Crown Prince Frederik's 40th Birthday: May 26, 2008

[JulieS]

Originally Posted by Her_Majesty

Picture of the day

This kids are too cute for words! Great to see the family at the balcony again.

What a beautiful picture !

[missjane]

Originally Posted by Marengo

The radioclip of SAFM radio here, select the show of June 2nd and wait for 5.30 minutes. (Courtesy ATR)

A picture of Amber Petty at the party here, the picture 2nd row from the top and on the left. Not a very flattering picture. There are pictures of some other guests on that link too, some of which do their best to copy Paris Hiltons style of clothing... I agree however that Caroline Heering looks very nice, as usual I might add.

While it is interesting to get an inside view of the party, I can't help thinking that this is slightly distasteful? Although i can hardly imagine that Amber just blabbed without Mary and Fredericks consent. Surely she would have checked with them if it was ok to do the interveiw?? I mean she is still staying in their house so they would have to have some knowledge of it surely. And maybe it is well constructed publicity for the CP couple?? I would love to hear what others think.

[Marengo]

Originally Posted by missjane

While it is interesting to get an inside view of the party, I can't help thinking that this is slightly distasteful? Although i can hardly imagine that Amber just blabbed without Mary and Fredericks consent. Surely she would have checked with them if it was ok to do the interveiw?? I mean she is still staying in their house so they would have to have some knowledge of it surely. And maybe it is well constructed publicity for the CP couple?? I would love to hear what others think.

I can' t think this is especially good publicity for the couple, with quotes like 'Mary is quite the princess here' and Frederik playing his mondharmonica on stage. But I agree that it is unlikely that Amber made this call without informing her friends first about it. Funny detail: the Queen asked a waitress if she was alowed to smoke at dinner.

Note that the radio people are asking 4 times (or more) if Amber kissed/ did more with somebody, went to bed alone etc. They seem to have a one track mind ...

[marmi]

Originally Posted by Marengo

I can' t think this is especially good publicity for the couple, with quotes like 'Mary is quite the princess here' and Frederik playing his mondharmonica on stage. But I agree that it is unlikely that Amber made this call without informing her friends first about it. Funny detail: the Queen asked a waitress if she was alowed to smoke at dinner.

Note that the radio people are asking 4 times (or more) if Amber kissed/ did more with somebody, went to bed alone etc. They seem to have a one track mind ...

Thats pretty typical of that type of radio show (one of the exact reasons I try to avoid the shows to be honest)

And I agree TRH must have had some knowledge of what Amber was doing, but I cant see how this is good publicity - air guitars, princess comments etc

[GlitteringTiaras]

Maybe Mary is a fan of Guitar Hero... I wonder if she'll purchase the latest edition, Guitar Hero:Metallica for the family Xbox? (assuming the CPC has one)


Or, perhaps she's practicing for an Air Guitar competition in the future like this one:

YouTube - C. Diddy Air Guitar Nation Performance

[UserDane]

Originally Posted by Marengo

I can' t think this is especially good publicity for the couple, with quotes like 'Mary is quite the princess here' and Frederik playing his mondharmonica on stage.

Frederik's harmonica playing is no secret - Se videoerne: Frede gav den fuld gas til rockkoncert since his stage appareance with Led Zeppelin Jam last year.

[ashelen]

was the queen and her husband there at the party i did not see any photo of them

[BryanCornett]

I hope that Crown Prince Frederik had a good birthday. It would be cool if i could meet the Danish Royal family in person. I really look up to them.
they might know About the Canute/Cornett connection. it would be cool to have a conversation with them. And also i have alot of respect for the Danish Royal Family it would be really cool to meet them in person.

[Princess_Beatrix]

Why weren't there other Royals too? Like Willem Alexander and Maxima?
They also didn't attend the wedding of Marie and Joachim. Haven't they been invited?

[sjetajiem]

Originally Posted by Princess_Beatrix

Why weren't there other Royals too? Like Willem Alexander and Maxima?
They also didn't attend the wedding of Marie and Joachim. Haven't they been invited?

They had festivities around the 10th wedding-anniversary of cousin Maurits and Marilene last Saturday (31st).
The Spanish CPs had the annual diner before the day Dia de las Fuerzas Armadas (31st and 1st).

[Lumutqueen]

Danish Royal Watchers: Mary sang for Frederik
This is an article by DRW..about Mary singing for Frederik on his birthday.
It also gives a list of what the party did after the event at the Orangery.
x

[Viv]

Originally Posted by Princess_Beatrix

Why weren't there other Royals too? Like Willem Alexander and Maxima?
They also didn't attend the wedding of Marie and Joachim. Haven't they been invited?

Neither event was official! Apart from family and friends there were
no must-invites!

Perhaps the Dutch CPly couple were invited, but unable to attend? If so,
this is not normally made public by the royal court!

BTW I'm new! Looking forward to seeing you on the TRF-forum

Viv

[carlota]

mary's pink dress was lovely. it completely suits her. it's funny how mette-marit, victoria and carina chose very similar dresses! the cut, style and colour were very similar for them all.

not so sure about helle redtz outfit: maybe not very appropriate? caroline and tanya looked adorable, each one in their own style.

[Aotearoagal]

Originally Posted by missjane

While it is interesting to get an inside view of the party, I can't help thinking that this is slightly distasteful? Although i can hardly imagine that Amber just blabbed without Mary and Fredericks consent. Surely she would have checked with them if it was ok to do the interveiw?? I mean she is still staying in their house so they would have to have some knowledge of it surely. And maybe it is well constructed publicity for the CP couple?? I would love to hear what others think.

I doubt whether they OK'ed the interview ... mind you, Amber has to make a living, and she is after all a D-grade celebrity, not a princess! No doubt it was a condition of her getting time off from work ... and Frederik and Mary don't, I"m sure, make it their business to control Amber's professional life. I guess they trust her not to tell tales, and she's a very vivacious lassie ... and her radio pals were egging her on!

[Muhler]

In connection with Frederik turning 40, he was interviewed by TV2.

From my archive:

Billed Bladet #26, 2008-06-28.

Mary og børnene er mit livs mirakel – Mary and the children are the miracle of my life.

- This is an excerpt of the interview that lasted more than 30 minutes. Billed Bladet has edited out Frederik’s eeh, bah and qua’s and in some cases made his sentences more clear. I will do the same in a couple of cases.

Crown Prince Frederik has today a very happy life indeed, surrounded by the people he loves and whom he calls the miracle of his life. Mary and the children have turned Frederik into a grown man who rests within himself. To get married and become a father has created a Crown Prince who is fond of the life, he lives and the life that awaits him and his small family.
The Crown Prince Frederik showed clearly when he last Tuesday was interviewed by Jes Dorph-Pedersen on TV2. Crown Prince Frederik was more relaxed than (seen) for a long time and told straightforward and honestly about turning 40 (*), about his greying hair and about how he stays in shape. But first and foremost he talked about his two lovely children and about Mary.
Q: How has the children changed your life? Was Frederik asked and there was no hesitation in his voice when he replied:
- “They have changed it in every possible way. Before Christian arrived we had all sorts of considerations, we almost studied parenthood. But once he was born it was like a miracle. I think I have one and half meter (shelve-space) of child literature. You can read on a lot of it, but once you are in it you take up the challenge”.

Q: How will you describe yourself as a father?
- “Before I became a father I was a bit arrogant, I think and said: That’s how it’s going to be. But now when one stands with two lovely children in the arms, some modifications have happened. But there is one thing to which I have stayed true: To have time for the children”.

Both Prince Christian and Princess Isabella went with the CP couple on the summer cruise last week and even though the schedule was hard Frederik and Mary did find time to be with them. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary do indeed make an effort of being with their children.
- “We have put a lot of emphasis in having them at night with their baby alarms, so that we can hear if they are sad or not. We also have them in the morning and we eat breakfast together”, told Frederik to TV2, who also wanted to know what the CP couple do in order to give the children a normal life.
- “It’s obvious that I can’t help thinking about the little man who will become something great one day after me. For now he is fortunately a child, totally in the play-age and in that he naturally must be supported 100 percent. But the Crown Princess and I are very attentive about being with the children and support them. We can feel already now that we get a lot in return from them too”.

Q: You were ten years old when your mother told you that you one day would become king. Have you considered when and how Christian will be told that he is to become monarch and regent?
- “A little. I think that the more we bring him with us to official engagements the better it is. It will make it so natural for him as possible. When the day comes, when he asks why he has no last name and why people say like that, then we will confront him with it, in the best way”.

Jes Dorph-Pedersen’s next question was:
Q: What’s the funniest thing about having children?
- “Their perception. They take some powerful leaps in regards to learning and developing in the age they are in now. Especially Christian, who is talking away, is pretty impressive. He is very talkative. He has a fantastic memory and can recognise people. It’s delightful to see an innocent enthusiasm from an unspoiled boy”.

Q: Can you already now see what personalities your children have? Are they similar or different?
- “We are so fortunate that we have a boy and a girl and the Crown Princess and I can already see the differences between the genders, which is fantastically funny. We can be happy that they will benefit a lot from each other, they will become the support of each other”.

The differences in age between Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim are almost similar to the difference in age between Prince Christian and Princess Isabella. That’s why TV2 asked whether Frederik could recognise it in having two children who are basically of similar age.
- “I can recognise it on paper (in theory), but she is starting to irritate him and he can’t completely understand that she must have some time too. Seen in light of my own experiences with my brother, the Crown Princess and I will do everything in order for them to follow suit and become each other’s best supports and friends. That’s pretty important”.

No Danes are in doubt that a colossal change took place with Crown Prince Frederik when he met Mary and Frederik was during the interview asked what significance Mary has had in his life.
- “There can be said many good things about it and I’m daily reminded of it. The whole beginning, the coincidence that we during the Olympics. The whole of Sydney was buzzing with joy and enthusiasm. Then suddenly one stands there in the crowd and finds your chosen one. That it develops to where we are today, that is a lovely miracle”.

Q: What have you learned about Mary Donaldson after she came up here and became Crown Princess?
- “I have learned all sorts of things. What it means to be sweethearts, to be man and wife and to work together. It’s lovely to see a person who starts out so hard when she sets a goal for herself. She gets me dragged along to in those moments. She has had some ideas when she came to Denmark for our engagement, about what she could imagine herself, which areas she would be interested in as Crown Princess. She has carefully followed them (those visions) and it’s fantastic to see her engagement in the areas of the society, she is involved with”.

Q: How do you think the Danes have received her?
- “The Danes have received her fantastically well. With joy, curious and warmth. I also think that she has shown trust in the Danes by being interested and curious about the new land she has been given. I think she is doing it absolutely fantastic”.

Q: How is Crown Princess Mary as a mother?
- “She is a huge person with an enormous heart. She comes from a large family with many siblings and a strong (family) bond, that she has brought with her here to our family”.

Q: What picture should people have of you and the Crown Princess?
- “I see it like we are in constant development towards that we must do one day. For me it builds on the life-experience I gained in my younger years. That joy and experience enables that we can go among all in the society. It enables us to relax no matter whether we are on the street, to a rock concert, onboard Dannebrog, in Vollsmose or wherever we are”.

Q: You have said that you will not only want to be figures in a carriage. What do you mean by that?
- “We would like to sit in a chariot, but we can much more than that and we are already doing much more. The Crown Princess has in less than three years created her own foundation and she is very attentive about socially exposed and isolated groups in our society. I myself am a candidate for IOC that I believe is an opportunity for a modern crown prince. I also see the importance of keeping an eye on how our climate changes. That’s something that afflicts the whole society, our entire planet”.

And in a caption: “Mary has a different back ground and different past which is good for me in many ways”, told Crown Prince Frederik.

Edited by Annelise Weimann.

(*) As in getting semi-fossilised! Said by one who has turned forty myself.

It actually makes a lot of sense what Frederik said in the interview. The problem was that his speech pattern was so bad and distracting that the meaning was in many ways garbled.

The interviewer was Jes Dorph Pedersen, who in DK is almost synonymous with Mr. News. He is pro-DRF.

[Muhler]

The interviewer, Jes Dorph Pedersen was also interviewed and told about his impression from the interview.
Jes Dorph is very pro-DRF, but he is also a competent TV-anchor and eventhough he is a "Mr. Nice", I've seen him take several victims apart, when he want's to!

Billed Bladet #26, 2008-06-28.

Frederik er et godt menneske – Frederik is a good person.

He is used to interviewing the really big names like the PM for TV2 News without the slightest hint of nervousness. But it did affect Jes Dorph-Pedersen somewhat when he was to meet Crown Prince Frederik for an interview on Dannebrog.
- “I wouldn’t say I had butterflies in my stomach – more a tenseness. It’s something I only have in front of very few people. But I looked very much forward and knew that this would be a very special situation in my life. And when he came towards me to receive me I was like a small child waiting for Christmas Eve. But the Crown Prince is very disarming and was good in getting my shoulders back down again”, tells the well-known news presenter who visited Dannebrog for the first time.
- “I was already on the ship when the Crown Prince arrived. When he arrived he first greeted the crew (*) and than we went for a tour of the ship, while he told about the furnishing and the story of the ship. He was from the beginning enormously co-operative and also let himself be photographed with our entire crew afterwards without fuss. You may quote me for saying that he’s a good person. It was really cosy (hyggeligt)”.
Jes Dorph-Pedersen has previously interviewed the Crown Prince but even though they have met a number of times now, he was in no doubt that they were on formal “you” (De **)
- “I had in advanced agreed with myself and the court that we were on formal you (Des) with the Crown Prince. I feel better with that myself. I say informal you (du) to those I know well and who have a last name. Four years ago I actually said informal you (du) to him during an interview but this time I preferred to say formal you (De)”, says the TV2 host with a smile.
Altogether the visit on the ship lasted for two and a half hours and a good deal of time had been allocated for the interview, where the topics were about the subjects that are currently happening in the life of the Crown Prince.
It was big for Jes Dorph-Pedersen to get such a long interview with the future king of Denmark and he had thought thoroughly about how he should deal with it beforehand.

- “I have previously interviewed the Crown Prince at the Olympics down at the harbour. But that have brief interviews. And then there was a longer one for fitness week, which was only about fitness, which I made about two months after the wedding. My idea with this one was to have the big round conversation. I talked to various colleagues before the interview and read the new book about the Crown Prince; “Frederik – Kronprins af Danmark” by Gitte Redder and Karin Palshøj, (***) which is really good and very inspiring. For me it was a dream interview. I’m very pleased with the conversation. It’s at the same time a very clean/pure and simple interview, which isn’t rocket science. It’s about what the Danes want to know about their future king and the values he represents.
But Jes Dorph-Pedersen did not only have the pleasure of meeting the Crown Prince. He also managed to meet Mary and the children Christian and Isabella.
- “A funny detail was when we during the interview heard steps from children out on the deck. It Mary and their two children, who arrived. Frederik became inattentive for a moment. Afterwards they came to us and Frederik says to Christian who is very well mannered: - You must greet Jes Dorph”. And then the little boy reaches out with his hand. So I also got to say hello to the next generation in the DRF”, he says with a twinkle in the eye.

Written by Marianne Singer.

(*) Honnørkommandoet = The honour guard. – Should you get near the royal yacht Danneborg some day, you will see the ceremonial sentry (a “marinesoldat”) posted at the gangway, armed with a drawn cutlass. That ceremonial sentry is also posted there when guests arrive at Dannebrog, like at the various receptions in connection with the tour.
Danish navy personnel are called “marinere” = marines. Not to confused with marine infantry, which we no longer have. Civilian sailors are called: “sømænd/søfolk” = sailors.
The Danish Navy is officially called: “Søværnet”. But is more commonly and often somewhat affectionately (at least by those who have served there) known as: “Marinen”.

(**) Formal you = De, Dem, Deres = You, You, Yours.
When you are addressing with a formal you, you are “Des” with whoever it is.
Informal you = du, dig, din = you, you, yours.
When you are addressing with an informal you, you are “dus” with whoever it is.

(***) Well, have you been mailing the publisher for an English edition?

[kathl29]

Thank you Muhler for the great translation as always. I very much enjoy reading them.

[CrownPrincess5]

Thanks a bunch Muhler!
It was such a pleasure reading that.

Does Frederick have speech problems? Or is it that the Danish dialect is hard to pick up??

[windsorgirl]

Originally Posted by CrownPrincess5

Thanks a bunch Muhler!
It was such a pleasure reading that.

Does Frederick have speech problems? Or is it that the Danish dialect is hard to pick up??

Hi Crown Princess 5,

You will find a discussion of Frederik's speech issues based on Muhler's comment (#33) about half way down on this page:

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums...g-14778-2.html

Apparently, Frederik does have a difficult time speaking in public, evidenced by stumbling and mumbling even in Danish. (This is based on reports from Danish posters, not myself.) I do remember hearing him speak in Colorado a couple of years ago (in English, of course) and thought he looked uncomfortable and did not speak as well as a public figure should. Everybody can't do everything well, but he has many, many other qualities to make up for this!

[CrownPrincess5]

Originally Posted by windsorgirl

Hi Crown Princess 5,

You will find a discussion of Frederik's speech issues based on Muhler's comment (#33) about half way down on this page:

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums...g-14778-2.html

Apparently, Frederik does have a difficult time speaking in public, evidenced by stumbling and mumbling even in Danish. (This is based on reports from Danish posters, not myself.) I do remember hearing him speak in Colorado a couple of years ago (in English, of course) and thought he looked uncomfortable and did not speak as well as a public figure should. Everybody can't do everything well, but he has many, many other qualities to make up for this!

Thank you very much for the info