Countess Alexandra's Alimony

[Empress]

Why could the money not have been allocated directly to the boys with someone independent overseeing that the allowance was used for the two numbers in the succession and not the upkeep of their mum's luxurious existence?

Is that how child support would normally be handled in Denmark, if so, then sure that's how it should have been handled. However, I seriously doubt that every divorced person in Denmark has a person over seeing how the money they are allocated for child support/ alimony is spent. It's ridiculous to try and apply that sort of rule to one person because they happen to receive more.

 

[Jo of Palatine]

Is that how child support would normally be handled in Denmark, if so, then sure that's how it should have been handled. However, I seriously doubt that every divorced person in Denmark has a person over seeing how the money they are allocated for child support/ alimony is spent. It's ridiculous to try and apply that sort of rule to one person because they happen to receive more.

I personally don't really see what the brouhaha is all about. Parliament passed a bill in order to support a divorced and thus former member of the Royal family. In Denmark obviously the Royal Family is taxfunded and receives their allowances according to those bills. So legally it's okay, isn't it? And if soemone as a Danish taxpayer thinks it is not okay, then he or she can contact their member of parliament and complain, no?

As a princess Alexandra was an enormously popular member of the Royal family. To reduce her now after her divorce to the position of "just the womb who bore princes" or kind of nanny for them today is IMHO not justified.

 

[kimebear]

It is my understanding that prince Joachim pays child support out of fhis private (but publicly funded) pocket.

I had not heard this before. If you could be so kind as to point me in the direction of where this info is published, I would be grateful. I am curious to see how much of their care is provided directly by Joachim and how much falls to Alexandra and Martin.

The bill was not voted down because what the palace wants, the palace gets. Unfortunately our elected representatives were having a major snooze and just voted without thinking through the ramifications of this particular bill.

This I also find interesting. Usually if there is one thing you can definitely say about a politician is that they are always looking towards the next election. Is this not also true in Denmark? Is there currently any active campaigning by people who are against this allowance to unseat the politicians who "snoozed" and voted for it?

 

[Odette]

Why could the money not have been allocated directly to the boys with someone independent overseeing that the allowance was used for the two numbers in the succession and not the upkeep of their mum's luxurious existence?

Alexandra is the mother of the two little princes and she is their guardian. If she did not demostrate thus far that she commingles her funds with theirs or benefits from the funds that belong to their upkeep, why should a third party be involved?. Apart from the politics of this, it would be an insult to her to have someone handling. I believe she deserved alimony. I am not too sure the public had to pay for it, regardless of how much it is.

 

[alex001]

Alexandra is still a patron of Unicef, more trips may be coming up!
That aside, I for one wonder whether she is expected to phase out
her patronages in due course, now that her successor is in place!

Viv

Not sure about trips for UNICEF, but she's accompanying the girls' choir on their 13-day tour to the US & Canada (thanks to Villemann for the info).

I think she recently did hand another patronage, Mothers' Help, over to Mary, didn't she?

 

[ricarda]

I wouldn't call it "hand over" and it wasn't recently.
"Mothers' Help" is one of the patronages Alexandra did not keep when she married Martin. It seems this organisation then asked the Crownprincess to become patron and she accepted.
It was announced in February 2007 which patronages Alexandra would keep and which she would give up. I haven't read that she gave up any more of those patronages she kept.

Alexandra is still a patron of Unicef, more trips may be coming up!

I don't know what will be in the future, but I do know what wasn't in the past - and IMO there simply wasn't enough. And somehow I doubt Alexandra will do more now with Marie on the scene than she did in the last 2 1/2 years.

Regarding Alexandra's annuity from the state I think we have to remember the situation back in 2004.
Alexandra was the (media) star of the family for such a long time, she was extremely popular, the announcement of divorce came as a shock to the people and the media was completely at her side and blamed Joachim. And I do remember that the organisations Alexandra was patron of were quite afraid of their future.

In 2004 it seemed to me that it were actually the Danish people and media who were afraid of losing Alexandra totally. I really don't think the parliament granted Alexandra an annuity because Queen Margrethe forced them to but because they thought that's what the people wanted.
In the meantime of course much has changed and perhaps also the feelings of the people towards Alexandra aren't as warm anymore as they used to be.

 

[alex001]

I just remebered reading that article about Mother's Help fairly recently - must just have coem accross it in an archive or something, thanks for the info Ricarda!