General News about Frederik, Mary and Family Part 14: September 2015 - December 2015

[Muhler]

Well, whatever happened it has ceased to be a big story here in DK.

It wasn't even on the main news at 19.00.

[Roslyn]

Originally Posted by Sun Lion

I think anyone ever caught by a rip at an Australian beach understands how helpless they are in such a situation and are grateful to come out of it.

Yep, and I think anyone who hasn't grown up in the sort of beach-centric culture we have here might not be able to appreciate the significance of this event.

When I first saw the story this morning I thought, 'This is huge!'. The future King of Denmark could have been swept out to sea in a rip and drowned. Or been attacked by a shark. We've had a lot of shark attacks in Far North Coast NSW recently, and the Gold Coast is not far away.

There can be rips on all beaches, and conditions can change quickly. Swimming between the flags is the safe thing to do but you can be swept out of that zone with the current if you're not paying attention and being caught in an undertow is very scary. Our lifesavers are great, and there are plenty of them on Gold Coast beaches. They did their job, and all was well, thank goodness.

I'm not faulting Mary and Frederik at all. They can't keep their kids wrapped in cotton wool. Most outdoor activity has risks, and Christian has now learned an important lesson.

[Roskilde]

Originally Posted by Muhler

Well, whatever happened it has ceased to be a big story here in DK.

It wasn't even on the main news at 19.00.

No, and why should it. This is a good example of how one feather can become five hens

This happened 4 days ago... last Thursday - and family and Christian have happily been in the water and enjoying their days ever since. And why bring this up after 4 days? I guess a boss suddenly discovered the possibility of a little PR ;-)

We had the exactly same experience with our 9 year old daughter last summer. A sudden rip took her on a beach in Italy. I was just nearby her, but suddenly in a split second... A lifeguard was also quick to check up on her. We were scared, but that is what can happen if you jump into the water on a beach and also we were out in the water again right after.

I wish the CP-family a continued enjoyable Australian family time and hope they continues to be left private


***

Is there a difference in how Christmas Eve is celebrated on the mainland Australia and so on island Tasmania? I guess Mary's family also has Scottish Christmas traditions mixed with their Australian.
In this case, some who know about Scottish Christmas traditions? :)

[HereditaryPrincess]

Thanks for sharing the photos and reports of the family's holiday, everyone.
It looks as though they are having a nice time - and how lovely that they are spending Christmas with Mary's family in Tasmania.

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

I agree. It happened what happened and I don't see the need of downplaying the incident. There is nothing you can do to prevent this apart from asking your child to be careful. But experience is something else and it doesnt matter if parents are only a short distance away. It doesnt make them careless. Thats why lifeguards are around. Prince Christian was lucky in this situation, it could have gone the other way but so can go any other situation in everyday life, a shark could have appeared out of the blue and bitten him or he could have slipped on a banana peel and died. He is human after all, like other people.

Making experiences, especially for youngsters, goes along with taking calculated risks, in this case swimming in the open ocean like millions of other children do. What do people who are critizise want - that Christian is forbidden to go for a swim? Whats next, don't let him ride a bike? Or that he has to wear a helmet all day because he can trip and hit his head?

I am glad I've grown up in a time where I could enjoy being a kid what included injuring myself during activities and nobody accused my parents of bad parenting (this came to my mind when I read the articles' comments section).

I agree with this. I'm pretty sure that most, if not all of us have had an injury whilst at the beach or playing sport. I doesn't make Mary and Frederik bad parents at all, I can imagine that they didn't predict this would have happened to Christian.

[Sun Lion]

Originally Posted by Roslyn

Yep, and I think anyone who hasn't grown up in the sort of beach-centric culture we have here might not be able to appreciate the significance of this event...

...I'm not faulting Mary and Frederik at all. They can't keep their kids wrapped in cotton wool. Most outdoor activity has risks, and Christian has now learned an important lesson.

I agree Rosylyn - no Australian who knows about swimming at a beach with rips would place any blame on the parents.

I was walking along a shore-line once and got knocked over and dumped on, wave after wave, and couldn't get up.

Very frightening - and I grew up at the beach and thought I knew what was what.

The young surf life-saver is actually a New Zealander and there is a good article online from those experienced in this, praising his actions.

I think it is very poor of the Danish PR staff - as quoted by Muhler on the previous page - to say he, and the others on duty, knew who Prince Christian was, (..."in this case they knew (who) was in the water"/"that the lifeguards did not know who he was is also not correct"...).

He and others at the scene had already stated they did not know who Christian was.

I get that they want to downplay this, but to contradict those actually involved is very unprofessional - and that includes the general public witnesses who have been quoted, describing the scene as it actually happened.

[Muhler]

Just a second.

Lets not create a new story about very little.

I don't think the DRF is downplaying this. Lene Balleby is getting the info she is passing on from M&F. - And if they say no big deal, Lene Balleby says no big deal.
Judging from the quotes I have heard myself, the lifeguard did not say Christian was in danger, but that they prevented a potentially dangerous situation from developing, judged on their local experience and knowledge.
That the DRF says the lifeguards were told of their presence may simply be a misunderstanding. Australian security knew the family was there, and the press office may simply have been told or believed Australian security told the lifeguards. It's not up to the PET officers to do that.

As far as I could tell from the photos taken of the family at the beach the family went into the water, right in front of a lifeguard post.
Apart from bringing a shark-cage for Christian to swim inside, they can hardly have done much more.

The lifeguards did their job and Christian may to this day not even have realized he was in a potentially dangerous situation.

I know the Danish press have been trying to get a statement from the lifeguard, but he wouldn't say anything before he had talked to his boss. I'm sure the Australian press is trying the same thing.
So until we know more, let's not speculate about poor press-handling or downplaying things. It's IMO a bit too early for that.

[Lady Nimue]

Very scary. Glad it all ended well.

[MARG]

Coming from another beach-centric country, I have to admit that stuff happens. We rely on the Lifeguards to survey the water first thing in the morning and set out the flags where it is safe to swim. Those flags may move during the day as the water does its own thing.

Our responsibility is to ensure we do what is required and swim between the flags. The Danish party did so and Christian got a "safety check" being far out. The Lifeguards did their job and, if Mary was "distressed", it is hardly surprising.

If you see your child with a lifeguard your mind runs the possible scenarios. You are not going to be relieved until you see your kid safe and sound which she did and he was. However, if his mum was upset that may well have upset him.

It doesn't mean that anyone lied or made light of the situation, merely that it happened.

To the poster that queried the fuzzed faces of the kids, they may have been with friends or family and their kids.

[Roslyn]

"The lifeguard's supervisor, Stuart Keay, said he (Malcolm) saved the youngster's life.


"We got him before it got too serious, but he wouldn't have come back in," he said."

Prince Christian of Denmark rescued by Gold Coast lifeguard


I think the message is clear. He was in real danger, alright. And so are all the other people who get into similar situations on our beaches every day. The lifeguards are there to rescue them, and they do, every day, as the article says. The fact they are rescued does not, however, mean the situation was not potentially very serious, and the presence of the skilled and experienced lifeguards should not be a reason to be blase about the risks or danger.

I'm sure that if Christian was not aware of the extent of the risk before it happened, he is now!

[marye]

As the mother of four young children (years ago) I know it is almost impossible to be fully in control, especially with boys of that age. I would hate to think they were obsessive about this and not let Christian try his wings. How in the world will he learn if not through experience. Good parenting is loving and prudent acting - not overt control of a child's actions.

[Iluvbertie]

When people say the lifesaver 'did his 'job'' I wonder how many realise that most life-savers in Australia are actually volunteers and don't get paid to do this vital work.


Australia has a great volunteer culture for things like this - the Bush Fire Brigade who fight much of the bushfires we have, the SES who help out in the floods and storms etc are largely volunteers, highly trained and skilled, but volunteers just the same.

[King of the Jungle]

Bravo to the Lifeguard, Nick Malcolm.
He looks fit and well trained and he certainly was observant and fast acting.
Perhaps Christian will be inspired to become a Surf Lifeguard when he is older!
Or a patron of Royal Life Saving Society Australia.

[Roslyn]

Originally Posted by Iluvbertie

When people say the lifesaver 'did his 'job'' I wonder how many realise that most life-savers in Australia are actually volunteers and don't get paid to do this vital work.


Australia has a great volunteer culture for things like this - the Bush Fire Brigade who fight much of the bushfires we have, the SES who help out in the floods and storms etc are largely volunteers, highly trained and skilled, but volunteers just the same.

Good point! Christian was saved by a lifeguard, who is a professional lifesaver, so he was indeed "doing his job", but in NSW there are about 350 lifeguards (professional) to 21,000 active surf lifesavers (volunteers). I can't find the stats for Queensland but I assume the proportions are likely to be about the same.

Originally Posted by King of the Jungle

Bravo to the Lifeguard, Nick Malcolm.
He looks fit and well trained and he certainly was observant and fast acting.
Perhaps Christian will be inspired to become a Surf Lifeguard when he is older!
Or a patron of Royal Life Saving Society Australia.

Excellent idea! I wouldn't be surprised if he does.

[Frelinghighness]

Any idea of the water and air temp on the beach when they were there?

[King of the Jungle]

Mermaid Beach air temperature range for Thursday was 29 Celsius Max and 20 C Min.
Sea temperature is about 25 C.

[Muhler]

Originally Posted by Iluvbertie

When people say the lifesaver 'did his 'job'' I wonder how many realise that most life-savers in Australia are actually volunteers and don't get paid to do this vital work.


Australia has a great volunteer culture for things like this - the Bush Fire Brigade who fight much of the bushfires we have, the SES who help out in the floods and storms etc are largely volunteers, highly trained and skilled, but volunteers just the same.

When I say the lifeguard did his job, that's praise.
And I'm well aware of the status lifeguards have in Australia.

As I see it the lifeguard did not wait until Christian actually was in trouble. Screaming and splashing. He foresaw the situation and intervened and got Christian out of harms way and in a way so that Christian was not spooked, in fact he may not even have realized how serious the situation may have been. And if he got a ride on the lifeguard's board, that would probably be a cool experience for ham.
In other words the lifeguard did his job, and did it well. There was no song and dance act, no wailing sirens, no Babe Watch drama, no one scared except perhaps the parents and the situation wasn't allowed to develop. That's doing a professional job in my book.

Whether Christian was in actual acute physical danger or whether this was the equivalent to someone stopping a child from running across a red light remains yet to be seen.
By all accounts this wasn't a negative experience since Christian happily went swimming the next day.

So both account can be correct.
The court/M&F says: no big deal. Which is true, because the situation did develop, again because a lifeguard did his job.
The press reports says Christian was rescued from danger. Which is also true. Because a lifeguard stopped the boy from ending up in a situation he would not have been able to handle.

[Muhler]

Originally Posted by King of the Jungle

Bravo to the Lifeguard, Nick Malcolm.
He looks fit and well trained and he certainly was observant and fast acting.
Perhaps Christian will be inspired to become a Surf Lifeguard when he is older!
Or a patron of Royal Life Saving Society Australia.

That would be very likely, since the professional lifeguard system being implemented along the Danish shores is directly based on the Australian system. Even though there are differences, there is more focus on treatment for hypothermia in DK.

In fact Mary opened such a post a couple of years ago.

[Archduchess Zelia]

Yeah, I'll take this story with a grain of salt. With all due respect to the lifeguards who, I'm know, do a terrific and very important job, people always tend to lay it on thick when encountering royals – especially if the press is involved. I'm sure this was just a precautionary measure and that Christian was never actually in a life-threatening situation.

[mitchell]

Prince Christian's rescue at Gold Coast beach could be due to flash rip, expert says - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/dan...21-glsgwu.html
http://bonhamjournal.com/2015/12/20/...sh-prince.html

[Iluvbertie]

He was in a rip. That is dangerous and life-threatening. Many people get caught in rips every day and don't realise that they are in danger but if there are good life-guards around they will pick up on it and take them to safety.


That Christian didn't realise he was in danger says a lot about his lack of knowledge of the surf and its dangers and that he wasn't properly prepared for the experience of the Australian conditions.


Rips are killers - quite simple really. You don't have to realise you are in danger to be in danger and kids Christian's age tend to think they are invincible anyway.