Danish Royal Family, Current Events Part 5: May 2016 - May 2020


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Indeed, Polyesco.

The captions to the Belgaimage is nonsense.
They are obviously unaware that Mary is lieutenant in the Army Home Guard. There is no such thing as a uniform honoring the navy. Apart from that her lieutenant insignias are from the army.


thank you! I can always count on you Muhler for the correct info, especially on uniforms. Can you describe Frederiks more;)

and did everyone see the little dog coming in with the family 0:18 in the DRF video
?
 
For a uniform nerd like me this is great!

Mary is wearing the brand new mess-uniform for women in the military.
Frederik is wearing the navy mess-uniform.

Mary's uniform, complete with her lieutenant's diamonds, is the same for all branches of the armed forces.

Maybe you know how old version of mess dress for women looks?
 
thank you! I can always count on you Muhler for the correct info, especially on uniforms. Can you describe Frederiks more;)

and did everyone see the little dog coming in with the family 0:18 in the DRF video
?

Frederik's uniform?

That's the navy winter mess-uniform.

As the name suggests it's used for formal occasions in the officers mess or as in this case for festive events that is a level under a gala event.
Just as with the full dress uniform (which was intended for use on formal parades) you wear medals and orders, if you got any.
Not having served abroad, let alone distinguished himself in combat, or been wounded, the only medals Frederik can wear are good conduct and service length medals. Everything else are orders. Including the stars to The Order of the Elephant and The Order of Dannebrog. No sashes worn, this is after all not a gala event.
In contrast to the full dress uniform you don't wear a saber or a dagger to your mess-uniform.
Also, you wear flat shoes to your mess uniform, rather than boots.

Maybe you know how old version of mess dress for women looks?

Mmyes. Sort of.

It was basically identical to the male uniform, except that it was optional for women whether they wanted to wear a skirt to just under the knees or black pants. (White for the navy summer uniform.)
The jacket was also sewn into figure. Hourglass.

Here is the male winter navy mess uniform:
https://images.lauritz.com/images/33EB5D1F467403444EFBB9768CEE948E?width=300
And during the summer and in hot climate, the uniform is white.

And here is the army mess uniform, first with belly-sash:
https://images.guloggratis.dk/50/196336850_220_220_0_0_0_0_2.jpg
And without sash, this is the one you should compare to the blazer Mary is wearing:
https://images.lauritz.com/images/CB5C6817E56A520922DC192CA9FE7505?width=300

And finally we have the air force mess uniform:
https://www.atelier2000.dk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/selbskabs_01.jpg

- You will not see our Marie in a mess-uniform though. Even though she holds a rank that is equivalent to lieutenant, the Civil Defense don't use mess-uniforms.
 
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Thank you, Muhler
New mess-uniform is faaaaaaaaaaaar better option for women. And Mary really did well promoting this dress.
 
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Yes, it's a cape.

The one behind the idea of creating a feminine mess-uniform, Elena Glaser, is over the moon with joy!
After suggesting the idea, she was backed up by higher ranking female officers from all the branches and a designer was put to work on the design.

She worked on designing a mess-uniform that was not merely "a male uniform with a skirt." Believing such a uniform was misunderstood egalitarianism - within a branch that very much realize what egalitarianism is, and what it isn't.
(She is presumably referring to the military necessity, that while any woman should advance by merit on equal footing with any man, there are functions where women physically are rarely able keep up with men, and disregarding that fact can get the women in question as well as their comrades killed.)

When she left the air force in 2012 she thought the project had been dropped, so she was pretty delighted when she saw Mary as the first wearing the new uniform.
 
That is an impressive achievement, and I'm very happy for the designers involved in the project. It must be very gratifying to see something worked on for so long finally presented to the public, and by the lovely CP Mary to boot.

Well done!
 
Tomorrow, H.M. The Queen holds a memorial concert for Prince Henrik in Fredensborg Palace Church. The Crown Prince Couple and Prince Joachim and Princess Marie attend, at. 19:00.

"On February 20, 2019, it is a year since Prince Henrik funeral from Christiansborg Palace Church. For this reason, Her Majesty the Queen has decided to invite the royal family, a number of Prince's close friends and representatives from the Royal Family and others to a memorial concert at Fredensborg Palace Church.

Here, the Royal Danish Academy of Music will be responsible for a music program that reflects Prince Henrik's lifelong interest in music. After the concert, the Queen holds a meeting in the Kuppelsalen at Fredensborg Castle."
http://kongehuset.dk/presse/meddele...ert-for-prins-henrik-i-fredensborg-slotskirke

Billedbladet will be live with guests arrivals
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongeli...t-sender-live-fra-mindekoncerten-prins-henrik
 
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:previous:
Nice.

And I'm willing to bet that we will see Mary wearing her three captains stars on her shoulder straps.
 
A video from this morning as The Queen and The Crown Princess attend Danish Home Guard 70th anniversary.



"HRH Crown Princess Mary has just been appointed captain of the Home Guard at the 70th anniversary at Nymindegab. We congratulate Her Royal Highness on the new rank."

"Hjemmeværnet @Hjemmevaernet
"H.K.H. Kronprinsesse Mary er netop blevet udnævnt til kaptajn i Hjemmeværnet ved 70 års jubilæet i Nymindegab. Vi ønsker Hendes Kongelige Højhed tillykke med den nye rang. #hjv #hjemmeværnet #hjv70"
 
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Thanks, Eya.

Interesting to see high ranking officers salute a relatively junior officer as a captain is first. But Mary is after all the Crown Princess, and outranks everybody else present, except QMII.

ADDED:
A BB article where Mary is presented her captains distinctions:
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongelige/danmark/stolt-dronning-kronprinsesse-mary-udnaevnt-til-kaptajn

The presenter was the head of the Home Guard, major general Garly.

ADDED:

The Home Guard has completed its transition from a kind of armed citizens militia for territorial defense, under the overall command of the Defense Command, to what is best described as an active reserve like the British Territorials. Divided into an active component, who are well trained and relatively well equipped.
And a reserve component, that consists of members who for various reasons cannot be active and attend exercises on a regular basis, nor are they able to be deployed right away for various duties. But they try and attend what they can.
At the height of its size around 1990 the Home Guard constituted about 1.5 % of the entire population. But now older and inactive members have been weeded out. The Home Guard is now 45.000 strong.

The roles of the Home Guard have also changed. Usually the Home Guard would only be deployed in war times and during national emergencies. Or locally to take part in searches for missing persons. Or in the case with the Police Home Guard direct traffic and guard crime scene. As well as of course being sparring partners for regular military units.
Today the Home Guard acts as a direct support to the regular military, both at home and on international missions - having also suffered casualties in that respect.
The Navy Home Guard patrol Danish territorial waters, freeing the navy to conduct operations in the North Atlantic or take part in international missions.
The Air Home Guard, also patrol the Danish territory using the light planes they have been issued, freeing the air force to be deployed abroad and to conduct stand-off alerts from these days Russian planes.
The largest component, which Mary belongs to, the Army Home Guard, will no directly support the army, both in front and behind the lines. As well as freeing regular soldiers from guarding key installation. Or when deployed abroad providing base security.
One unit is earmarked to be in direct support of the special forces, performing secondary special forces operations behind enemy lines should DK be invaded or be at war or involved in a semi-war in the Baltic. (That is the most likely scenario regarding a conventional war in Europe, in regards to where Danish military will be operating.)
 
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Thanks, Iceflower.

Let's go through the gallery:
https://images.fyens.dk/91/3860391_1280_854_0_0_0_0_2.jpg
Mary is here meeting the MP who is attached to the Home Guard. That person is always a "patriotic" politician. In this case the Foreign Affairs spokesman for the Danish Peoples Party, Søren Espersen.
You may have your opinions about him, but he usually knows what he is talking about when it comes to foreign and security policy.
The Home Guard was formed after WWII by mainly former Resistance fighters who were to put it mildly displeased with how the politicians handled things, before and during the Occupation. They wowed that Denmark would never again surrender after just a few hours. They would also be ready to form the core of a new resistance should Denmark be rolled over be a foreign power.
Needles to say the politicians were a bit nervous about having ten of thousands or armed civilians who if need be would ignore the politicians in case of war. So it was decided to attache an MP to the Home Guard, partly to keep an eye on the force but also to promote the force and speak for it in the Parliament. For sheer necessity that politician would always be someone who was pro-Home Guard.
But the Home Guard has had many political enemies since it was formed, some (and not all on the left wing of the political spectrum) would very much like to disband the Home Guard, or at least disarm them. But they never really succeeded because the force was simply too large and too popular to take out.
But they did succeed in disarming the force a couple of decades ago. Prior to that most members had their personal weapons and 100 rounds of ammunition at home, now weapons and ammunition are stored in depots.

https://images.fyens.dk/92/3860392_1280_854_0_0_0_0_2.jpg
QMII flanked by the head of the Home Guard, a major general, is here inspecting the honor guard.
The Army Home Guard wear green berets.

https://images.fyens.dk/93/3860393_1280_854_0_0_0_0_2.jpg
Mary is still officially a lieutenant in this photo.

https://images.fyens.dk/94/3860394_1280_854_0_0_0_0_2.jpg
500 Home Guardsmen were represented at the parade. Some as you can see have been members for many years.

https://images.fyens.dk/95/3860395_1280_854_0_0_0_0_2.jpg
The locals had also turned out in force.

https://images.fyens.dk/96/3860396_1280_854_0_0_0_0_2.jpg
This man has been a member since the beginning in 1949 and is being presented with a medal by QMII.

https://images.fyens.dk/97/3860397_1280_854_0_0_0_0_2.jpg
Mary getting her third star and she's now captain.

https://images.fyens.dk/98/3860398_1280_854_0_0_0_0_2.jpg
QMII ain't displeased with her daughter-in-law.

https://images.fyens.dk/99/3860399_1280_854_0_0_0_0_2.jpg
The show is over.

ADDED:
Daily Mail has the story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...mark-appointed-captain-Danish-Home-Guard.html

Nothing new, but a more detailed article by the Home Guard, with some additional photos: https://www.hjv.dk/oe/HJK/nyheder/Sider/Flot-markering-af-Hjemmeværnets-jubilæum.aspx
 
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.

Queen Margrethe and Crown Prince Frederik attended the funeral of Danish chamberlain and courtmaster Claus Christian Castenskiold today, April 6:



** sn.dk gallery **
 
Right now QMII and Mary are opening the new Panda enclosure in Copenhagen Zoo:
https://www.bt.dk/samfund/live-nu-aabnes-pandaanlaegget

The pandas are on permanent loan from China and the enclosure is brand new.
They are settling in fine, the pandas! Muching down Danish bamboos like they were paid for it! The reason is that Danish bamboo is more fresh, or at least taste more fresh. Reason: Freezers are uncommon in China.

But why, I can hear you ask, does QMII herself (who has rarely shown any particular interest in wildlife) and Mary show up for the official opening of something as relatively banal as new pandas?
Look up "Panda-diplomacy."

Pandas are loaned out to countries as a physical statement of very good relations between country X and China, not least in regards to trade.
DK has cultivated (read sucked up) to China for quite a while now and now we have the stamp of approval. (Akin to Supplier to the Court.)
The pandas are followed with considerable interest in China, not least the pandas that are "ambassadors" and good PR is worth gold - or a new luxury enclosure in Zoo...

Of course the pandas can be "recalled."
That happened to pandas in Norway, when Norway annoyed China with some details about Tibet... The Norwegian salmon export to China, fell thorugh the floor - instead Scotland got lots of orders. And a couple of Pandas...
The pandas in Canada were also "recalled" when Canada refused to drop investigations against a leading Chinese managing director.

So the bottom line is that as with almost everything involving the DRF and foreign relations, this is about money and export and jobs.
 
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The pandas are on permanent loan from China and the enclosure is brand new.
.

According to an article somewhere in the Danish press today, it's a 15 year loan and the zoo (or Denmark ?) pays quite a lot of rent for it. It's the same in Finland, where the pandas arrived early 2018, also after a State Visit. They cost us about 12 million euros for the period...
 
According to an article somewhere in the Danish press today, it's a 15 year loan and the zoo (or Denmark ?) pays quite a lot of rent for it. It's the same in Finland, where the pandas arrived early 2018, also after a State Visit. They cost us about 12 million euros for the period...

With extension after the period and the steep price is paid for indirectly by export orders and an estimated 15 % increase in visitors to the zoo annually.
The enclosure itself was sponsored by foundations funded by major export businesses.

Fantastic. We have some pandas here at the San Diego Zoo, a big draw that is coming to an end. They are heading back to China this month

article with a pic
https://www.fyens.dk/indland/Pandabolig-med-dobbeltskov-er-indviet-i-Zoologisk-Have/artikel/3339645
https://scontent-arn2-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=6cd9d0c8685c6f25253728bcdacf1c56&oe=5D2E5630
https://scontent-arn2-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=bc94a1cbaf94a18634a0b04b57d24f78&oe=5D4DE206

Mary and the Queen look great!

And they will be back when relations between USA and China become better... :D
 
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