Countess Alexandra & Martin Jørgensen, Current Events 1: March 2007 - October 2008

[agapi]

she has done a great work as princess, but since her divorce she doesn't have enough engagements to justify why she is paid so generously by the danish taxypapers. I wonder if she gets a new all time job, will she continue to receive 1.9 million kroner per year?

[jmj21983]

Well, isn't she a Danish taxpayer now? Maybe she can make a complaint against herself!

[Heike]

Maybe there are some problems with the translation?
As she talked to a Danish magazine that she will start to work, I remember this magazine used an adjective "real" job. So I thought Alexandra meant that she will start to work fulltime soon and then there were also news stating that she had several different job offers.
For me there are two interpretations from the link alex001 provides. What Alexandra said about one year etc, if not translated wrong or I understand this English translation wrong, it seems that Alexandra meant she will start to work in one year. However, the interview with the Polish media is completely another story.
I can´t imagine that Alexandra wants to do her patronages job which she got from her princess period forever until retirement. She´s getting old and as an ex-royal, I am wondering whether she will always remain as popular as before. Mary works diligently now and I am sure she attracts more media attention than Alexandra now, nationally and internationally. Not to mention that one day, maybe in the near future, Joachim will probably marry Marie and there will be another attention dragger in small Denmark.
Maybe it didn´t run smoothly while talking with her fulltime job offers. When was she interviewed by the Polish media? Perhaps Alexandra just wanted to sent a message that she actually works now, in order to calm some criticism?
On the other hand, I can also imagine that a fulltime job will make it difficult to keep her patronages. Who can endure that a collegue of yours doesn´t come to work whenever her patronages need her?
Alexandra was a successful businesswoman before marrying Joachim. But it´s been more than 10 years ago. Maybe she has become less competent in the business world due to her princess life and this makes it difficult to get back to her once familiar career life. If my speculation was true, how sad.

[Heike]

Originally Posted by ricarda

Having her work schedules for last year and this year in mind
I think it's about time she starts working again.
Her wedding with Martin was in beginning of March and now it's beginning of September, 6 months with only 10 patronage-related events (if I am generous and count her visits to CIFF as work) and not much on her agenda in 2006 either.
The Danish taxpayers have been very generous towards Alexandra but even their generosity might come to an end one day if she continues like this.

Ricarda, may you tell me where to find Alexandra´s engagement calendar? I am very interested in her engagements. However, since she´s no longer a member of the Danish Royal Family, it´s not possible to find her engagement calendar on the official website anymore.
Thanks a lot!

[ricarda]

Originally Posted by Heike

Ricarda, may you tell me where to find Alexandra´s engagement calendar? I am very interested in her engagements. However, since she´s no longer a member of the Danish Royal Family, it´s not possible to find her engagement calendar on the official website anymore.
Thanks a lot!

Since March 2007 Alexandra's engagements are no longer on the official calendar. You either have to start reading Danish tabloids or watching the websites of various picture agencies.
But here you can find a summary of what she did in the last 6 months, private and patronage-related: Latest News And Photos 3

Engagements related to her patronages and other engagements I consider work:
11 April: Parkinson Day
27 April: Prizegiving Young Enterprises
?April: Inauguration of Egmont Knowledge Center at Statens Museum for Kunst
2 May: Danish Blinde Society, research prize (this annual event, don't know why, actually never was on her official calendar, but she is patron of the Danish Blinde Society, so I count it)
May?: The English Speaking Union Competition
4 June: The Car Race for Kids with Cancer (this event was not on her official calendar when she attended it last year, but it is charity work, so I count it)
11 June: Circus Arena charity performance
20 June: Odense The Tinderbox 10th jubilee
13 August: The DR Girls Choir summercamp + concert
23 August: project "Please sing" (patronage for the Year of Singing 2008)
26 August: ECCO Walkathon

You see, I am more generous than EB who only counts the ECCO Walkathon as an "official engagement" (whatever that may be since Alexandra is no longer an official person). Although I agree with EB that Alexandra does very little for the money she gets I would take everything they write with a lot of scepticism. That Polish TV interview sounds very dubious to me. Why should Alexandra give an interview to Polish TV and why would they ask her for an interview?

Her engagements in 2006 and until February 2007 are listed here: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums...sent-6703.html

[Heike]

Is it Alexandra´s free will to work little? She used to describe herself as a person who likes a fast-paced life. I think she must also aware of critisms from some Danish people that she receives much money for working little.

I have always an idea in mind. Maybe sad and hard to believe, but I think Alexandra is not as public attractive as before. And for patronages, those attractions are necessary. I am not sure but I think after her divorce, Alexandra´s patronage list got shorter and shorter and I didn´t hear that she got any new patronages. Maybe the list was actually shortend against her free will, but of course publicly she would say that she "chose" to keep only a few of her patronage jobs??

Actually I doubt the Polish interview because it´s hard to imagine that such an intelligent and high EQ woman like Alex, who definitely knows how her popularity could decrease if she receives much money but only works little, would give those statements indicating the jobs she´s doing now was meant to be the "job" she talked to the Danish magazine before.

Thanks for Ricarda`s information. It´s a pity that I don´t read Danish, so I am not able to pick up those informations from Danish media. I don´t know if she still attracts lots of media attention in Denmark, but I must say that after her wedding to Martin the amount of reports about her in Germany seems to decrease dramatically. There are enough stories or rumours about other European royals to report.

Somehow I feel sad. It was so nice that Alexandra chose to marry Martin despite loss of her princess title and tax free privilege. I don´t consider her a lazy person who just wants to take everything nice from the royal family. I thought she would choose to work as a normal Dane because I thought this was what she wished. Maybe the situation now is not the one she wished?

It´s only my theory that Alexandra has lost her competence in the business field so ít´s difficult to find a normal fulltime job in a company. She just can keep her fewer and fewer patronage engagements. Although she wants to work more, she can´t work more because she can´t ask her patronages to organise more engagements. On the other hand, if an organisation needs a new patron, perhaps Mary would be their first choice or later the new wife of Joachim.

Can Alexandra refuse her allowance?
Will this refusal be considered an insult to the Danish Royal Family?

[UserDane]

It was just said in the TV2 news that countess Alexandra has landed herself a new job; apparently she is joining the board of Swiss company Ferring Pharmaceutical - Alexandra i Ferrings bestyrelse - dr.dk/Nyheder/Penge - the link is only in Danish.

[antonieta]

Yes, she will be a sort of PR.

[ricarda]

That's great to hear - and another example of how unrelieable EB is.
Not sure yet what I think of the company she has chosen to work for.
Is it a bad idea to work for a non-Danish company or better than working for a Danish one?
(Just like the princes were adviced to marry a non-Dane because it would cause lesser problems, not sure if that story is true though).

[norwegianne]

Originally Posted by ricarda

That's great to hear - and another example of how unrelieable EB is.
Not sure yet what I think of the company she has chosen to work for.
Is it a bad idea to work for a non-Danish company or better than working for a Danish one?
(Just like the princes were adviced to marry a non-Dane because it would cause lesser problems, not sure if that story is true though).

Well, the R/D facilities of Ferring Pharmaceuticals are located partly in Denmark, so it is not completely unconnected to Denmark.

According to Business.dk she will be working at the board of CSR in Ferring: corporate social responsibility.

[Heike]

Nice to hear this news!
I am happy to know that Alexandra is not a lazy person and she is still competitive in some business areas!
PR will suit her very much!
A lesson learned about how untrustful some media are.

Originally Posted by ricarda

That's great to hear - and another example of how unrelieable EB is.
Not sure yet what I think of the company she has chosen to work for.
Is it a bad idea to work for a non-Danish company or better than working for a Danish one?
(Just like the princes were adviced to marry a non-Dane because it would cause lesser problems, not sure if that story is true though).

In my opinion, since Alexandra is no more a royal family member, it doesn´t matter so much whether she chooses a Danish or a non-Danish company to work with. Maybe she didn´t think so much into this direction. She just picked up the offer which best suits her (time schedule, wage, work contents etc). The same as we do when we have more than one job offers.

[gardenia8]

Originally Posted by antonieta

Yes, she will be a sort of PR.

I thought she was going to be on the board of directors. I read on another board that it won't be an 8 hour per day job. Here is the discussion from The Scandinavian Royals Message Board:

The Scandinavian Royals Message Board: Alexandra on board of directors of big company

[denice]

My understanding of Directorships is that you attend board meetings 4 to 6 times a year and are paid a fee - usually $10,000 or $20,000 (US) a year. They like to put known names on boards.

[Heike]

Originally Posted by gardenia8

I thought she was going to be on the board of directors. I read on another board that it won't be an 8 hour per day job. Here is the discussion from The Scandinavian Royals Message Board:

The Scandinavian Royals Message Board: Alexandra on board of directors of big company

Well, I mentioned once in my post that it´s actually difficult for Alexandra to get an 8-hour per day job if she wants to keep her patronages. Because she wouldn´t have so much free time and her schedule wouldn´t be as flexible as before.

[alex001]

Great that she's got a job - and even if she just goes to meetings 4 to 6 times a year, it must be more intellectually stimulating than sitting around for a couple of weeks waiting for the next charity event.

[PrincessDianafan]

I think board members also get shares and stocks, right?

[Times2222]

Originally Posted by PrincessDianafan

I think board members also get shares and stocks, right?

Yes. typically there are stock option grants (not shares but options) and financial renumerations $10k, $20k,$100k for board meetings etc.

In additon to meeting attendance, board members do need to do work outside of the meetings esp. if they serve on committees.

I am glad that she is remarried and tip-toeing back into the work force. Esp. in light of announcement of Joachim's engagement to Marie. The boys will be better off with two sets of happy parents.

[alex001]

Don't know if this is the right place to put it but does anyone know where Alexandra's parents are going now that they are going to move out? Are they just leaving their house or Denmark altogther?

From princessalexandradk.info

there's a photo under the title 'Alexandra gets a job at Swiss company Ferring in Denmark' http://www.princessalexandradk.info/sep2607newjob.jpg

Yesterday she visited Dannerhuset, a centre for women who have experienced violance. There is a whole gallery from photographer Henrik here:
Alexandra Grevinde Dannerhuset 2007

She has also made a statement about the engagement of Joachim and Marie:

"Of course you want a great stepmother for your children and she is just that. I have seen how she is with my boys. I am very happy for them." She also said it was Joachim who told her he was to be engaged.

[lilytornado]

She looks really nice, happy and friendly.

[princess olga]

Interesting, that board position. That kind of thing, if she'd have more of those, accumulated together could be a job in and of itself: just sitting on boards! Could be very lucrative too!
It's the kind of thing that people like former prime ministers tend to do with their time when they retire from their day jobs. I could easily see Alexandra doing kindof the same. Nice work if you can get it!

Or, perhaps this particular board position could grow into something larger: i.e. her heading their department for social responsibility or something along those lines.

Will be interesting to follow. Not only because we like Alexandra and want to see how she's doing, but she's kindof a new sort of example of what to do with a royal spouse once they're divorced and de facto booted out of a royal fam. She wasn't the first; she won't be the last. The Danes have done a stellar job with Alex post-Joachim, and you can be sure this example is a relief to watch for all royal fams out there I'd think!