Crown Princess Mary and the Danish Home Guard: 2008 - 2023


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Yesterday, November 3rd, Crown Princess Mary has visited the Danish troops at the
Novo Selo camp in the northern part of Kosovo between Mitrovica and Pristina.

As usual as to security reasons the visit had not been announced any earlier.

** BB: Løjtnant Mary – kronprinsessen i Kosovo ** translation

It may not make a lot of sense if you put the comments to this article through a Google translation, but three of those who have commented are from the Home Guard platoon, Mary visited. - And they are delighted.

[DNF] Fotoarchief Denieuwsfoto
The seventh Home Guardman down the line in this pic is among those who commented. He is Frank Rønnow and he wrote: "Number 7 in the line. That's bloody (kicking) ass".

Ole Sanvig Knudsen (professional private) wrote: "I'm waiting for the group photo. If it turns up one day, it is me standing next to Mary.... no bunnyears (two fingers above head). That's something I after all couldn't do :)".

John Andersen (Home Guardsman): "Yes, it was very cool to meet her downhere and shake her hand. That's very defintely an experience"!
 
The new Home Guard magazine is out and there is an article about Mary visiting Kosovo: Untitled

As you know Mary visited the Home Guard platoon guarding a NATO camp in Kosovo on 3th November. With her went the heads of the Home Guard and the head of Army Operational Command.

33 years old private in a Home Guard company from Aalborg, Martin Elgaard Jacobsen tells us: "We had been told that some big whigs from the defence would come. But it was only just before 09.00, when my squad was to go on duty, that we were briefed that Crown Princess Mary would also come".

Mary got a tour of the camp and a thorough briefing by the German and French commanders of the soldiers in the camp. (*)

Mary spoke with all the Home Guardsmen. Martin Elgaard Jacobsen spoke with her for ten-fifteen minuttes: "It's the first time I've had the pleasure of meeting someone from the DRF. And I did shake a bit from being nervous beforehand. But she was very down to earth and very pleasant to talk with.
You can sense that she has a knowledge about the military. She's good at asking in-depth questions and she was very interested in what we are doing.
It's some of the best things that has happened to us. It gave (us) an adrenalin-kick. And the smile was still on peoples lips many days afterwards".

- Mary is as you know, lieutenant in the Army Home Guard and she is attached to the staff company in central Copenhagen. Lieutenant is normally the highest rank a volunteer in the Home Guard can rise to. The company commanders are captains and they are all from the regulars, as are all other officers above that rank.

(*) Denmark has now withdrawn the regular troops from Kosovo, but the Home Guard is in demand because of the experience it has gained from guarding camps in Afghanistan.
 
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It must be a great morale boost when any member of the royal family visit the troops so far away from home. I'm glad Mary was able to put smiles on so many faces.
 
In Billed Bladet #36, 2012, we are informed that Mary last week spend a whole day at Jægerkorpset (the army special forces) at their base in Aalborg.
With her was also Caroline Heering, who just like Mary is a lieutenant in the Army Home Guard.

Some of you may ask what a lieutenant in the Home Guard is doing with the special forces.
Well, it may be general information,
it may be a preparation for Mary and Caroline earning their jump wings. Parachute training in the armed forces in DK is under the direction of Jægerkorpset, and it was here Frederik earned his jump wings.
It may be a part of a course with specialist weapons and tactics, which I doubt. That would require a lot more training than I have the impression that Mary is having.
It may be an introduction for the Patrol Course 1. - Quite a few Home Guard members try to complete Patrol Courses 1 and 2. It is basically Long Range Reconnaicaince (spl?) Patrols. Mainly operating behind enemy lines. Patrol Course 1 alone requires a lot of physical stamina! Patrol Course 2 is worse.

I don't think she trying for a Combat Swimmer Course. That's under the Frogman Corps.

I guess we'll see.
 
Kongehuset has some lovely photos of Mary attending the Hjemmeværnets nytårskoncert ( Home Guard New Year concert ) yesterday.
The event was not listed.
Caroline was in attendance also.


Edited to add: Sorry, I think I posted this in the wrong thread. Thanks
 
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Kongehuset has some lovely photos of Mary attending the Hjemmeværnets nytårskoncert ( Home Guard New Year concert ) yesterday.
The event was not listed.
Caroline was in attendance also.

Thanks, marfre :flowers:

Mary looks really happy and pretty.

Here are the pictures
http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe...nytarskoncert/hjemmevarnets-nytarskoncert.img
http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe...tarskoncert/hjemmevarnets-nytarskoncert-2.img
http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe...tarskoncert/hjemmevarnets-nytarskoncert-3.img
http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe...tarskoncert/hjemmevarnets-nytarskoncert-4.img
The gallery:
Hjemmeværnets nytårskoncert - Kongehuset

I wonder why the event wasn't written in her calendar and how many informal/private arrangements Mary has.
 
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Thanks, Roskilde :flowers:

Let's have a closer look at your pics.

http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe...nytarskoncert/hjemmevarnets-nytarskoncert.img
Mary is here being recieved by a full colonel, who against the regulation is not wearing his beret outside. - A big no, no!
Mary is being accompanied by an adjutant. In this case the head of the staff of adjutants of QMII. He is also a full colonel. He is however from the regular army.

http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe...tarskoncert/hjemmevarnets-nytarskoncert-2.img
The man in the background is interesting. He's security. My guess is he is from the Police Home Guard.

http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe...tarskoncert/hjemmevarnets-nytarskoncert-3.img
Mary sitting next to the colonel from before and the head of the Home Guard, major general Finn Winkler.
Behind her sits Caroline Heering in her capacity as LiW. Caroline Heering could attend the concert anyway as she is also a second lieutenant in Army Home Guard, as is Mary.

IRRC Mary also attended the New Year concert in previous years.
 
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Is Frederik not part of the Home Guard too? does he not attend these events?

Nice pictures by the way
 
Is Frederik not part of the Home Guard too? does he not attend these events?

Nice pictures by the way

No, he is a regular, albeit in the reserves.
Anyway, Mary is de facto a patron of the Home Guard, so this is more her area, while Frederik I believe mainly deals with the regular armed forces.
 
H.K.H. Kronprinsesse Mary deltager i hjemmeværnsøvelse på Bornholm

As you may know from the DRF calendar Mary will from Thursday until Saturday evening take part in a Home Guard excersize on the island of Bornholm.
Bornholm belongs to the same Total Defence Region as Mary.

Around 500 members of the Army, Navy and Air Home Guard will take part in the excersize called Safe Sunshine. (Bornholm is also known as the Sunshine Island).
There will not be access for the press, but photos will be published late Friday on the DRF site as well as the Home Guard site.

- Mary is a member of a staff company, so we may not see her in full gear and with her rifle.
 
mary will only take part in the excersize friday 13 september :) i read that some place in the news
 
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:previous: Interesting. Since when has Mary become a first lieutenant?
Usually you don't go past second lieutenant in the Home Guard, unless you have attended an officers academy and Mary haven't had time for that.

So methinks there's a little mistake there.

Anyway, I notice there are also Americans present in the excersize.
Members of the Army Homeguard, who have been deployed at least once, recently took part in a major National Guard excersize in Colorado IIRC and for the first time. - That was a great success and now members of the National Guard have been to DK to attend a intructors course at the Home Guard School.
A logic thing to do since the Danish Home Guard has changed role within the past fifteen years from a territorial millitia to a role more akin to that of the British territorials and the US national Guard.

I also notice that the staff company that Mary is attached to in Copenhagen will not take part in Safe Sunshine, so we may presume we will see Mary more as a guests than a participant.
 
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Pictures of Mary during the home guard exercises on the DRF website

Hjemmeværnsøvelse på Bornholm - Kongehuset

Thank polyesco :flowers:
Great pictures, especially like this cool one http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe...-bornholm/hjemmevarnsovelse-pa-bornholm-5.img


Mary (and Caroline Heering, I think) arrived this noon around 11 am to Nexø, Bornholm. Here they participated in a harbor exercise.

Dukkede op i Nex:: Kronprinsesse Mary p hemmelig sejltur » tidende.dk
 
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And here are som very high res pics of Mary:

First during her shooting drill. Where she practice skills with her rifle.
It is mandatory for active members of the Home Guard to attend such live fire drills regularly: http://www2.hjv.dk/nyheder/Documents/Skydeoevelse2.jpg

Mary rapelling down a cliff. My guess is that this is why she went to the Army Special Forces some time back, along with Caroline Heering. Because Mary look a bit too confident to be a beginner at this: http://www2.hjv.dk/nyheder/Documents/Rappelling.jpg
And I have rarely seen a uniform that new. Wow!

And here Mary and Caroline are training harbour security: http://www2.hjv.dk/nyheder/Documents/Gummib%C3%A5d.jpg

I see both Mary and Caroline Heering have been promoted to lieutenants, which is a notch higher than second lieutenants, but lower than first lieutenants (who are always regulars).

Here is an article from the Home Guard: http://www2.hjv.dk/nyheder/Pages/HKHKronprinsessenharidagdeltagetiHjemmeværnsøvelsepåBornholm.aspx

The acting chief of Defence Region Zealand, lieutenant colonel Tonni Schumann says: "The Crown Princess manged all excersizes in fine style and we are very happy and proud that the Crown Princess with her participation show her acknowledgement of the many volunteers in the Home Guard.
With her commitment the Crown Princess contribute to raise awareness about the significant role the Home Guard has in the total defence".

ADDED.

A seven pic gallery from BT of Mary and Caroline on harbour security, presumably with the Navy Home Guard.
http://www.bt.dk/royale/se-billederne-mary-paa-hjemmevaerns-oevelse#slide-7
I see PET is following behind, looking distinctly civillian.
 
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Wow I had no idea that the Cr Prss went to Special Forces!! You think she did some training with them? Or just to watch them in action?
 
Wow I had no idea that the Cr Prss went to Special Forces!! You think she did some training with them? Or just to watch them in action?

Mary would have watched them in action before and probably later as well.

My guess is that she and Caroline Heering went there for a purpose.
My initial thought was that she was qualifying for her jumpwings, because that's handled by the army special forces. But she is not wearing any jumpwings and that would have required more visits and had she qualified it would have been all over the news by now.
So it may very well be possible that they went through a crash course in more advanced drill like rapelling - which isn't a part of the usual drill of a normal homeguardsman, simply because we don't have that many sheer cliff faces and mountains here in DK...

If you look at the picture of Mary rapelling (the HQ pic) there are two things that struck me.
A) Mary's uniform and boots looked like they come straight from the depot. So either she got kitted up on arrival to Bornholm, or if it's her own uniform, she has seen very little practical service in the Home Guard.

B) Mary has been doing rapelling before and enough times to ensure that she is confident, because there is not the least hint of apprehension or concentration in her eyes typical of someone who is a beginner at this.
That's why I think she has been rapelling down towering silos with the army special forces until she was blue in the face. It would be typical of Mary not just to accomplish a task but to excel.
 
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Thank you for that Muhler. The Cr Prss certainly knows how to rise to a challenge.
 
(...) cute pictures of Mary training with a military unit. Who knew camo was so becoming?
 
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Mary attended an art exhibition about the Home Guard today. The purpose being depicting and in that way putting focus on the tasks of the Home Guard: H.K.H. Kronprinsessen åbnede kunstudstilling

The fourteen painting for this exhibition was painted by Mathilde Fenger.

(DK members: Has she got any connection with Søs Fenger by any chance?)
 
:previous: Thanks Muhler, don't think Søs Fenger and Mathilde Fenger have any connection.
 
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Thanks, Roskilde :flowers:

It's a pity that the Home Guard no longer issue dress uniforms for their members.
Seeing Mary in the stylish Army Home Guard dress uniform would rival any dress. - And as usual I have to admit that the Navy Home Guard dress uniform for women was downright elegant! :cool:
But there is money to be saved by using the practical but not very stylish field/service uniform as a dress uniform as well, so...:sad:
A pity, because the first time back home on leave wearing the dress uniform, you can literally see your parents grow a couple of inches.

BTW, the officer seen accompanying Mary is the commander of the Home Guard. That is always a regular officer with the rank of major general.

Here are the actual paintings Mary looked at: http://www.hjv.dk/kunst/Sider/default.aspx
I don't know about art, but I know what I like.
And since it's better to be quiet than to say something negative I shall remain silent.
 
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what wold the Army Home Guard dress uniform look like?
 
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:previous: Like these regulars, except that Mary would instead wear the medium-green beret of the Army Home Guard.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zJuTUTWZUfM/VBKA2yVILdI/AAAAAAAAKcU/JliBR0YxIMc/s1600/1%2BTrappen%2BKROGH%2BR.jpg

And they are wearing the full dress uniform with medals and a sabre. On the dress uniform you don't wear sidearms and you wear your decorations as ribbons instead.

The navy dress uniform seen here is more stylish I'm sure you'll agree: http://forsvaret.dk/MST/PublishingI...de5s_edacbac8-48fc-4093-bcf7-8dd2515b8524.jpg
 
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