Queen Margrethe II & Prince Henrik, Current Events Part 6: July 2017 - February 2018

[iceflower]

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Posts that had no longer anything to do with the couple's current events have been moved to the following thread:


** Prince Henrik and his plans for his final resting place **

[eya]

This evening, the Queen participates in the opening of this year's festival week at Aarhus Theater, and the theme for this year's festival week is Bridging.

https://www.facebook.com/detdanskeko...41713366167249

[LibrarianDaisy]

She's looking fine - the French sunshine has done her good.

[iceflower]

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Here are some more photos and a video of the opening today:


** kendte.dk gallery ** stiften.dk gallery ** stiften.dk video **

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39J3ctPuQA8

[LibrarianDaisy]

Yesterday, 27th August, the Queen attended the service at Frederiksborg Castle Church commemorating it's 400th anniversary. There was a reception afterwards. I should imagine it was after this that she called into Fredensborg to see Prince Henrik (and the puppies) and that lovely photo was taken with the 4 grandchildren.
Festgudstjeneste i Frederiksborg Slotskirke | Kongehuset

Smilende dronning Margrethe til formiddagsfest | BILLED-BLADET

[M. Payton]

Originally Posted by LibrarianDaisy

Yesterday, 27th August, the Queen attended the service at Frederiksborg Castle Church commemorating it's 400th anniversary. There was a reception afterwards. I should imagine it was after this that she called into Fredensborg to see Prince Henrik (and the puppies) and that lovely photo was taken with the 4 grandchildren.
Festgudstjeneste i Frederiksborg Slotskirke | Kongehuset

Smilende dronning Margrethe til formiddagsfest | BILLED-BLADET

Just look at the people around QM, they are standing there with their cameras or cell phones and you can see how deeply and well loved she is. The smiles on the people show just how they feel about their queen and lady. And QM seems to be in her glory also for she loves going out and meeting the people as it shows. How I wish I was there to see her.....

[Muhler]

And today QMII inaugurated a new memorial for Danish seamen during WWII.
They sailed with the convoys from April 1940 and up to couple of years after the war, also in the Pacific. - And quite a few didn't make it home...

As such they trickled home after the war and did not get the recognition by especially the politicians, they deserved. In the wake after the defeat of Nazism, many politicians had problems distancing themselves from the Danish policy during the war, so when the general euphoria had gone down, the less said about the war, the better.
So while the Jews and Resistance fighters got a lot of accolades by the politicians (who may in some cases justifiably have feared ending up in front of a wall) many other groups didn't.
They included seamen sailing for the Allies, some who had fought in regular Allied units, those who had fought Fascism in Spain and those who had been murdered by criminals during the last few months of the war, and labeled "informants" or "collaborators". The last group never got official vindication, so while being totally innocent, their widows were officially married to a "collaborator" or an "informant" - you can imagine how people looked at them in the years after the war.

- That of course doesn't just apply to Denmark, but practically all countries occupied during WWII. And it's a wound that to this day still hasn't healed.

But it's about time the sailors got a new monument! The old was a disgrace! Either you maintain a monument or pull it down, to neglect it is an affront!

I worked with a former 1st officer many years ago, who started sailing in the early 50's. Many of those he sailed with had been sailing in the convoys. And he described how most of them never closed the door to their cabins, when they went to sleep. Because if a torpedo or a mine struck the ship the hulk would twist, and they wouldn't be able to get out.
And many simply couldn't help looking for periscopes or the telltale wake of a torpedo on the run.

[LibrarianDaisy]

Originally Posted by M. Payton

Just look at the people around QM, they are standing there with their cameras or cell phones and you can see how deeply and well loved she is. The smiles on the people show just how they feel about their queen and lady. And QM seems to be in her glory also for she loves going out and meeting the people as it shows. How I wish I was there to see her.....

I felt exactly the same - everyone looked so happy around her

I'm glad a new memorial has been dedicated and thank you for filling in the background Muhler. My Grandfather served in the Navy during WWII and spent most of it up in Scarpa Flow. He would never speak of his experience though.

[polyesco]

Always thankful for the great history lessons
pictures from today
https://www.facebook.com/detdanskeko...43429379328981

[iceflower]

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Queen Margrethe attended the celebration of the 850th anniversary of Copenhagen at Copenhagen's City Hall today, September 2:


** fb gallery **


** BB: Dronning Margrethe: De tovlige kjøwenhavnere er ganske seje ** translation **

[Muhler]

Thank you, Iceflower

The quote from QMII's speech at the university deserves a translation. It's very QMII, and grandma who has picked up expressions from the younger members of the family. They occur sometimes and in that respect she reminds me of my in-laws who also pick up expressions from their grandchildren, i.e. my children.

In the speech she express her fondness for the city in which she lives most of the time and has grown up in. All this being on the occasion of the official 825 anniversary of Copenhagen. (*)
She said: "It's odd to think that I wasn't present at the 800th anniversary, because back then I was on my honeymoon".

She compared the Copenhageners with the tough roses who grow and bloom between the cobbled stones. Beautiful, but also prickly and tough and they cope!
"That says a lot about Copenhagen and the Copenhageners. Them loony C'phageners are pretty cool. (**)
Copenhagen is the capital and the place I myself live a great part of my life".

(*) Copenhagen is actually older, but before it was officially founded by Bishop Absalon it was merely a fishing village. Or rather a number of fishing villages. So officially Copenhagen is a fairly young city in Danish context. Most other major towns and cities are at least 1.000 years old. - But before 750 or so, there were literally no towns to speak of in DK or the rest of Scandinavia for that matter.

(**) Actually she speak Jutlandic dialect here, but I've taken a few liberties since I don't know how to translate into an internationally understandable English dialect.

[iceflower]

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Queen Margrethe as Patron was present at the celebration of the 225th anniversary of the Classical Fideicommis in Nykøbing today, September 10:


** BB: Dronning Margrethe passer sine pligter ** translation **


And in the afternoon she attended an episcopal consecration at Maribo Cathedral:


** Pic ** tveast gallery: Se billederne: Dronningen er gæst til dagens bispevielse **


** kongehuset.dk: VIDEO: Bispevielse i Maribo Domkirke **

[iceflower]

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Queen Margrethe attended the farewell parade on the Dannebrog in Copenhagen today, September 13. The event marks the end of this year's sailing season.
Tonight Queen Margrethe will also host a dinner for the ships officers.


** gettyimages gallery ** kongehuset.dk fb video **

[iceflower]

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Queen Margrethe opened the National Museum's special exhibition 'Behind the Governor's Mirrors' at Christiansborg Castle this afternoon, September 15:



** kongehuset.dk fb gallery **


** BB: Dronning Margrethe fik en helt særlig oplevelse i Peter von Scholtens balsal ** translation **

[Muhler]

Thank you, Iceflower.

The premises behind the exhibition is partly the emancipation of slaves in the Danish West Indies, which were initiated (and actually without political OK back in Copenhagen) by the governor Peter von Scholten. He on the other hand was very much influenced by his black mistress and former slave... Who may actually by honored to the same degree. I can't even remember her name off hand, but that's how history goes.

The other occasion for the exhibition is that the islands of Skt Thomas, Skt. Croix and Skt Jan were sold to USA in 1917, where they are now knows as the Virgin Islands. - The locals were not heard, let alone asked whether they wanted to be Americans.
By that sale the last Danish tropical colony was left.

The islands were never a real goldmine for Denmark, except as a hub for slave transports in the 1700's. Most of the plantations were owned by foreigners or foreign companies.
By the early 1800's slavery had long since been outlawed in Denmark, but it was still legal in some colonies, but no one really wanted to know about it and fewer wanted to talk about it. It was a classical question of out of sight, out of mind. So when the governor Peter von Scholten decided to abolish slavery (as the first colony in the Caribbeans IIRC) the public and politicians back in Denmark took that ad notam. There was neither the political will nor public support in opposing that, even though the governor was actually performing a de facto local political coup.
That meant that the tax revenue from the islands fell even more and by 1917, the islands were basically a forgotten colonial backwater. So when USA came up with an offer "Denmark couldn't refuse" it was accepted.
DK, not being involved in WWI, had no interest in antagonizing USA and having the trade disrupted and USA might get the idea of "occupying the islands for protection", because USA at the time pursued a policy of exerting its influence directly and indirectly as much as possible in the Americas, as a direct consequence of the Monroe Doctrine.

So in 1917 Dannebrog was lowered and Stars and Stripes went to the top instead. - The anniversary was attended by Danish politicians but not the DRF. Because no one in DK cares and there is the question of an official apology for the period of slavery (followed by a suit of compensation) for which there is no political will to offer in DK.

So it has all been boiled down to an exhibition.

[gerry]

Such an elegant solution to an extremely difficult problem, Muhler! Surely it is not that easy....there will be talk among the chattering classes, I am sure!

[Muhler]

Those with the right opinions always have the right solutions...
That the bill is usually footed by everybody else is besides the point...

[iceflower]

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Yesterday evening, September 15, Queen Margrethe attended the celebration of the Court Theatre's 250th anniversary at the Theatre Museum in Copenhagen:



** BB: Dronning Margrethe: Dejlig afslutning på travl dag ** translation **

[gerry]

Originally Posted by Muhler

Those with the right opinions always have the right solutions...
That the bill is usually footed by everybody else is besides the point...

plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose

[Muhler]

Today a new sculpture by PH was unveiled in Aarhus harbor: Om prins Henriks skulptur på havnen: Den har nogle sjove afrundinger - Lokalavisen Aarhus

I imagine it was the intention PH himself were to unveil it, but as you know...

I like PH's sculptures and I'll be certain to see it the next time I come to that part of Aarhus.