Concert in Celebration of Queen Ingrid's 100th Birthday: August 31, 2010

[JessRulz]

On March 28th, Her late Majesty Queen Ingrid would have turned 100 years old. A celebratory concert will be held on August 31st at Tivoli in honour of the anniversary.

The Royal Family will be in attendance. German tenor Jonas Kaufmann and the Tivoli Symphony Orchestra will perform a repertoire of opera arias.

The concert is being held later in the year due to Easter and Queen Margrethe's 70th birthday celebrations in mid-April.
Kongehuset - Aktuelt - Nyheder

[JessRulz]

From the TRF blog:

100th Anniversary of Queen Ingrid’s Birth
Sunday March 28th marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Her Royal Highness Princess Ingrid of Sweden, the woman who would later become the Queen Consort of Denmark.

Born Ingrid Victoria Sofia Louise Margareta in 1910, Princess Ingrid was the third child and only daughter of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf (later King Gustav VI Adolf) and his first wife, Crown Princess Margaret (nee, Princess of Connaught). The newborn Princess was christened in April 1910. Princess Ingrid had four brothers, two older and two younger: Prince Gustav Adolf, Prince Sigvard, Prince Bertil and Prince Carl Johan (the only surviving sibling).

Tragedy struck the Princess at an early age, when her mother passed away suddenly on May 1st, 1920 at the age of 38 while pregnant with her sixth child. Princess Ingrid was barely ten. Her father remarried three years later, to Ingrid’s second cousin Lady Louise Mountbatten. It has often been reported that the relationship between Princess Ingrid and her stepmother was immensely tense.

Princess Ingrid was educated in Sweden, although in a British manner as instructed by Queen Mary. She was a keen sportswoman, enjoying many ‘British’ sports – horse riding, tennis, swimming and skiing. She also took up her mother’s love of gardening, and once she came of age, quickly received her driver’s license. Princess Ingrid, along with her brothers, spent much time in England visiting their maternal grandfather, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. It was while in England that Ingrid was a bridesmaid several times at royal weddings: in 1919 for Princess Patricia of Connaught (her mother’s sister), in 1928 for Lady May Cambridge and in 1933 for her rumoured fiancé-to-be, Prince George (the future Duke of Kent). It was also in the early 1930s that the British media believed Princess Ingrid to be a suitable match for their heir to the throne, David, Prince of Wales (who was also Ingrid’s second cousin). They called her “one of the few eligible Protestant Princesses in Europe”, enraptured by her “typical Scandinavian beauty, tall and graceful, with blue-grey eyes and shingled golden hair.”

However, no engagement between the pair came about and a media storm was created in 1935 throughout Sweden and Denmark, when Princess Ingrid wed Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark at Stockholm’s Storkyrkan (The Great Church), located next to the Royal Palace of Stockholm on May 24th. The wedding was attended by numerous Kings and Queens, and as reported by The Telegraph, over 60 Princes and Princess. Two days following the wedding, the Danish royal yacht Dannebrog transported the newlyweds across the Baltic Sea, from Stockholm to Copenhagen. Here, Crown Prince Frederik and the new Crown Princess Ingrid were greeted by King Christian X, with thousands lining the streets marking the path to Amalienborg to catch a glimpse of their new Princess.

It was just before Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Ingrid’s fifth wedding anniversary in 1940 that they welcomed their first child, a daughter named Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, on April 16th. Four years later, Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid was born on April 29th, 1944. The couple’s third and final child, Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid, followed on August 30th, 1946. All three girls were born at the couple’s home of Amalienborg Palace. It was the couple’s youngest daughter, Princess Anne-Marie, who was the first to wed, to King Constantine II of Greece in September 1964 at the Metropolis Cathedral of Athens (she became Queen Anne-Marie). Heiress Princess Margrethe married French Count Henri de Laborde de Monpezat in June 1967 at the Naval Church of Copenhagen, while Princess Benedikte married Prince Richard zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg in February 1968 at the Fredensborg Palace Church. Ten grandchildren and (at present) sixteen great-grandchildren were born between Frederik and Ingrid’s three daughters:

• Queen Margrethe’s two children, Crown Prince Frederik (b. 1967) and Prince Joachim of Denmark (b. 1968). Crown Prince Frederik has two children, Prince Christian and Princess Isabella. Prince Joachim has three sons, Princes Nikolai, Felix and Henrik.
• Princess Benedikte’s three children, Prince Gustav (b. 1969), Princess Alexandra (b. 1970) and Princess Nathalie (b. 1975). Princess Alexandra is the only one of the three who has children, Count Richard and Countess Ingrid. Princess Nathalie is expecting her first child this coming July.
• Queen Anne-Marie’s five children, Princess Alexia (b. 1965), Crown Prince Pavlos (b. 1967), Prince Nikolaos (b. 1969), Princess Theodora (b. 1983) and Prince Philippos (b. 1986). Princess Alexia has four children, Arrietta, Ana-Maria, Carlos and Amelia Morales y de Grecia. Crown Prince Pavlos has five children himself, Princess Maria Olympia, Princes Constantine Alexios, Achileas-Andreas, Odysseas-Kimon and Aristide Stavros.

Crown Princess Ingrid quickly became immersed in the Danish culture upon her arrival to Denmark and quickly learnt the Danish language. One of her first patronages was the Danish Girl Scouts in 1936, after passing the tests applicants were given. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Ingrid’s first overseas trip as a married couple was to the United States in April 1939, where they visited California (they visited again in 1960). In 1940, Ingrid became the patron of the Danish Women’s War-Effort Society. Following the German occupation of Denmark in 1940 during World War II, her popularity rose to great heights due to her silent resistance and solidarity towards her people. The new mother would often be seen walking the streets of Copenhagen pushing a baby carriage containing an infant Princess Margrethe, or riding her bicycle.

When King Christian X passed away on April 20th, 1947, Crown Princess Ingrid became Queen Consort of Denmark as her husband took the Danish throne. It was over the next three decades that King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid instituted much change to the Royal Court, and to Denmark’s economy. Queen Ingrid installed a much more relaxed style of official court, replacing several old-fashioned customs. Through her love of gardening, Queen Ingrid researched the history of her beloved Gråsten Palace and renovated the Palace and its gardens according to her findings.

As King and Queen, Frederik and Ingrid hosted many heads of state, and also made many visits overseas. Several trips to England were undertaken, one such trip was in May 1951, when they paid a state visit to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom. They attended a gala banquet at Lancaster House, and met with then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

In January 1972, King Frederik fell ill following his annual New Year’s address. His passing on January 14th left Queen Ingrid a widow. Frederik IX wished to be buried outside of Roskilde Cathedral, near Copenhagen, and his wishes were granted following his January 24th funeral at the Christiansborg Palace chapel. The couple’s eldest daughter succeeded the throne, becoming Queen Margrethe II. Queen Ingrid was appointed Rigsforstander (formal Regent) later that year, after swearing oath to the Danish Constitution. This position allowed her to act as a representative of the Monarch when both Queen Margrethe and Crown Prince Frederik were out of the country/absent.

Over the following years, as Queen Ingrid’s age increased and health eventually declined, she began slowly transferring her patronages to other members of the Royal Family, mainly to Princess Benedikte (the Girl Scouts for instance). Some of the included the Danish Red Cross (now under the patronage of Queen Ingrid’s grandson Frederik), Save the Children (under both Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary) and the Fund for Trees and the Environment. Several funds and grants were also named after Queen Ingrid, like the Queen Ingrid Honorary Grant and the King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid Fund for Humanitarian and Cultural Issues.

From the mid-1990s, Queen Ingrid began retreating from public life due to her declining health. Her main appearances late in the decade were at family evenings – her grandchildren’s weddings, the baptisms of some of her great-grandchildren. Celebrations marking Queen Margrethe’s 60th birthday in April 2000 showed the 90-year-old Queen’s frailty, she had required a walking frame for several years at this point.

On November 7th, 2000 Queen Ingrid passed away at her home of Fredensborg Castle. Her casket, covered with the Danish flag, was transported to the Christiansborg Palace Chapel, where she laid in state for three days. Her funeral on November 14th at the Roskilde Cathedral brought dozens of Europe’s royalty to Denmark. Thousands of Danes, and members of the Danish Royal Family, marched behind the hearse carrying Queen Ingrid’s casket to Roskilde Cathedral for the service. Following the funeral service, Queen Ingrid was interred next to her husband outside the Cathedral.

[JessRulz]

From Kongehuset.dk:

H.M. Dronningen, Kronprinsparret, D.K.H. Prins Joachim og Prinsesse Marie, H.K.H. Prinsesse Benedikte og H.H. Prins Richard og H.M. Dronning Anne-Marie deltager i Festkoncert i anledning af 100-året for Dronning Ingrids fødsel i Tivolis koncertsal med tenor Jonas Kaufmann og Tivolis symfoniorkester kl. 19.30.

Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, Princess Benedikte, Prince Richard and Queen Anne-Marie will attend the concert tomorrow night.

[Paty]

photo from BT
Frederik vil læse fars bog - Royale - BT.dk

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[Lumutqueen]

Lovely pictures, it's wonderful that Count Carl is there.

[Muhler]

Dronning Ingrid og det moderne monarki - Politiken.dk
Excerpt from an article in Politiken
Dronning Ingrid og det moderne monarki - Queen Ingrid and the Modern manarchy.
Written by: Trond Noren Isaksen (historian).

Politiken is serious newspaper with some republican sympathies.
The article is a description of the role and significanse Queen Ingrid had in Denmark.

In June 1972 Queen Ingrid became the first person outside the line of succession who was entrusted with the responsibilities as regent (Rigsforstander). That was a practical thing to do as Prince Henrik were to travel with Queen Margrethe, while Benedikte was living in Berleburg and Prince Knud was an old man. But it was of course also a big declaration of confidence to Queen Ingrid. "We know that you, Queen Ingrid, is the last of all who would breach the Constitution", said Krag.
(Krag was the Social Democrat PM at the time and a republican).

And this description reminds me of another married couple I know of:

During the reign of Frederik IX and Ingrid, the character of the monarchy became representativ rather than political and it found a new way as a sort of partnership between the King and the Queen. Queen Ingrid was never folksy in the same way as King Frederik - her style was more aloof and reserved. Frederik and Ingrid were in many ways in contrast to each other, but their advantages and deficiencies supplemented each other well.
King Frederik's best characteristics was a warm heart and an easygoing demeanour. The combination of his sense of the situation and Ingrid's talent for staging, his emotional openess and her dignity, his impulsiveness and her abillities for strategic thinking made the combination Frederik/Ingrid an almost ideal reigning couple for their time.

It cannot be denied that many had the impression that the Queen was the one who was in charge in the marriage. She was probably the strongest character of the two, but the strength of Ingrid did not mean that she always had her way or that the King was without a will of his own. Prince Richard has told about how the mother-in-law since the occupation (WWII) felt an unrelenting hatred to everything German and that he as such hardly had been allowed to marry Princess Benedikte, had not the King intervened.

And this is also telling:

Queen Ingrid gave extremely rare interviews and as such maintained a certain mystique and distance, but she early on understood the significance of the media for a modern monarchy.

I suggest you put the article through a Google as it is absolutely worth reading.

- Mary, certainly in my eyes, appear more and more regal. Queen Ingrid was the very definition of being regal. She was also Frederik IX's rock.
Do you begin to understand why Queen Ingrid was so very respected?
Do you see why Frederik is so often compared to his grandfather?
And do you see why it is such a huge compliment when Mary is being compared to Queen Ingrid?

[rsfc149]

PPE Gallery

[iceflower]

____________________


Here's the zimbio/gettyimages gallery without watermarks:


** Queen Ingrid of Denmark - Memorial Concert **

[marymaxima]

I think princess mary looks like queen ingrid

[maria-olivia]

I did'nt see the Prince Consort Henrik ?

[Lumutqueen]

Henrik is in Shanghai until tommorow.

[dazzling]

No video yet?
Pictures are lovely, Joachim couldn't seem happier tonight.
Pity that none of Princess Benedikte's daughters attended, is there a reason for that?

[Muhler]

Originally Posted by iceflower

____________________


Here's the zimbio/gettyimages gallery without watermarks:


** Queen Ingrid of Denmark - Memorial Concert **

Thanks for the pics, Iceflower

The pattern on Mary's dress had Mrs. Muhler drooling. She has a set of jewelry, she is very fond of, shaped as leaves, almost exactly like the pattern on Mary.
She is usually not that interested in the DRF, but this caught her attention! So, does anyone have some info on Mary's dress they'd like to share? I know it will be appreciated.

Joachim, being a gentleman, looked stylish as always and the petite Marie looked very feminine.

[iceflower]

You're welcome, and greets to Mrs. Muhler

A first BB gallery about the event:


** Tivolis gæster hyldede Maries kærlighed til Joachim **

("Tivoli guests praised Marie's love for Joachim")


And a second one focussing on Mary:

** Smuk og gravid Mary viste sunde former i Tivoli **

("Pretty and pregnant Mary showed healthy forms at Tivoli"

[RubyPrincess168]

I don't understand the tradition of honoring what would've been someone's 100th birthday when they're dead. If the person was still alive and turned 100, by all means CELEBRATE it!

[Lumutqueen]

That's slightly mean, they are honouring the life that Queen Ingrid led and remembering her in there own way, by a concert, I think because she really loved music.

A memorial/birthday concert was held for Diana in 2007, do you think that shouldn't have happened either?

[Aotearoagal]

Originally Posted by RubyPrincess168

I don't understand the tradition of honoring what would've been someone's 100th birthday when they're dead. If the person was still alive and turned 100, by all means CELEBRATE it!

It's a time-honoured tradition RubyPrincess - for example, England and Australia last year celebrated Charles Darwin's 200th birthday and 150th anniversary of his death.

The Danish royals are celebrating Ingrid's birthday and also marking 10 years since her passing.

By all accounts she was an incredible woman, and I bet Queen Margrethe will receive similar treatment on her passing (hopefully a long, long way off). Wasn't she a grand-daughter of Queen Victoria of England, and therefore related to most of the royal families of Europe? Except perhaps the Borbons ...

For my own part, as a New Zealander, once Queen Elizabeth II dies, I'm sure we will commemorate in a similar way.

[JessRulz]

Queen Ingrid was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, through her mother:

Queen Victoria > Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught > Princess Margaret of Connaught > Queen Ingrid

[Zonk]

Its worth nothing that Princess Margaret of Connaught (my avatar) married Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden, thus becoming the mother of Princess Ingrid of Sweden (later Queen Ingrid) and Prince Gustav Adolf, who was the father of the current King Carl Gustaf of Sweden.

Thus Margethe and Carl Gustaf are first cousins.

I am actually surprised that there is no Swedish reperentation at the concert. They ususally show a presence in anything that relates to Ingrid.

[Lumutqueen]

Count Carl Bernadotte was there with his wife.