Maxima has travelled privately to Argentina many times since her marriage. Yet, her first official visit was for a short duration, and to promote microcredit. Now, I feel my comment is partially unfair, as it is easier to do charitable work in a place like Argentina, which is not the most economically stable place in the world. Also, considering her fathers role in Argentinian politics, some in the Netherlands and in Argentina would have found a large scale 'fancy dress' tour in poor taste. However, if Maxima and the DRF had agreed to embark on such a tour of Argentina, (and if they had been invited to do so) I think that at least the Argentinian elite would have flung open their doors for her, considering that she was a member of that same elite. (or perhaps, that is partially the point- Maxima comes from the upper echelons of her country, so therefore had nothing to prove. I'm speculating here, but it is an interesting theory, isn't it?)

 

[GlitteringTiaras]

I just want to start off by saying this is a great board, and I hope to post often.

I'm a little torn regarding Mary. I'll start off with the things I think are cool.
she dresses well (for the most part), and I admire her ability to take on a role that I think, for all it's glamour, can be quite difficult at times.

However, I didn't much care for the numerous interviews and photoshoots she did. For one thing, at times she did not come off as sincere or particularly intelligent, which may not be the case in real life.

It has been said that for modern royalty to survive, it has to strike a balance between staying true to the past and adapting to the future. It has also been said as well that 'we cannot let daylight upon magic.' Photoshoots for fashion magazines, for me, smacks of celebrity, and I don't think that is what royalty should be about. You can promote fashion and your country without posing for Vogue. Diana single-handedly revitalized the British fashion industry, and she did not pose for her first official fashion cover until what, 1995?

I also thought that she and the palace agreed to such a lengthy tour of Australia too soon after being Crown Princess. I personally would have counseled her to wait a bit. What was the hurry?

I guess the past is the past, so we can't hold those things against her.. I'm just glad she isn't doing any more interviews.

Welcome Jamerican.

You have made some interesting points. Thanks for posting.

What it comes down to, in my opinion, is relatability. Some can connect with Mary while others can relate to Maxima, Letiza, Mette-Marit, and so forth.

I'm in the middle as far as Mary is concerned. There are times when she seems sincerely involved with her work and her personality shines. Other times she seems aloof and a tad arrogant according to my observations of her on t.v.

I'm not against Mary nor am I a fantic. Like I said, I'm in the middle.

 

[laduchesse]

Overall, I like CP Mary and think she has been doing well in her role. She's accomplished a lot in a short period of time; however, I do agree with some of the criticism that has arisen.

I do agree with those that feel she shouldn't have posed in magazines. Giving interviews relating to a specific cause or that provide an opportunity to promote Denmark, etc. are fine, but posing in fashion magazines where more emphasis is on what she's wearing (as opposed to her speaking or promoting fashion designers from her country) creates the wrong perception about royalty, in my opinion. When I saw the Vogue pictures, it seemed like she was trying to be a model, not a CP.

I can't imagine the pressure one would feel always being accompanied by photographers and I suspect it might be hard to ignore the cameras, but I do feel sometimes it looks like CP Mary is posing (and I don't mean in formal pics), sometimes in a way that comes across as aloof or arrogant. Please accept my apologies if I didn't express myself all that well - I don't intend it to be a personal shot because I don't know Mary. I can't imagine always being genuinely happy with a camera in my face, but then again I don't have a public function where details like that are scrutinized more.

CP Mary is CP of Denmark, not Australia. I think it will be very important to find a balance between official and personal trips to Australia. I think future trips should be more low-key and I think that the DRF should be conscientious not to step on the British Royal Family's role in Australia.

 

[Hotdog]

Alexandria

While I meant no offence by the tern "pumping out kids" I still think she would need to be conscious of the very long journey to Australia if pregnant or carting very young babies. Both Mary and Frederik have indicated that they wanted a large family.

There is limited time left before the fertility really starts dropping so getting the a tour over quickly was probably the best option.

It was really the Australian media and politicians that pressured the DRF to keep expanding the tour.
Okay they could have said no but if the host nation was asking for more of their time then maybe it was in the DRF's interest to reciprocate and create "goodwill" and interest in Denmark.

 

[Margrethe II]

I think future trips should be more low-key and I think that the DRF should be conscientious not to step on the British Royal Family's role in Australia

.lol. I don't really think Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth is worried about the media attention the Danish royal family has recieved these past two years...

Her Majesty knows who she is and Her Majesty the Queen Margrethe knows who she (herself) is and that is that.

Interesting statement. I may be a monarchist but I often find myself asking this question.."what is the royal family's role in Australia" and to be honest, it's only one of representation and the odd state visit. I am in favour of a constitutional government headed by a hereditary monarch, I believe it has proven itself to be the most stable form of government but at the end of the day the Windsors play a very small role within modern day Australia, and they know this I am sure.

However, Her Majety the Queen takes her position as Queen of the Commonwealth of Australia very, very seriously and she holds this nation in high regard, with fond memories from her travels here and much (if I may use the word) effection.

When here, she is Queen of Australia first and foremost.

"MII"

Now back on topic.

 

[susan alicia]

taped the baptism and saw at the reception Laurentien talking to Mary, Mary looked at her, listened, did not say anything nor smile and just walked away, joined some other people and smiled and chatted.

She is very aware of her own importance and perhaps less simple and modest than "real" princesses.

Overall, I like CP Mary and think she has been doing well in her role. She's accomplished a lot in a short period of time; however, I do agree with some of the criticism that has arisen.

I do agree with those that feel she shouldn't have posed in magazines. Giving interviews relating to a specific cause or that provide an opportunity to promote Denmark, etc. are fine, but posing in fashion magazines where more emphasis is on what she's wearing (as opposed to her speaking or promoting fashion designers from her country) creates the wrong perception about royalty, in my opinion. When I saw the Vogue pictures, it seemed like she was trying to be a model, not a CP.

I can't imagine the pressure one would feel always being accompanied by photographers and I suspect it might be hard to ignore the cameras, but I do feel sometimes it looks like CP Mary is posing (and I don't mean in formal pics), sometimes in a way that comes across as aloof or arrogant. Please accept my apologies if I didn't express myself all that well - I don't intend it to be a personal shot because I don't know Mary. I can't imagine always being genuinely happy with a camera in my face, but then again I don't have a public function where details like that are scrutinized more.

CP Mary is CP of Denmark, not Australia. I think it will be very important to find a balance between official and personal trips to Australia. I think future trips should be more low-key and I think that the DRF should be conscientious not to step on the British Royal Family's role in Australia.

 

[Margrethe II]

taped the baptism and saw at the reception Laurentien talking to Mary, Mary looked at her, listened, did not say anything nor smile and just walked away, joined some other people and smiled and chatted.

She is very aware of her own importance and perhaps less simple and modest than "real" princesses.

I am sure there was more to that than what was shown... Mary & Laurentien have met before and were photographed smiling, laughing and engaging in conversation.

What do you mean by "real princesses". Are you referring to a princesses of the Blood?

"MII"