Prince Christian's 18th birthday, October 15, 2023

[LadyFinn]

Victoria with the laurel wreath tiara and that beautiful beige gown.

Both IA and M-M in icy blue, with the pearl circle and daisy bandeau respectively.

Victoria is wearing the Elie Saab gown she had for the first time at the Nobel Prize ceremony in 2010.
https://imgix.billedbladet.dk/2023-...op=faces,entropy&ar=1050:750&fill=blur&w=1900

Gallery of the royal guests
Galleri_ Alle de kongelige gallagæster til prins Christians fest _ BILLED-BLADET

 

[W.Y.CII]

I think IA is wearing the pearl earrings from CP Martha as well.

Victoria is wearing the Elie Saab gown she has for the first time at the Nobel Prize ceremony in 2010.
https://imgix.billedbladet.dk/2023-...op=faces,entropy&ar=1050:750&fill=blur&w=1900

Thanks. That's a beautiful gown and I'm always waiting her to rewear it

Josephine is wearing a jumpsuit I don't expect that.

 

[Frelinghighness]

Oh no, the poor queen has been standing this whole time

 

[Muhler]

What happens now is that the guests will greet the DRF, so much more catwalk.

They are expect to start dining around 18.00.

No tiaras if you are under eighteen.

----------------

If you paid attention to the honor guard outside, you'd noticed they carry assault rifles.
The problem with assault rifles is that they are pretty short, hence the reason why many ceremonial guards carry older bolt action rifles - like we saw in Spain recently, the Mauser.
These older rifles are easier to handle when doing ceremonial drill and they look better.
And until fairly recently the Royal Lifeguard carried a special version of the standard assault rifle with a longer butt stock, to make things easier.
However it has been decided to keep things simple, so that the poor conscripts won't have to learn how to use two different rifles. But if you are a tall guardsman doing drill with a short assault rifle, it does make things look less smooth.

 

[Archduchess Zelia]

Josephine in a pantsuit! And Isabella wearing a little hair piece I'm pretty sure I've seen Mary in before.

 

[Frelinghighness]

I hope the queen is not expected to stand in the whole time

Will they be broadcasting that? Everyone meeting the DRF?

 

[theroyalfly]

Looks like the Duchess of Brabant is wearing the Wolfer’s tiara! Amazing dress

 

[Stefan]

Josephine in a pantsuit! And Isabella wearing a little hair piece I'm pretty sure I've seen Mary in before.

Looks like an ears-of-wheat like the have it in the british RF.

 

[JGio]

Crown Prince Pavlos as Head of The Royal House of Greece has now been awarded the Order of the Elephant, so I guess Marie-Chantal wore her Greek sash the opposite way to suit his sash and be photo-friendly.

 

[Adda]

Mary in her wedding tiara, meh.

 

[Muhler]

Will they be broadcasting that? Everyone meeting the DRF?

Yes, all of them. Royals and down.

That's expected to take at least half an hour.

 

[W.Y.CII]

Crown Prince Pavlos as Head of The Royal House of Greece has now been awarded the Order of the Elephant, so I guess Marie-Chantal wore her Greek sash the opposite way to suit his sash and be photo-friendly.

Pavlos always has the OoE though, and M-C wore what it should be in the past.

P&M-C in F&M's wedding in 2004
https://www.alamy.com/prince-pavlos...sfield-klein-zabulonabaca-image402164038.html

and I don't think it's okay to wear an order wrongly just for photo-friendly purpose...?

 

[theroyalfly]

Mary in her wedding tiara, meh.

Disappointing

 

[Muhler]

The greeting session has started.

 

[Hans-Rickard]

Crown Prince Pavlos as Head of The Royal House of Greece has now been awarded the Order of the Elephant, so I guess Marie-Chantal wore her Greek sash the opposite way to suit his sash and be photo-friendly.

Pavlos was conferred the Order of the Elephant on 14:th January 1997

 

[Lipe]

I remember that Prince Pavlos has worn the Order of the Elephant since 1995, when he married, Queen Margrete gave the Order of the Elephant to him.This is not the order of his father's elephant.

 

[JGio]

I don't think it's okay to wear an order wrongly just for photo-friendly purpose...?

Agree. But I would expect it from her. I was also ironic.

I didn’t like most tiaras this time. I’m totally underwhelmed by Mary, Victoria, and Marie, nice to see Elisabeth in a new tiara though I think the color of the dress is a bit meh. I also miss a brooch, which her family can lend her easily.
Very nice Amalia and I-A. Mette-Marit looks classy as well though I’d like a different tiara sometimes.
Marie-Chantal is too nightgown-ish and that tiara with that loose updo looks tired as well. But love the tiara very much.

I expected more royals, to be honest. But its all good.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Is it the 18-year-old municipal representatives who have been greeting the Queen, Crown Prince Couple and Prince Christian just now?

If so, why are they arranged in male-female pairs? (Was there a rule of one man and one woman per municipality or is it a rule of court protocol?)

Looks like the Duchess of Brabant is wearing the Wolfer’s tiara! Amazing dress

Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant.

Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant | The Belgian Monarchy

 

[theroyalfly]

Agree. But I would expect it from her. I was also ironic.

I didn’t like most tiaras this time. I’m totally underwhelmed by Mary, Victoria, and Marie, nice to see Elisabeth in a new tiara though I think the color of the dress is a bit meh. I also miss a brooch, which her family can lend her easily.
Very nice Amalia and I-A. Mette-Marit looks classy as well though I’d like a different tiara sometimes.
Marie-Chantal is too nightgown-ish and that tiara with that loose updo looks tired as well. But love the tiara very much.

I expected more royals, to be honest. But its all good.

Agree. Nothing quite stunned me like Elisabeth. The others were meh

 

[Muhler]

Is it the 18-year-old municipal representatives who have been greeting the Queen, Crown Prince Couple and Prince Christian just how?

If so, why are they arranged in male-female pairs?




Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant.

Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant | The Belgian Monarchy

Because most municipalities selected a male and a female to represent it.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Because most municipalities selected a male and a female to represent it.

Interesting, even those which used lotteries? Or were those the minority?

 

[Stefan]

Mary in her wedding tiara, meh.

Indeed. She could have at last it in the setting with the pearls.
And Margrethe again in the Pearl-poiree tiara. But at last with the pearls from the Crown jewels this time.

I was a bit surprised not to see Mary's father and stepmother attending. Are they not in good health? And where do the live now?

 

[Muhler]

Interesting, even those which used lotteries? Or were those the minority?

Yes, because it's pretty simple to have a lottery for every girl and every boy and voila, you got a pair.
A very few municipalities opted for a totally random lottery.

The young will be divided among the tables and there will be a LiW or an adjutant to help and be a support. - Standard practice because it happens very often that people are to a gala for the first time.

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When the greetings are over, the DRF will clean their hands and then the processions will start.
First the foreign royals, then the DRF members and finally QMII and Christian.

 

[doro]

Early, Mary wore her Connaught Sapphire Brooch

Now Daisy is greeting the guests

 

[Archduchess Zelia]

The royals are seated with the young people! That's so neat!

Christian is seated between QMII and Ingrid Alexandra!

 

[Stefan]

Ingrid Alexandra is seating near Christian. And Count Felix is Table partner of Princess Elisabeth

 

[W.Y.CII]

Ingrid Alexandra sitting with QMII and Christian at the head table! That's a surprising arrangement but somehow makes sense though.

Josephine sitting with father and Victoria.

 

[JR76]

So representatives from Sydslesvig were included anyway?

 

[Adda]

Soo, the foreign royals were sat with these totally random teenagers? Ingrid, a second in line is with the Queen but Crown Princesses Elisabeth and Amalia aren't. If things are going to be arranged due to blood bonds then the Scandinavians should remain in their own bubble, the Benelux royals should do the same.

This gala is not what I expected, sadly.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Here is the guestlist: https://www.kongehuset.dk/nyheder/gaesteliste-2

Slow but sometimes works.

Here's the list (only included the royal related part):
Den kongelige familie
Hendes Majestæt Dronningen
Hans Kongelige Højhed Kronprinsen
Hendes Kongelige Højhed Kronprinsessen
Hans Kongelige Højhed Prins Christian
Hendes Kongelige Højhed Prinsesse Isabella
Hans Kongelige Højhed Prins Vincent
Hendes Kongelige Højhed Prinsesse Josephine
Hans Kongelige Højhed Prins Joachim
Hendes Kongelige Højhed Prinsesse Marie
Hans Excellence Greve Felix af Monpezat
Hans Excellence Greve Henrik af Monpezat
Hendes Excellence Komtesse Athena af Monpezat
Hendes Kongelige Højhed Prinsesse Benedikte
Hendes Majestæt Dronning Anne-Marie

It is interesting and rather odd that the HE Count(esse)s of Monpezat apparently continue to outrank HRH Princess Benedikte, working member of the Royal House.

Yes, because it's pretty simple to have a lottery for every girl and every boy and voila, you got a pair.
A very few municipalities opted for a totally random lottery.

The young will be divided among the tables and there will be a LiW or an adjutant to help and be a support. - Standard practice because it happens very often that people are to a gala for the first time.

Thank you for the explanation! I wondered whether the Danish court was practicing strict male-female alternation as the Swedish court does with its seating arrangements. (As for the gender-divided lotteries, the pedant in me wonders about the municipal hopefuls who are non-binary, but realistically I suppose they would have just entered one lottery or the other.)