Annual Photo Shoots & Holidays At Gråsten Slot: 2003, 2005-2023


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dazzling said:
Do the horses belong to the royal family or do they ride horses from a near by stables? Also, do they ride during the year or just during their stay at Grasten?
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The answer is yes and no.

Certainly Mary's horse belongs to her personally, but the horses they ride are used daily by the Guards Hussars I understand. There are after all limited opportunities for M&F to ride every day as you probably should when you have a horse.
That's also why we most of the time see someone (often a senior NCO) from the Guards Hussars ride very close to M&F, while PET keeps a more discreet distance on bikes or in a car.
The reason being that the horses M&F ride are familiar with the horse the hussar rides and they probably also know the hussar and that calms them down and means they are less easily spooked.
Cavalry horses are special. Like with all herds (I think it's called) there is a pecking order among the horses, but among cavalry horses that pecking order is linked to the rank of their rider. So "private" horses tend to follow the mood of "NCO" horses who in return form in behind "officer" horses and left to themselves they would likely form some kind of formation, just as they are used to.

The horses the children ride are from the local riding school, as the Guards Hussars and Royal Stables don't have ponies.
 
Thanks, Iceflower. :flowers:

The weather has improved over the past few days. It's perfect "activity-weather". That is, neither too hot nor too cold.

Again, notice the hussar-NCO close to Mary.
 
Does the Crown Prince's flag fly over the castle when he is in residence with his family for the first 3 weeks or the Danish flag?
 
:previous: That'll be the Crown Prince Flag, as you say. And it'll fly there every day until M&F leaves or a higher ranking DRF member arrive. I.e. QMII.

On a day to day basis a "plain" Dannebrog will fly over Gråsten on flag-days.
 
Thank you iceflower. It's nice to see the family enjoying the summer. It seems that Isabella is a keen horse rider; I didn't realise that she had an interest in the sport.
Vincent's funny faces in the car are so cute, haha. He seems to have caught Josephine's entertaining genes ?
 
We can look forward to the 16th. According to the DRF website the Regent Couple and M&F will receive Gråsten Ring-Rider Association's procession.

You may recall a couple of years ago, when Josephine broke her arm, that the children (Josephine in particular) stole the show.
I'm sure Josephine will be very pleased with all the nice people who are going to present her with flowers. :D

The procession takes place at 12.00.
 
Muhler said:
We can look forward to the 16th. According to the DRF website the Regent Couple and M&F will receive Gråsten Ring-Rider Association's procession.

You may recall a couple of years ago, when Josephine broke her arm, that the children (Josephine in particular) stole the show.
I'm sure Josephine will be very pleased with all the nice people who are going to present her with flowers. :D

The procession takes place at 12.00.
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Haha you're very right :D

I look much forward to Sunday!
 
The annual summer shoot at Gråsten will take place on Sunday at 11.45 according to BB: VIDEO: Glæd dig til årets sommerfotografering | BILLED-BLADET

As the ring-riders (*) will start their procession at 12.00 I imagine there will be a short photo-op in front of the main door to the palace, and then the DRF will go towards the entrance for the procession. - So lots of photos coming up!

Looked at the weather forecast for Sunday: Overcast with occasional rain. Temperature of some 18 degrees C.

(*) When ever I translate to English it sounds like something from Lord of the Rings.
 
It's great to see the photos of Mary and Isabella riding and nice to see Isabella enjoying her hobby.

polyesco said:
:previous: I think that it's Isabella who is in the car with Mary.

another article of the CP family in Grasten with a close up of Isabella riding. According to the article the kids were spotted at Legoland
SE DE SØDE BILLEDER: Mary og Isabellas ridetur - Her & Nu
http://realityportalen.dk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/17_07_02_16_47_57_org_1ST_2393.jpg
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It looked like Vincent from a first glance but it seems that I have been proven incorrect - looking again the child does look more like Isabella.
 
 
Yes, they are crossing the road, that is going past the tree-lined road to the palace. Across the road it's only a few hundred meters to the riding school.

You will find a map over the area somewhere among the posts from last year.
 
There is a camera crew following them. I assume this is footage for a special on Frederik's 50th birthday next year.
 
Muhler said:
The answer is yes and no.

Certainly Mary's horse belongs to her personally, but the horses they ride are used daily by the Guards Hussars I understand. There are after all limited opportunities for M&F to ride every day as you probably should when you have a horse.
That's also why we most of the time see someone (often a senior NCO) from the Guards Hussars ride very close to M&F, while PET keeps a more discreet distance on bikes or in a car.
The reason being that the horses M&F ride are familiar with the horse the hussar rides and they probably also know the hussar and that calms them down and means they are less easily spooked.
Cavalry horses are special. Like with all herds (I think it's called) there is a pecking order among the horses, but among cavalry horses that pecking order is linked to the rank of their rider. So "private" horses tend to follow the mood of "NCO" horses who in return form in behind "officer" horses and left to themselves they would likely form some kind of formation, just as they are used to.

The horses the children ride are from the local riding school, as the Guards Hussars and Royal Stables don't have ponies.
Click to expand...

Thank you Muhler. It does make sense since they are limited to when they can ride.

Cant wait for the family to gather tomorrow. This is one of those events I always look forward too since they are all gathered and the sun is shining (fingers crossed).
 
There is a change in regards to the photo shoot this year. Mangeårig royal tradition på Gråsten Slot er blevet ændret | BT Royale - www.bt.dk

Normally the press is invited into the park where the DRF pose for ten minutes or so while trying to look as natural as possible. - That's often difficult, because the summer weather here in July is often wet, so they can't play on the swings.

But this year everyone is invited to snap away, also the general public, who will be pretty close. Because the photo shoot is now taking place as the ring riders pass the DRF and present flowers. That may take half an hour perhaps.
And it involves some natural activity, because not only is QMII expected to receive flowers, Mary as well as Isabella and Josephine will with guarantee get some as well!
- So I'm looking very much forward till tomorrow and hope it won't rain. :D

PH of course will not be present.

So keep an eye not only on the press bureaus and papers but also Facebook and Instagram and what not.

If this is the start of a new traditions, visiting Australians in particular, and other royal watchers in general may wish to venture over to Southern Jutland on that day, to get a personal snapshot.
 
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Summary of article in Billed Bladet #28, 2017.
Written by the incomparable Ulrik Ulriksen.

Carina Axelsson and Prince Gustav have joined M&F at Gråsten days ago.

M&F are expected to leave Gråsten shortly after the photo session tomorrow.

The locals in Gråsten are delighted with the presence of the DRF. The Ring rider celebration in Gråsten started Thursday and will end with the procession Sunday. (There are many such celebrations each summer all over Southern Jutland.)

The chairman of Gråsten shop-owners, Gunnar Hattesen says: "It means everything for Gråsten that the royals are here during the summer. And that the CP-Couple has been here for so long for the past few summers. It's definitely also a special signal wen the Queen alongside the CP-Couple together with the rest of the family recieve our ring-rider procession. It's something special. Yes, it's something extra and show the strong bonds between the DRF and the rest of us. We are so pleased that it has now turned out like that that Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary carry on the tradition, which was created by Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid.
Previously we had to enjoy the royals presence at the palace and in the town for three weeks, but in the latter years the royals at the palace for six-seven weeks. Three of the weeks it's the CP-couple and their children. This continuation of the royal Gråsten-summer is something everyone on the town is tremendously pleased with.
It's good for the activity in the town and then it's always nice to meet the royals. Whether it's Princess Benedikte who visits the optician, the Crown Princess and her children riding or Crown Prince Frederik on a morning run in the woods".

The owner of the local inn, Doris Pørksen Schmidt, is pleased as well: "There is a special good mood in town with the royals at the palace. At some point we didn't quite know whether the CP-couple would carry on the tradition with the royals staying here during the summer. But for the past summers we have been delighted to see that they are here more and more and that they have taken over. That's what we had hoped for. It almost can't get any better".

She has set up a room for the guardsmen who has come along to Gråsten.
"Here they can come and have the local dish (an egg-dish) and they can have roast pork with parsil-sauce (absolutely delicious!!) and a Fuglsang beer (local brew) and a Bommelunder-schnapps (Not bad either!)".

She adds that there are some 3.000 extra visitors to Gråsten when there is a change of the guards at noon on Fridays, in front of QMII.

QMII is expected to join her husband at Chateau Cayx during the second week of August.

BB will live-stream from the procession tomorrow.

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ADDED: M&F and the children emerged from the wall around Gråsten Palace to have a look at a Ring rider procession as you can see in this video: http://www.billedbladet.dk/kongelig...ndes-familie-overraskede-de-lokale-i-graasten

There is a big celebration at the ring-rider square this evening with a traveling tivoli and fireworks. Who knows? Maybe M&F will be there as well?
 
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BB will stream live from Gråsten at 11.45, that's less than two hours from this is posted.

So keep an eye on this site: BILLED-BLADET
 
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It's now...... :flowers:

A little pity it's rainy and grey weather.
 
What happened to BB's live stream? Have they screwed up?

Se med når vi sender live fra sommerfotografering i Gråsten søndag | BILLED-BLADET

And we have live TV.

It's rainy!

First the adults will be presented with flowers from adults riding large horses, but later the ponies will come and present flowers to the children.

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Scotland the Brave. Frederik is very fond of bagpipes.

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Notice how the riders lower their lances in salute.

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Mary got a present for Grace. - Who is not present. Guess the horses might scare her.

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There's a "discount-version" of the ring-riders - on bicycles.

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That's it.

A good deal of confusion about who should have the flowers though. - I think it would be simpler if M&F and children were there on their own.

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BB will upload videos later and now it's time for the news diggers to find pics, clips and articles for us.
 
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It was raining a lot.... But it DOESN'T mean anything for the children especially.
Josephine had learn some new wonderful dance moves :lol: She's so funny. Isabella is very fond of horses, Vincent, Christian and Frederik got some nice flowers too, but left the most of the horse show to the girls :D

Lot's of loving hugs and holding hands in the family :wub:

I do think they next year should leave this event to F&M and children... Who should have these flowers? And who these? It went much easier last year.

But can't wait for the pictures to be publish in the next hours...
 
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