Danish Royal Family, Current Events 1: April 2003 - March 2008
Glimpses of Queen Ingrid's early years--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Rebecca K. Engmann
4. april 2003 Print Article (IE & NS 4+)
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A lifetime of royal threads: clothing and relics from the life of the late Queen Mother, Ingrid, are on display in a special exhibition
Copenhagen may or may not be in store for a Crown Prince wedding in the near future. But royal wedding-watchers and nostalgia buffs are already getting their fix with a look at the past. In 1935, much like today, Denmark was transfixed by the magical arrival of Crown Prince Frederik's mysterious companion, a devoted Swedish princess who later became the much loved and respected Queen Ingrid.
Ingrid, in many ways the last vestige of Scandinavia's 19th century-style monarchy, died in 2000.
Last Friday, on what would have been the late Queen's 93rd birthday, Amalienborg Palace unveiled a new exhibition on Ingrid's childhood and years as Crown Princess of Denmark. ‘A Crown Princess Comes to Shore’ is inspired by the immortal newsreel footage that captured the nation's heart in May 1935, when Ingrid arrived by boat with her newlywed husband, Crown Prince Frederik (himself a confirmed bachelor for many years before his much-hyped nuptials). Ingrid's fairy-tale arrival at Amalienborg, donning a sleek fox stole and smart silk couture, set the standard for the image of a Queen-in-waiting for years to come. The timing of the new exhibition, opened in cooperation with Ingrid's daughters, Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte, and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, may be auspicious in its own right: royal-watchers have already got their eye on Crown Prince Frederik's current companion, Mary Donaldson to see if she has the magical quality that Ingrid exuded in spades some 68 years ago.
The Amalienborg exhibition is also a tribute to Ingrid's international, and undeniably blue-blooded background. By rights a Princess of Sweden, Ingrid was the daughter of King Gustaf Adolf and Queen Margaret, (born Duchess of Connaught), great-granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria, and great-great granddaughter of Russia's Catherine the Great. Ingrid mastered Swedish and English equally, and her childhood - until her mother's sudden death when Ingrid was 10 - was idyllic and countrified, as much at home in Sweden as in the pastoral English countryside. Relics of Ingrid's childhood, now owned by Queen Margrethe, are on display: pristine examples of the Princess's dapper pink dresses, shoes from Peter Yapp on London's Sloane Street, a first-edition series of Beatrix Potter books, with Arthur Rackham illustrations. All were painstakingly wrapped in silk paper, and made the journey with Ingrid when she set sail for her new life in Denmark.
The real draw of the Amalienborg exhibition, however, is the royal couture. Notable is the impressive collection of royal dress trains: one beautifully dulcet train was worn by Ingrid's mother, Margaret, at the 1896 coronation of Russia's Czar Nicholas II. Another 19th century claret train belonged to Ingrid's paternal grandmother, Sweden's Queen Victoria. Pieces from Ingrid's own wardrobe are considerably sleeker, and less stodgy, than other royals of the day - indeed, Denmark's first impression of Crown Princess Ingrid was her vibrant youth and modernity (‘A modern princess from cradle to bridal veil,’ Berlingske Tidende wrote after the royal engagement, praising Ingrid's ‘democratic upbringing.’) Ingrid's velour train from 1932 is on display, as is a resplendent, 1920's style gown embossed with Prince of Wales feathers.
The centerpiece of the show is Ingrid's wedding dress, worn at Stockholm Cathedral on 24 May 1935. The simple, white silk gown, designed by court couturier Fr. V. Tunborg & Co., was outfitted with an 8 meter-long train, and fit the Crown Princess like a glove.
The Amalienborg exhibition is a fascinating glimpse at the world of early 20th century royals - but also a touching tribute to a Queen widely admired by older Danish generations. Included are newsreels of Ingrid's first homecoming to the Danish kingdom, and a radio greeting delivered by the Princess as a farewell address to the Swedish people. Older visitors reminisced about their own fond memories of Queen Ingrid and the bygone age, told in books, papers, photographs, and a lifetime of clothing.
__________________ It's clever, but is it art? ~Rudyard Kipling
This was sent to me by The Royal_Fanatsy Yahoo group.
Danish Royal News
Denmark's royal palace again denied persistent rumours that Crown
Prince Frederik will marry his Australian girlfriend this year.
Speculations that Frederik and Mary Donaldson will marry this summer
surfaced this week after an announcement that the senior member of
the queen's household will retire in August.
"A royal wedding is such a big task that you don't let a new man
handle such a large event," said Claus Bjoern, a Copenhagen
University historian who specialises in Danish royals.
But Frederik's private secretary, Per Thornit, called news reports
about a wedding proposal this month "pure fantasy".
"It takes up to eight months to organise a wedding and nothing is in
the works," he told The Associated Press.
Lord Chamberlain Ian Soeren Haslund-Christensen will retire on August
31 and be replaced by Ove Ullerup-Petersen.
Haslund-Christensen, who has overseen the conduct of the royal
household since 1989, could not be reached for comment. The 69-year-
old former army major general is the longest-serving Lord Chamberlain
under Frederik's mother, Queen Margrethe.
Frederik, the 35-year-old heir to the throne of Europe's oldest
ruling monarchy, met Donaldson, 31, during the 2000 Olympics in
Sydney, Australia.
Originally from Hobart, Tasmania, Donaldson has been living in
Denmark since early 2002. She has met Margrethe at least once when
she spent Easter 2003 with the royal family.
The couple have often appeared together at private events. They
cannot appear at public events together unless they're engaged or
married.
Margrethe ascended the throne in 1972 after the death of her father,
King Frederik IX. She repeatedly has denied she would abdicate in her
son's favour.
__________________
Jenna
You have your life, I have my life, you do your thing, I do my thing, I understand that you were not put on this earth to please me, just as I am not here to please you, but if we should meet, it would be a beautiful thing.
How long was the time difference between when Joachim proposed to Alexandra and their November wedding?
And how long are royal guests (and other important guests) to be told about the wedding date so that they can organize their calendars and make themselves available, espescially since Frederik is the Crown Prince and many heads of states will be expected?
Do you suppose that wedding plans might be in the works secretly by palace officials? (Just a thought?! :P )
www.ibl.se - Prince Henrik and crownprince Frederik, dragonboatracing in France - 20030508 Douarnenez, Bretagne, France - Dragonboatracing at the Grand Prix Petit Navirein, in Bretagne, with the royal danish boats "Najade" (princeHenrik) and "Nanok" (crownpwinceFrederik) taking part. Photo: Peter hauerbach / Colourpress
From Se Og Hor magazine, a picture of Joachim and Alexandra from April 2003.
www.ibl.se - Crownprince Frederik in a Lotus Cortina - 20030524 Padborg Park, Denmark - CrownprinceFrederik and his brother princeJoachim opened Denmarks newest and longest racing circuit. Photo: Soeren Gylck / Colourpress
www.ibl.se - Crownprince Frederik in a Lotus Cortina - 20030524 Padborg Park, Denmark - CrownprinceFrederik and his brother princeJoachim opened Denmarks newest and longest racing circuit. Photo: Soeren Gylck / Colourpress
www.ibl.se - Crownprince Frederik in a Lotus Cortina - 20030524 Padborg Park, Denmark - Crownprince Frederik and his brother princeJoachim opened Denmarks newest and longest racing circuit. Photo: Soeren Gylck / Colourpress
Frederik behind the wheel. Glad he's wearing that helmet - wouldn't want anything to happen to that nice face of his!
www.ibl.se - Crownprince Frederik in a Lotus Cortina - 20030524 Padborg Park, Denmark - Crownprince Frederik and his brother princeJoachim opened Denmarks newest and longest racing circuit. Photo: Soeren Gylck / Colourpress
Nice photos frederik every cute but he is all way cute isn't he, bay the way i have a problem with my c drive and wont be on for sometime so i will see all of you next week i hope.
billie-jo :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(
colourpress.com - colour the world with photos ... - EXCLUSIVE - Aarhus, Denmark - Dannebrog, the royal danish yacht, in Aarhus harbour. The queen meat all the crew of Dannebrog for a this years official photos. Photo: Klaus Moeller
Fyens Stiftstidende - Queen Margrethe was in Odense for an exhibition of her own art work and was surrounded by unprecedented heavy security.
I supposed this is a precaution to the unfortunate situation in Sweden.
Polfoto 13-09-2003 Dronning Margrethe åbner dialogudstilling "Landskabets sjæl" i museet Kunsthallen på kulturcentret Brandts Klædefabrik i Odense.Udstillingen, der varer til januar, omfatter 30 malerier og akvareller af dronningen og et tilsvarende antal af den svenske prins Eugen (1865-1947), bror til dronning Ingrids farfar, Gustav V. Dronning Margrethe og kronprins Frederik.
Polfoto 17-09-2003 Dronning Margrethe stiger i land fra Kongeskibet Dannebrog efter sommerens togter - ved Toldboden, Københavns Havn
Can you have an offical duty even if you aren't in line for the throne/recieve money from the government? I ask this, because Her Majesty has a fairly decent sized extended family, and not a very big immediate family (hubby, sons, and daughters in law. Nikolai and Felix are too young right now ).
compensation can take many forms.
- lessened taxes
- free accommodation
- prestige, most importantly.
I recall reading that the Danish Royal Household includes nieces who also need permission to marry, and what they receive in compensation for public duties is unknown to me.
__________________ "Every decision is right for its time."
None of the Queen's nieces are in line for the throne. They failed to meet the criteria set up by Margarethe's father Frederik when Princess Benedike got permission to get married.
In a narrow sense, the royal house today consists of Queen Margrethe II, the Royal Consort Prince Henrik, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, his spouse Princess Alexandra and their son Prince Nikolai, as well as Princess Benedikte and her spouse and Princess Elisabeth. These persons may not travel abroad or enter into marriage without the permission of the Queen.
THis page has more information that might provide you with some guidance:
Quote:
Tasks and Duties
The Danish monarchy is constitutional, which means that the monarch cannot independently perform political acts. Although the monarch signs all acts, these only come into force when they have been countersigned by a cabinet minister.
As head of state, the monarch participates in the formation of new governments. After consultation with representatives of the political parties, she asks the party leader backed by the largest number of seats in the Folketing, the Danish parliament, to try to form a government and appoints this after it has been formed. She also formally heads the government and therefore presides over the State Council, where the acts passed by the Folketing are signed and thus come into force. The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also regularly report to the Queen to advise her of the latest political developments.
The Queen hosts official visits by foreign heads of state and pays state visits abroad.
She also formally appoints and dismisses civil servants. {now that is interesting}
The Queen’s main tasks are to
- represent Denmark abroad and
- be a focus at home. She performs the latter task by for instance accepting invitations to open exhibitions, attending anniversaries, inaugurating bridges etc.
Exhibition openings abroad in connection with export campaigns are also often attended by royalty.
In addition, the Queen grants frequent public audiences, where citizens with a special reason can experience a few minutes alone with their country’s Queen.
And there is this:
Quote:
The Royal Household
Compared with many other royal houses, the Danish royal household is relatively modest.
The ceremonial is limited to essentials and there is no extravagant display.
The traditional pomp is only strongly in evidence on very special occasions – such as state visits, royal weddings, important birthdays and anniversaries.
The royal household numbers about 140 [staff?] in total. The staff are paid from the Civil List, the state’s disbursement to the royal house. A significant part of this is the Queen’s annuity, currently around DKK 50m. In addition, Crown Prince Frederik, Prince Joachim and others receive smaller annual allowances.
At a time characterised by internationalisation and rapidly changing fundamental values, the Danish royal house today stands as an important symbol of national unity and a fixed point in an unstable world. This status is partly attributable to the monarchy’s solid anchoring in ancient traditions, but also to the royal house’s ability to adapt to contemporary conditions in an intelligent and dignified way without spurning traditional values such as permanence, respect for tradition, sense of duty and responsibility for the nation, which historically have always been the mainstay of the monarchy as a form of government.
In italics and Times Roman font I emphasized ...what it is I believe you are looking for. I hope some one else has the answer.
__________________ "Every decision is right for its time."
I think that when Benedikte's children perform duties, could it be for their father's family rather than for the Danish royal family? Richard is a royal in his own right, isn't he?
I think that when Benedikte's children perform duties, could it be for their father's family rather than for the Danish royal family? Richard is a royal in his own right, isn't he?
That might have been so in the old days (without mass media coverage).
I don't think that's done anymore ... usurption (spelling?) of image of reigning head / perceived loss of power. Also a cheapening of the ruler's image.
That is why all rulers now are patrons of "hundreds" of organizations.
I wonder what a comparison of population, organizations, and patron's name would bring between the various royal countries ?
- My guess, about the same number of organization per patron.
__________________ "Every decision is right for its time."
Yes, he's a prince in his own right (I can't spell it, but it's abbreviated S-W-B)
It's a german princely family. It just seems odd having Princess B's kids doing something for Denmark, yet Queen A-M's always represent Greece.
Do any of Benedikte's children actually live in Germany? I think Benedikte and Richard spend some time there, but Benedikte does a lot of duties for Denmark, so she has her own place in Denmark. I think Alexandra and her family live in Paris because she works for UNESCO; Gustav I read works for some financial firm in London; and Nathalie travels a lot because of her equestrian events, but she was training to qualify to represent Denmark in the next summer Olympics.
I think Princess B and her hubby do live in a castle in Germany (but Princess B has her own apartment in a castle that Fred's taking over, so she and Queen Anne marie are being moved).
She can't do anything offical for Greece, as that would have to be set up by the current Greek government. As for Denmark, it's possible, I know she's done some stuff with her sisters (an exhibit about their mother for example).
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