Danish Royal Family Books


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I think abdiction really isn't a serious topic in Denmark.:)

Thanks for the pictures, Iceflower. :flowers: The Queen looked very lovely.
 
The reason behind all the current articles on Margrethe abdicating is a new book which has been published, 'Royal Travels – Behind the Scenes with the Monarchy’. It claims Margrethe will abdicate next April 16th - her 70th birthday.

The last line of the Copenhagen Post article below is "A spokesperson from the Royal Court denied the book's claims, saying neither the Queen nor Prince Henrik has any intention of moving from Denmark." So, I'm gunna believe that. I doubt Margrethe will be wanting to become the first monarch in Danish history to abdicate the throne.

Queen could abdicate next year
http://politiken.dk/newsinenglish/article812884.ece
 
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BB has an article with a title of

Court: the queen is on the throne
The article does confirm that P.Henrik will spend more time on his wine farm in France but it says that it doesnt mean that the queen will be with him
Article in english
 
There just doesn't not seem to be a shred of truth to this. While it is interesting to talk about, it just doesn't seem that she believes in the concept of abdication. If that is true, then various life circumstances just don't matter - you are Queen for life. I don't see it happening.

Book claims Danish Queen to abdicate
 
Jyllandsposten's readers were surveyed about their attitudes toward whether or not it would be okay for Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik to retire:
jp.dk - Læserne: Lad regentparret rejse

According to the article, many readers thought that it would be perfectly fine if the monarch decided to retire. They said that even though it was a Danish tradition for the monarch to rule for life, they felt that the Dutch tradition of retirement was a good option. They stated that the Queen and Prince Henrik have done a great job, but that they deserve to have a relaxing retirement where they can travel and simply enjoy life.
 
I don't disagree that they should be able to do that if they want. I just think that there is no way that the Queen will do it. Unless there is some illness with Prince Henrik that we don't know about. I just see that she views her birthright as 'for life' that it isn't something you have the right to give up.
 
Buchwaldt/Rosvall - "Ingrid 1910-2000"

"A new Royal album from Rosvall Royal Books. Denmark's beloved Queen Ingrid would have celebrated het 100th birthday on March 28th 2010. A Princess of Sweden by birth and a descendant of Queen Victoria, she married the future King Frederik IX in 1953. This album has been put together with the help of her daughters, Queen Margarethe II and Princess Benedicte of Denmark with uniqie illustrations from their private albums. 96 pages, large format, 160 illustrations, in English and Danish".

http://www.hoogstraten.nl/theshop/product_info.php?products_id=426&osCsid=a5bd19bf6a901cd0d5d07c27f4060981

http://trondni.blogspot.com/2010/01/book-news-some-expected-books-in-2010.html
 
New book about prince Henrik:
Enegænger - portræt af en prins,
By Stephanie Surrugue
Editorial Saxo
 
Prince Henrik: A Portrait of a Loner - A biography.

A new and I believe interesting and illuminating biography of Prince Henrik is published today.
The book is written by Stephanie Surrugue, and is in the form of an interview and account from mainly Prince Henrik himself, but also those close to him.
The papers have for the past week written about the book and here is Billed Bladet's coverage.

Excerpts from two articles in Billed Bladet #35, 2010.
Written by Annelise Weimann.

Both articles are about the contributions by Queen Margrethe and Frederik in the new book.

QMII tells about how they met.
That happened in 1965 at a dinner party in London. Here the 25 year old Margrethe met the dashing 32 years old Henri, who was a sought after bachelor.
They were seated at the same table but he didn't impress Princes Margrethe that much.

Then they met a year later, in April 1966 and here Henri invited Margrethe out to dinner and in the words of QMII: "Suddenly the house caught fire, as far as I was concerned".
Henri courted Margrethe to the best of his abillities and said: "I must meet you again".
QMII says: "That evening I realised that I was madly in love with him. - He invited me for luncg. I had never before had lunch with anyone in that way - I was out alone with a man! And yes, this was the first date of my life. I remember that He picked me up in his open green sportscar...
I couldn't eat lunch at all, I was completely beside myself, I'd never experienced anything like it....".

She admits freely that she was a very inexperienced young woman: "Even though I was 26 at the time, I was still a so much a yearling in many ways. Both in regards to those of my age, but certainly also in regards to young girls today. But he had humour and he was sweet and he looked quite gorgeous and that din't harm either".

She also says: "I must now confess that I have never understood, how I could appeal to him - that is in comparison to what he was so much used to".

It was with anger in his eyes and voice that Frederik contributed to the book and he said among many things this about his father:

"He has really been buillied. Public bullying is one of the worst things that can happen..... I didn't think much about it when I was small. In later years I think it was very unfair. You cannot do anything else sometimes but to apologize for the Danish ignorance. It's a pity for him and embarassing for Denmark".

It was very much Prince Henrik who was in charge of the upbringing after Margrethe became Queen: "Thanks to my father, I've learned not to be dazzled by the trends and attitudes we generally have in Northern Europe - what my father will call the Anglo-Saxon world. He encouraged us to dare stand apart".

Prince Henrik demanded his sons should learn French to perfection: "I may not have said that in public before, but it's no secret that the older I get the more concious I am that half of me is French. If I should put a figure on that, I'd say I'm 75 % Danish and 25 % French. But these 25 % turn into 75 % when I'm in France or French speaking parts of the world....".

"When I look back on the childhood it hasn't just been really good but also funny and full of imagination - my father is fantastic at telling stories and used his wild imagination on his two boys as well".

At the silveranniversary in 1992 frederik said the famous words: "Papa, they say that you chastise the one you love. We never doubted your love".

To that he sighs: "Yes, really... I must say that I was hugely surprised how much attention a single passage got. You chastise the one you love is a common form of speech. I had written the speech with Joachim - certainly not to expose our father. He had already been exposed to what was almost a regime of terror by the media".

ADDED:

More about the book based on various newspaper articles:

From the excerpts I've seen in the papers we get a portriat of a man who, even for his age and time he was born, is pretty conservative and probably oldfashioned as well. He is certainly a product of his background and culture! He clearly percieves himself as the patriarch of the family in the traditional interpretation of the word.
Like most people, he is a multi-facetted man.

Some of the topics have been about:
His failure to be fully accepted by the Danish tribe. Language is so important!
I know he has an excellent understanding of the subleties of Danish. You would not be able to appreciate entertainers like Ørkenens Sønner = Sons of the Desert, without fully comprehending the nuances of Danish culture and language.
His spoken Danish is lousy. - And he has recieved a lot of heat because of that. Mostly in the 70's and early 80's I'd say where immigrants were not that common in DK. That he has a heavy accent is one thing, that would be considered charming if it wasn't because his mastery of Danish grammar is poor, when he talks. After 40 years in DK he should have weeded out all but the odd mistake and slip of the tounge that natives also make. Especially as he is supposed to be good at languages.
He probably is, as long as he doesn't have to speak.
Both Mary and our Marie have overtaken him in that respect, which again is used against him.

He is fully aware of some of the nasty rumours there are about him. I've never seen them here or in other boards however. That he also should be a wife-beater is however completely new to me!
Of course such rumours have hurt him.

He told with some pride about the (first?) time he bought a prostitute in Vietnam as a very young man, probably a teenager.
Mind you at the time it would have been seen as a perfectly acceptable thing to do. Chasing the young daughters of other French families was not just something you did. It could also be time consuming and unfortunate. - So a prostitute was a quick and simple option.

It's hardly a secret that he has a firm view on upbringing, something Frederik has commented on. And you may remember him saying to Felix: "You do not speak to grandpapa with chewing gum in your mouth"!
He openly favour spanking children if need be.

And like so many fathers he delighted in telling ghost stories and frightning his sons. In one case about a red-eyed ghost lurking under the stairs at Marselisborg Slot.

Frederik has contributed to the book as well and you are in no doubt that he feel hurt and angry when his father is getting some heat. Very understandable, it would be a sorry son, who didn't.
 
Fascinating, Muhler, thanks a lot! I'm dying to get my hands on this book, but I doubt it will ever be released in English or German ...

I wonder how well the book will do in sales? Even though you said Danish media has been covering it - is there actually much interest in the Danish public? I somehow doubt it, which is a shame, because he's certainly an intriguing person, and often misunderstood and/or underestimated! But then, I've always had a soft spot for Henrik (save the few times once and again that leave me sighing!)
 
You are welcome.

There has actually been a pretty good coverage of this book, there usually is when a member of the DRF speak out in a book.
All the major serious newspapers have written about the book, mainly Politiken, if you wish to dig up articles and do a Google.
In the next week or so the reviews will be printed, so there will be more focus on the book.
 
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Thanks, Muhler! The book sounds very interesting. I'd read an article online through Google Translate, and it sounded as though there were some extraordinarily open interviews.

I've always found Henrik a fascinating person. Somedays I'm a big fan, other days I could bash him over the head with one of his wine bottles. :D

I love the part about Margrethe and Henrik's early meetings - I'm sure she was very innocent and naive, especially compared to him. :whistling: But I can see how innocence itself could actually be very attractive - she sounds like she was actually rather cute.
 
I know how you feel, Maura724 :lol:

Summary of article in Billed Bladet #36. 2010.
Jeg har altid haft en svaghed for Prins Henrik - I've always had a weakness for Prince Henrik.
Written Annelise Weimann.

This is presumably the preface by the auther Stephanie Surrugue.
Who is 33 and half French herself.

It came as a bit of surprise to her that she ended up writing this book, but she some day found herself at Amalienborg at a meeting with Prince Henrik, arranged by her publishing house, Politikens Forlag.
She did not want a book based on interviews, she wanted free hands and she got it.
To her surprise she was never once told that a subject could not be discussed.

PH apparantly reminds Stephanie very much of her own father, who according to her playmates was very strickt in regards to bringing up children.
- "Many people believe that Frederik and Joachim had a strickt upbringing. But my sister and I were brought up in the same way..... My mates thought that my father was very strickt. We could risk a slap or two, so I can well understand the methods used by Prince Henrik".

After the first meeting at Amalienborg she got a mail inviting her to spend four days at Chateau Cayx.
She lived in a guesthouse and spend time at the chateau every day for twelve hours, being completely wasted when she returned due to the many impressions.
Alas, Henrik didn't have that much time for her, so the Queen stepped in and suggested an interview with herself.
- "It was worth gold for me. I saw the everyday life at the chateau and had lunch with the Regent Couple every single day. I did not speak that much with Prince Henrik, because he was busy but I spoke with his family and friends, because both the Queen and Prince Henrik are very hospitable indeed".

To her surprise QMII's LiW and adjutant are also dining with the Regent Couple, even if there are no other guests.
The topics were not simple chit chat.
- "It's intelligent chatting and I was wasted afterwards. You may talk about art in churches or ammunition of older times or wine production, heavy subjects and this is characteristic for this family".

She can however see how alien Henrik must sometimes have been in the eyes of the Danes.
- "He was used to living a life of the French upper class and (he) came from an entirely different world. His family had a huge position (in society in Vietnam) when he grew up. It was a Chatolic, very conservative extended family with an extremely strickt hierachy, even for the French".
She goes on to explain that French also differ from other French in the sense that he brought with him a cultural ballast based on Asian as well as French values.
She concludes her impression of Henrik: "He has humour and a lot of self-irony and he can easily laugh at himself. It surprised me how he is not snobbish at all, Prince Henrik is inetersted in people, not titles".

To her astonishment, Stephanie was invited to Joachim and Marie's wedding, because Henrik thought she should experience how they party in his family. As this happened while she was sriting the book, she sneaked a couple of times to the ladies room to take notes.
 
Thx for the summaries Muhler. The book sounds like a good read. Like him or not, one thing is for sure about Prince Henrik, he's an interesting character! :flowers:
 
Two short articles from TV2 Gossip about the new book Amalienborg, wher members of the DRF and other persons from the court and people around the DRF tell about the life behind the walls and the DRF in general.

Frederik kunne tale med mormor om alt - TV 2 Vip

http://vip.tv2.dk/article.php/id-35008570:prins-henrik-vi-er-luksussigøjnere.html

First Frederik who talks about his relationship to his mormor (grandmother) the late Queen Ingrid:

He admits freely that she was instrumental in getting him through the insecure period of his youth and made him face his future as an heir with a clear mind.

"I could go to her with other questions than to my parents and I remember that as a big priviledge".
"Beforehand you spoke about people of the older generation as the wise or the learned - they were people who posessed a particular form of being wise and wisdom of life. She possessed that in full, and she had the apperance as such, not just to me, but also to my cousins and probably also to my mother and her sisters, all the way to the end of her life".
"I will label her a master (teacher/sensei/meister), because a master is not someone who will agree with you in everything, but (is) someone who will turn your questions around and makes you think in way so that you yourself find the answer. That's a master out of the zen-buddist tradition".

(Frederik is, not for the first time, pretty challenging to translate). :p

Prince Henrik also has some thoughts, albeit in a different direction:

"We are basically gypsies, luxury-gypsies. We migrate. We don't one home. We have four, five, six homes, and we have that because we belong to the entire nation. That is not a new tradition - all European royal houses have done that".
"The changes means that one must be less preoccupied with the physical framework and focus more on the values and interest which one can bring you". - He adds that to him and QMII that is "their artistic minds".

- Sound like an interesting book!
 
Indeed :lol:
He does have a keen sense of humour.
The book: 10 years with Mary, is one I intend to buy and I will eventually post a review here.
 
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bibliophilia said:
...Iwonder how well the book will do in sales?
Click to expand...
Yes, it has become a bestseller and indeed it has improved Prince Henrik's standing in the eyes of the Danes, several observers have stated.
 
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Muhler said:
Yes, it has become a bestseller and indeed it has improved Prince Henrik's standing in the eyes of the Danes, several observers have stated.
Click to expand...


Muhler, would you know if this book has been, or will be, translated into any other languages besides Danish? One would think that a French version would be forthcoming, at least!:whistling::cool:
 
I haven't read it unfortunately. Too, ahem, fond of my money to go buy one.
I don't know if it will be published in other languages.

But if the publishing house recieve enough request, they may....
 
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Are there any in English for sale about anyone in the Danish royal family but especially on queen margarethe or the crown prince and princess of Denmark
 
Muhler said:
...The book: 10 years with Mary, is one I intend to buy and I will eventually post a review here.
Click to expand...
Muhler, has the book already been published, and have you read it?
 
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Kongehuset (danish royal yearbook)

does anyone has books of this section? I want to buy some.
 
I have recently acquired Ingrid by Roger Lundgren and it's highly recommendable. It features great anecdotes and memories about Queen Ingrid from Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; Princess Benedikte of Denmark; Queen Anne-Marie of Greece; Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark; Prince Joachim of Denmark; Princess Alexandra zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg; King Constantine II of Greece; Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, Princess Alexia of Greece; Prince Nikolaos of Greece; Alexandra, the Countess of Frederiksborg; Queen Silvia of Sweden; Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson; Count Carl-Johan and Countess Gunnila Bernadotte of Wisborg. I don't know if it's available in English, but I know it's available in both Danish and Swedish.
 
Archduchess Zelia said:
I have recently acquired Ingrid by Roger Lundgren and it's highly recommendable...I don't know if it's available in English, but I know it's available in both Danish and Swedish.
Click to expand...
Yes, Swedish and Danish editions only (apparently the latter has more photographs).
A good run-down of the book can be found on the Trond Norén Isaksen blog.

Ingrid: Prinsesse af Sverige, Dronning af Danmark
by Roger Lundgren, 2010
Translator: Julie Top-Nørgaard

v cover
Reproduced for promotional purposes
 

Attachments

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Christian III of Denmark by Jesse Russell and Ronald Cohn
Publication 2012
​
 
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I'm getting rid of lots of royal books for lack of space at home. In case someone is interested in these books, please contact me to speak better. Very cheap till this month.

imgbox - fast, simple image host
 
Regal Faces - A book about portraits from Christian IX to QMII.

The art historian Thyge Christian Fønss-Lundberg has written a book about DRF portrait paintings from Christian IX to Queen Margrethe.

With background info about the process and a number of anecdotes in connection with the sittings.
A number of the paintings haven't been known to the public before.
All in all 189 portraits have been covered in the book.

The book is so far only available in English.
And that is because no international book about portraits in the Glücksburg family line has been published before.

Here is a look into the book:
https://app.box.com/s/kebymr2i9tqgpkwzcvdzc9chh2xwg4x1
https://app.box.com/s/87gln6r08mr8vbh11him5s9he3nsq1gr
https://app.box.com/s/86h1oi13x01yr5bxejr6uq957ixjy4kp
https://app.box.com/s/nb5r6440okpsdbewz2gecu7fx67rp9eg
https://app.box.com/s/ewzwpb2k9t5sx64r5odz13w2thc0zzg7
https://app.box.com/s/6ifm9abtpibpa4c7txqpok4btmxokd4p
https://app.box.com/s/p6e8kwvfvhb8bfivesxfixez9i4rtzt4

The book can be purchased here: https://www.saxo.com/dk/regal-faces_thyge-christian-foenss-lundberg_indbundet_9788792750259
The cost is 298 DKK plus postage. - Hardcover.
ISBN is: 9788792750259

I don't know if it can be obtained cheaper elsewhere.
 
Kongernes Samlings - a bookstore under the Danish Royal family.

I found this interesting site called Kongernes Samling = The collection of Kings.

It contains books - and various souvenirs, seemingly sold under the administration that is running the various royal palaces, museums, exhibitions and what not affiliated to the Danish royal family.

The prices are very reasonable and presumably go only to cover the production and administration.

Try take a look in the section for books in English here:
https://shop.kongernessamling.dk/en/product-category/books/

And those in Danish here:
https://shop.kongernessamling.dk/produkt-kategori/boeger-da/

These books may be of interest to the hardcore follower of royalty and history.

The front page:
https://shop.kongernessamling.dk/en/
 
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