General News about Frederik, Mary and Family Part 17: January 2018 - June 2020

[ladongas]

Mary referred to it as a ‘cabin’, and it really does look like a cabin rather than something grander.

[ashelen]

It looks quite big for me and very cozy! wonder how is inside?

[polyesco]

Frederik and Mary in Switzerland with the family pet Grace
http://content.invisioncic.com/r3885...0c162ab20f.png

https://www.svenskdam.se/kungligt/fo...liv-i-schweiz/

[Frelinghighness]

Who is the boy with them

[Muhler]

Originally Posted by Frelinghighness

Who is the boy with them

A local, walking in front of them?

[polyesco]

more pictures can be found here (search Frederik Verbier)
http://legion-media.ru/index.html

"Far from protocol and official evenings, Frederik and Mary's life is punctuated by that of children and walks in the snow in the forest. Every day at 8 am, Frederik and Mary accompany their children to school, distant about fifteen minutes on foot from their chalet except Wednesday, the only day when the whole family goes to school by car because it is the day of the physical education course, in Verbier, it is compulsory skiing ...on Wednesday 8 January, Prince Frederik ordered a birthday cake from the village pastry shop"

[Nordic]

Originally Posted by Frelinghighness

Who is the boy with them

Not sure, but the blond woman with them looks a lot like a friend from Australia, Josephine Rechner (?). She is Josephine's godmother.
The boy could be her son.

[eya]

This year, Royal Run is also coming to Greenland.


Royal Run i Grønland | Kongehuset

[Roskilde]

Originally Posted by polyesco

(...)
"Every day at 8 am, Frederik and Mary accompany their children to school, distant about fifteen minutes on foot from their chalet except Wednesday, the only day when the whole family goes to school by car because it is the day of the physical education course, in Verbier, it is compulsory skiing ...on Wednesday 8 January, Prince Frederik ordered a birthday cake from the village pastry shop"

From this it sounds like they have followed them for some days (at least the 8. and 9. January) I hope they stayed for only these two days and afterwards left them (and will) leave the children have their only 12 school weeks in privacy. All humans being deserve and have rights to that. Good for Frederik, Mary and children (and Grace) to have these weeks together, a little break. Even Frederik has to take care of the official events and Mary also later this month. You can never really take a short period off if you are a Crown Prince couple I guess, even if one deserve that. I hope the media keeps their part of the deal with the familiy holding the photo session and interview on the first day.
As much as I love following the Crown Prince Family I never like seeing paparazzi photos of them, especially not when they and the children have given the media what they want to avoid papparazi following them.


Looks like and hope they have some good and inspiring weeks :)

Originally Posted by eya

This year, Royal Run is also coming to Greenland.


Royal Run i Grønland | Kongehuset

How great!

Frederiks second ‘home’. It will be so great.
Royal Run reached out to the entre Danish Kingdom. I like that.

[Frelinghighness]

Yes I also hope they are left alone as much as I enjoy following this family

[polyesco]

Originally Posted by eya

This year, Royal Run is also coming to Greenland.


Royal Run i Grønland | Kongehuset

Fantastic! It was only a matter of time before the Royal run made its official way to Greenland

"On Thursday, May 28, 2020, the Royal Run will be held in the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk, where H.K.H. The Crown Prince also wants to start.

Four days before the launch goes to Royal Run 2020, H.K.H. Crown Prince of Greenland to kick off the Royal Run in the capital, Nuuk. In the Greenlandic part of the national community, it will thus be possible this year to participate in the big running event with the distances "One mile", "5 km" and "10 km". Last year the Crown Prince started the Royal Run in the Faroe Islands, where 4,010 had registered for the race in Klaksvík. That made Royal Run the biggest exercise race ever in the Faroe Islands."

Greenland media
https://sermitsiaq.ag/node/218682#.Xh7ZPDv5hDc.facebook

another article
https://politiken.dk/indland/art7601...-Gr%C3%B8nland

[Muhler]

Yes, 4.000 amounts to a little less than 10 % of the entire population of the islands.
That is for logistical reasons unlikely to happen in Greenland this year.

But it would be more than impressive is say 2.000 take part in the Royal Run in Greenland this year.
The capital Nuuk has a population of 16.000.

---------------------

Now to Verbier.

There have since the photoshoot on the 6th been some rumblings in the DK press regarding their house in Verbier.
With some (far left) politicians saying that the public should have been told that they have bought and own a house in Verbier and suggesting that if they can afford a house in Verbier, the apanage is perhaps too high.
I have kept an eye on it, but didn't bother post anything here on TRF. As I considered a part of the "silly season" here after Christmas.
If you can't get attention otherwise - have a go at the DRF. Or if you can't write about something else, write about the DRF.

That has been combined with some (again far left) politicians disapproving that Frederik has met a few times with very high ranking military officers - without going through the formal channels via the Ministry of Defense.
But others have pointed out that surely Frederik is allowed to have a cup of coffee with high ranking military chiefs, most of whom he will have known for years, without calling the Minister of Defense first!
https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/bl...?app_mode=true

You get the picture - low rumbling in the horizon.

https://www.bt.dk/royale/kronprinspa...-mod-65.000-kr

But now it has emerged that M&F rent out their house in Verbier.
For between 41.200 and 65.400 DKK. The chalet is 200 square meters and is one of the oldest wooden houses in Verbier.

- This is guaranteed to generate some criticism!

Personally I can well understand they kept it secret that they own a house in Verbier. Now PET will have to sweep the place for bugs regularly.
And if it is a personal investment, it's IMO none of our business what they use their private fortune for.
Anyway, many if not most, owners of chalets rent it out when they don't use it themselves. Helps to pay for the electricity.
I'm not sure how many ordinary people will be up in arms over this here in DK, because many who own summer cottages here also rent out their cottages when not using it themselves and see it as an investment. (In fact Mrs. Muhler and I have a couple of times considered buying a summer cottage and rent it out from time to time - so it's far from extraordinary.) But you can rest assured the press will write more about this, hence this FYI.

[HereditaryPrincess]

Originally Posted by Nordic

Not sure, but the blond woman with them looks a lot like a friend from Australia, Josephine Rechner (?). She is Josephine's godmother.
The boy could be her son.

That would make sense - he seems too familiar with Mary and Frederick in the photos to be a local passerby.

[Muhler]

We are seemingly not going to see Mary again until the end of January, where she will return to DK, for some official duties.
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongelig...bage-i-danmark

The two scheduled events are on weekdays so it is almost certain the children will remain in Switzerland.

[Archduchess Zelia]

I think the criticism of them having a "secret" house is very fair. The security and their privacy is gonna be used as an excuse for not disclosing it to the public but in reality, it probably has a lot to do with people questioning their means of funding as well.

It was made clear that the chalet was in very poor condition when they purchased it, so I realise we're below the market price for chalets in Verbier. But I still don't think it's unreasonable to question whether or not their apanage is set too high if already in 2009 they have been able to set money aside. Their allowance has only increased since then.

Don't know that they fact that they're renting it out when they're not using it is gonna cause (or is worthy of) an even bigger stir. That's not different from what Joachim and Marie are doing with their home while they're in France.

Originally Posted by Muhler

That has been combined with some (again far left) politicians disapproving that Frederik has met a few times with very high ranking military officers - without going through the formal channels via the Ministry of Defense.
But others have pointed out that surely Frederik is allowed to have a cup of coffee with high ranking military chiefs, most of whom he will have known for years, without calling the Minister of Defense first!
https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/bl...?app_mode=true

This however, I think is much more grave. It's not just cups of coffee with old friends. These are dinners with senior officers from different branches of the Danish military. He has no place at such dinners. This is (yet another) absurd case of Frederik seemingly not being able to stick to the ground rules that have been laid out for him. Just like the mess that is his membership of the IOC.

[Tatiana Maria]

Originally Posted by Muhler

Now to Verbier.

There have since the photoshoot on the 6th been some rumblings in the DK press regarding their house in Verbier.
With some (far left) politicians saying that the public should have been told that they have bought and own a house in Verbier and suggesting that if they can afford a house in Verbier, the apanage is perhaps too high.
I have kept an eye on it, but didn't bother post anything here on TRF. As I considered a part of the "silly season" here after Christmas.
If you can't get attention otherwise - have a go at the DRF. Or if you can't write about something else, write about the DRF.

[...]

Whether part of "silly season" or not, it provides insight into how a segment of the population views the apanage, so thank you for posting about it.

[Muhler]

Well, there is more on the cottage here:
https://www.bt.dk/royale/nu-er-det-o...a-lejemarkedet

M&F had rented out their cottage (I don't think it's grand enough to be called a chalet, but rather a large cottage) previously but that has now been withdrawn.

It has also emerged that the DRF from time to time rent an annex to Chateau Cayx to staff of and friends.
And in the area belong to the hunting lodge in Trend there is a cabin which can be rented by employees at the court.

Joachim and our Marie own a summer house in France, which they also rent out from time to time.

Lene Balleby from the PR office explains that the cottage in Verbier was purchased from the private means of M&F. They took a mortgage in the cottage and Lene Balleby will not rule out that a part of an inheritance was used in paying for the cottage.

But as mentioned before the cottage in Verbier can no longer be rented.
Lene Balleby explains that the circumstances have now changed since it has become public knowledge who owns the house and also for security reasons.

- Right. I have no problems with the DRF owning property they rent out, especially to employees and other trusted persons. That's normal for a medium sized business as the DRF basically is.
I do have a slight issue with the DRF renting out places where they live. I do think it deflates things a bit if I can pay to sleep in the same bed and, pardon me, sit on the same bathroom facilities as M&F.

But as for the DRF earning money on the side, - of course they do. And I see no problems with that. It's no secret that the businessman Frits Schur manages the private investments of the DRF - and as such they earn money from these private investments. The same thing goes for their art collections. Frederik has a considerable collection of modern art and if he sells a peice now and then he surely get a profit. I don't see the difference between that and renting out a cottage.
To me it's more a question of what they invest in.

I think most of us here can agree that having shares in a factory producing landmines would be a huge no no for the DRF.

------------

Now for Frederik and the senior military officers he meet occasionally.

No one knows what they are discussing.
Since Frederik is likely to have worked with them on several occasions and certainly have known them for years, they may talk about old days or discuss tennis - perhaps they also discuss the current security situation in X, Y and B. But we don't know whether the officers are actually telling Frederik things that are highly confidential. But since Frederik attends the State Council meetings his knowledge and security clearance must be considered very high.

The criticism suggest a lack of confidence in Frederik that I don't share and a lack of confidence in the high ranking officers that I don't share at all!
To me this smells more of certain politicians marking their turf and emphasizing that the proper channels go through them - as if Frederik and the officers didn't know that.

So let's take a deep breath, shall we?

What's next? That Frederik can't talk to high ranking police officers without informing the Minister of Justice, lest they tell him something about the gang wars in Copenhagen?

Or that Frederik can't talk to senior doctors, with informing the Minister of Health, lest they tell him about the conditions at Rigshospitalet?

And even if Frederik was told something, to be honest I privately think he is, informal meetings is a part of life. When Frederik is briefed by the Minister of Defense he gets the official version. Perhaps he'd like to hear the real version?

I actually find it pretty commendable if Frederik really is unofficially briefed by those on the ground. It suggests he shows a genuine interest in the society and how the various aspects of the society works. A well-informed crown prince, and future monarch is IMO not a bad thing.

[MidwestMom]

As an American, I don't think this is such a big deal. Was there any criticism when Mary bought a new tiara? After all, she has the rubies and her wedding tiara. How many does she need? Is this the only property they own privately? I'm thinking Trend is owned by the Crown. The Verbier house looks rustic, not palatial. They could do worse things with their allowance. The American president makes a point of not accepting a salary (neither did JFK) but we still get stuck with a big bill for his golfing retreats.

[Archduchess Zelia]

Originally Posted by Muhler

Now for Frederik and the senior military officers he meet occasionally.

No one knows what they are discussing.
Since Frederik is likely to have worked with them on several occasions and certainly have known them for years, they may talk about old days or discuss tennis - perhaps they also discuss the current security situation in X, Y and B. But we don't know whether the officers are actually telling Frederik things that are highly confidential. But since Frederik attends the State Council meetings his knowledge and security clearance must be considered very high.

The criticism suggest a lack of confidence in Frederik that I don't share and a lack of confidence in the high ranking officers that I don't share at all!
To me this smells more of certain politicians marking their turf and emphasizing that the proper channels go through them - as if Frederik and the officers didn't know that.

So let's take a deep breath, shall we?

What's next? That Frederik can't talk to high ranking police officers without informing the Minister of Justice, lest they tell him something about the gang wars in Copenhagen?

Or that Frederik can't talk to senior doctors, with informing the Minister of Health, lest they tell him about the conditions at Rigshospitalet?

And even if Frederik was told something, to be honest I privately think he is, informal meetings is a part of life. When Frederik is briefed by the Minister of Defense he gets the official version. Perhaps he'd like to hear the real version?

It's fairly naïve to assume he's meeting senior military officers to discuss everyday trivialities. The "catching up with old military friends" is a poor excuse because there's no way he just so happens to be old friends with senior officers from different branches of the military. I realise there's no way of knowing the extent of the information he's been given but let's not play the fool.

I think your defence of this is unnuanced at best, biased because of your military background at worst. Politicians marking their turf? By stating the fact that is that Frederik hasn't been playing by the rules? And how would criticism of this ever count as "marking turf" when the sitting government that actually yields the power to mark their turf towards the DRF don't think it's a problem? And Frederik clearly doesn't know. Or doesn't care. Otherwise he would've known better than to put himself in a situation like this.

Those examples are textbook false equivalence. You know as well as I that there's a considerable difference between the medical sector and the military sector. If Frederik is uncertain of that, I'm sure his uncle Constantine would be able to tell him

Originally Posted by Muhler

I actually find it pretty commendable if Frederik really is unofficially briefed by those on the ground. It suggests he shows a genuine interest in the society and how the various aspects of the society works. A well-informed crown prince, and future monarch is IMO not a bad thing.

Commendable?! Are you joking? You can educate yourself without involving yourself in politics behind the governments back. This is such a slippery slope, I can't believe you're trivialising the very fundament of a constitutional monarchy like this.

[Muhler]

That's some broadside you fired there!

Okay, there are many ways Frederik could have ended up becoming friends with senior officers.
These are people of roughly the same age as Frederik, but being career officers they would in some cases be one or two stars above him in rank by now.
It is more than likely he would have met and worked with them several times in the past. On active service. In connection with his time in Frogman Corps. The Frogman Corps adhered directly under the Defense Chief at the time, where some of these gentlemen would likely have served as staff officers.
When Frederik taught at the Defense Academy. He also gave lectures on the situation in the Baltics. By that time these gentlemen would likely have been senior staff officers.
So claiming that there is no way Frederik could happen to be old friends with senior officers is erroneous.

Now, do Frederik and the officers discuss anything else than the latest camouflage-fashion? Personally I'm sure they do.
So what? It's not like Frederik is plotting against the government or considering supporting a military coup or trying to influence the defense policy. He is IMO simply keeping himself informally informed. - He is after all destined to be the formal commander in chief and the DRF have always had a close affiliation with the military.

Now this is admittedly a big problem, perhaps a huge problem, for theoretics. But for the more practically inclined it's just a part of the informal way of doing things behind the scenes.
Plausible deniability. As long as no one know exactly what is discussed they might indeed discuss knitting socks. And everybody is happy. The Minister of Defense doesn't have to confront the DRF and the Defense Command. And everybody can maintain a good working relationship.

And comparing Frederik to Ex-king Constantine and the situation in Greece 45 years ago is - what did you call it - a textbook example of false equivalence.
(I'll have to remember that phrase it's most useful! )