Crown Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson, Current Events 1: September 2002 - May 2004

[Josefine]

I like the last picture

 

[hrhcp]

How does Mary occupy her time when the CP is busy with his engagements?

 

[Julia]

Good question. If she is going to become the crown princess of Denmark I would assume (of course one should never assume) that she is busy with Danish lessons, court etiquette, familiarizing herself with Danish policy and politics, international issues, etc...

Then again, she could be sitting around or shopping.

 

[hrhcp]

There is some suggestion that she is working for a subsidiary of Microsoft. I just wonder - given her idle-time hobbies and interests - if it is a full-time job, or if she is talking course 652 in court etiquitte on the side?

 

[Julia]

I wish I knew more, haakon2. Perhaps our Josefine can tell us!

 

[hrhcp]

That blue tie ... does the white form the letter "H", and if so, why?

 

[:Jay:]

The white looks like white n black penguins to me

 

[Josefine]

What do you say about this confirmation now many weeks after, is it official?

 

[Josefine]

www.billedbladet.dk

Tak for kaffe: Frederik skød papegøjen... -

Kronprins Frederik, prins Joachim og prins Henrik skød virkelig papegøjen, da far og sønner var til kongefugleskydning.
Legen går ud på at skyde en halvanden meter høj papegøje – lavet af egetræ – i stykker hurtigst muligt. Og Frederik var en anelse mere dygtig end Henrik og Joachim og de øvrige celebre gæster.
– Kronprinsen skød kronen ned og fik dermed en præmie, som var en sølvkaffekande og en sølvbakke, siger sekretær i Det Kongelige Kjøbenhavnske Skydeselskab og Danske Broderskab, Birthe Harboe.

 

[Josefine]

www.billedbladet.dk

Da Mary gik forbi: Jamen, er det ik? -


De besøgende på Café Ketchup i det indre København spærrede øjnene op en ekstra gang i mandags efter fyraften. Mens de sad og nød eftermiddagen hen over afslappende drinks, kom to smukke og elegante kvinder pludselig gående uden for vinduerne. De smilede og småsnakkede og lignede ethvert andet fortroligt venindepar.
Men: Flere af cafégæsterne kunne alligevel ikke få øjnene fra den ene af de to. »Jamen er det da ikke...?«, så flere af dem ud til at tænke, mens de stirrede videre. Og jo, den var god nok. Det var kronprins Frederiks kæreste, Mary Donaldson, som gik forbi sammen med veninden Birgitte Zachau.

 

[hrhcp]

It's nice to see that this crown prince also knows how to serve coffee (tea?)!

 

[George]

Amazing, isn't it? MC 's father is rumored to give $ dowery and if KC were on the
throne, many say that he would never have allowed that marriage to happen.
Others say, that KC only wants his sons to marry for $ women.
Yet here is Mary Donaldson, not even in the league $ as MC and the Miller Sisters
and she is getting close to marry CP Frederik of Denmark....




Unbelievable, isn't it, considering what the posters here on LTR mentioned
months ago about how she went into some bar where there were three
princes and tried for each till it took with CP F? wow. Unbelievable.

 

[anna]

Originally posted by George@Sep 20th, 2003 - 10:35 am
Unbelievable, isn't it, considering what the posters here on LTR mentioned months ago about how she went into some bar where there were three princes and tried for each till it took with CP F? wow. Unbelievable.

George, you are totally right - an unbelievable story - do not believe in it at all !

Beatrice Tarnawski has - to my knowledge - only given one interview about Mary Donaldson and Crown Prince Frederik - to the danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.

EB presented the interview in danish - after the journalist had translated from his notes of the english interview - he conducted in Australia.

On the rmbs some posters have presented LAUSY translations from that danish article to english again - full of faults !

Those posted """truths""" :hardhead: have since been around all the rmbs - presented as facts - of course

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

Crown Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson were both in a group of twelve - who dined a reserved table at the pizzaria Slip Inn, Sydney - saturday 16.september 2000.

http://www.ekstrabladet.dk/VisArtikel.iasp...p?PageID=182306

4. nov. 2002 : Og det var da selskabet forlod Slip Inn, at kronprinsen første gang lagde an på Mary, selvom hans græske fætter prins Nikolaos allerede var godt i gang med at bage på hende.

~ As the group left Slip Inn - Frederik made his first pass at Mary - despite his cousin Nikolaos was already chatting with her.

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

F&M walked along beside each other and talked intensively - on the group's long tour through Sydney's night life

- and the rest is history ...

 

[hrhcp]

Posted on Sep 18th, 2003 - 9:00 pm
There is some suggestion that she is working for a subsidiary of Microsoft.

I found this question has been answere in another forum ...

Mary Donaldson
Posted: Aug 9th, 2003 - 12:32 am
....she finished work at a Microsoft plant, north of Copenhagen .....
she graduated in law from the University of Tasmania

I wonder if etiquette was part of the curriculm, and if the Tasmanian Devil ever showed up?

 

[hrhcp]

Didn't I read somewhere on this MB that F. is teaching a course at the Defence College? That would certainly be enough to keep him out of sight.

Where M. is, is beyond me ....

 

[Alexandria]

Originally posted by haakon2@Sep 18th, 2003 - 9:00 pm
There is some suggestion that she is working for a subsidiary of Microsoft. I just wonder - given her idle-time hobbies and interests - if it is a full-time job, or if she is talking course 652 in court etiquitte on the side?

I certainly hope Mary is doing something with her time while in Denmark. A fully capable adult shouldn't be sitting around her apartment watching the telly and eating chocolates. Whether Mary is working part-time/full-time, perfecting her Danish, learning the rules of the Danish royal court or familiarizing herself with Danish culture and lifestyles, as long as she is doing something.

I remembered reading that Mary had taken a job at a company affiliated with Microsoft but that some time later she had to quit because there was so much public scrutiny on her. I hope that wasn't the case because if she marries Frederik there will be lots more pressure on Mary, from being a good crown princess, bearing children, her connection and relations with the Danish people and to the more trivial things like having good fashion sense.

 

[Josefine]

Polfoto 24-09-2003

www.aftenposten.no

www.expressen.se/

Mary Donaldson has resigned from her job at Microsoft. As of today, she does not work there anymore

 

[Josefine]

the crown prince of Denmark to be engaged on October 8 to Miss Mary Donaldson


Mary Donaldson has resigned from her job at Microsoft. As of today, she does not work there anymore

 

[samitude]

I think that is a beautiful photo of her. She's very pretty in this picture.

You know what? I think her mouth is what one would call heart-shaped. Do you all agree?

 

[Josefine]

www.bt.dk

Fejrede forlovelsen med krebsegilde

Iført hagesmæk og i selskab med rigelig mængder snaps og skaldyr fejrede Frederik og Mary deres forlovelse med vennerne på godset Maltesholm i Skåne.

I går blev Mary Donaldson gjort til virkelighed. Lidt i ni gik hun fra at være Kronprinsens skjulte kæreste til at være hans kommende kone. Fra nu af er hendes smil ikke længere hemmelighedsfuldt. Nu er det et rigtigt prinssese-smil.
Nyheden spredte sig hurtigt. Formiddagen var næsten ikke gået igang, før man kunne høre folk på gaden tale i mobiltelefon om det kommende bryllup. Et bryllup,...

...rigtig mange danskere går op i, som om de selv stod på gæstelisten.
»Nej, skal Frederik og Mary giftes. Hvor vildt,« sagde en ung kvinde, som var på vej ind i Netto. Hendes telefonsamtale fik flere andre til at stoppe op foran indgangen.

For Frederik og Marys vennekreds kom nyheden ikke i går. En stor del af dem havde fået den serveret allerede i den forgangne weekend under et stort krebsegilde i Sverige.

Iført hagesmæk og i selskab med rigelig mængder snaps og skaldyr fejrede Frederik og Mary deres forlovelse med vennerne på godset Maltesholm i Skåne.

Selvom en forlovelse er en højtidelig begivenhed, når man er kronprins, var krebsegildet i weekenden nu ikke tynget af en formel stemning, hvor et host er noget, man undskylder. Der var en rigtig fest med sange, som børnene helst ikke skal lære udenad.

Weekenden i Sverige samledes cirka 30 af de unge jetsettere omkring Frederik og Mary, og foruden krebsegildet stod programmet også på andejagt.

Lukkede munde

Frederik og Mary var uden tvivl meget taknemmelige for deres venner omkring bordet til krebsegildet. I de sidste tre år har deres munde været lukket med flere lag lynlås, når pressen har spurgt til Frederik og Marys forhold. Samtidig har mange af dem - især pigerne - taget imod Mary som rigtige veninder, da hun kom til Danmark og efterlod familien på den anden side af jorden - en flytur på 36 timer væk.

Nu er der ingen tvivl om, at Mary ikke flyver tilbage igen. Efter i går er hun en vigtig del af Danmark. Så vigtig, at hun måtte sige sit job op med øjeblikkelig virkning på Navision i Vedbæk.

Fra nu af er det slut med at leve et almindeligt liv.

Lige nu prøver Frederik og Mary dog at leve så almindeligt som muligt. De er rejst ud af landet og har gemt sig et hemmeligt sted, hvor de kan være sig selv. Når de om 14 dage, den 8. oktober forlover sig, bliver de nemlig meget, meget offentlige.

Det bliver uden tvivl 14 meget underlige dage for parret, indtil de forlover sig. Lige nu er de ikke bare kærester. De er heller ikke forlovede. De er en mærkelig mellemting, som er lidt svær at sætte ord på.

Der er da heller ikke kommet mange ord endnu om det kommende bryllup. Endnu ved vi ikke, hvornår vi skal sidde foran fjernsynet og se Mary gå op af kirkegulvet, mens tårerne presser sig på hjemme i stuerne.

Statsministeren hører til en af de få, der ved, hvornår Frederik giver Mary det ja, som vi så længe har ventet på.

Men foreløblig er det forlovelsen, der skal fejres. Og det skulle dagen i går også, hvor Mary og Frederiks kærlighed endelig blev officiel.

Frederiks svigerforældre Susan Moody og John Donaldsen fejrede med champagne:

Stolt stedmor

»Det er en lykkelig dag for Danmark, og så sandelig også en lykkelig dag for os,« sagde Susan Moody, som afsluttede hver sætning med begejstrede grin, da B.T. talte med hende i går.

»Frederik og Mary er sådan et godt par. De støtter hinanden, og så er de meget forelskede,« sagde Frederiks svigermor, der også kunne fortælle, hvad vi kan forvente os af vores kommende kronprinsesse.

»Mary er ekstremt intelligent. Hun har utrolig mange evner. Alt, hvad hun røre ved, gør hun godt. Og så er hun rigtig god til børn,« sagde Marys stolte stedmor.

Prins Henrik var ligeså stolt.

»Nu skal I sige tillykke,« sagde han og slog ud med armene lige efter meddelsen var blevet sendt ud. Han sejler lige nu kapsejlads i Cannes, men i går ville han helst snakke om det nye medlem i den kongelige familie.

»Jeg er meget glad på de unges vegne,« sagde han og så meget lettet ud ved tanken om, at hans 34-årige søn har fundet den eneste ene.

Det er der nok mange, der er.

they have been to sweden and been celebrateing the engagement with friends at a castle called Maltesholm owned by a friend

 

[Alexandria]

Is this a recent photo of Frederik and Mary? They look very happy in these pictures. Frederik is grinning ear to ear!

 

[Yennie]

No that isn´t recent.. I think it was taken last January in Tasmania...?

 

[hrhcp]

with their engagement celebration at that quaint chateau in sweden, on average, how long do think we will be waiting until some insider makes available or sells a few pictures?

 

[Alexandria]

Originally posted by haakon2@Sep 26th, 2003 - 12:10 pm
with their engagement celebration at that quaint chateau in sweden, on average, how long do think we will be waiting until some insider makes available or sells a few pictures?

I hope that wouldn't be that case. It sounds like they celebrated with good friends whom both Frederik and Mary are obviously close enough to want to share in the good news with. I hope that these friends would be trustworthy enough not to capitalize on such a special and private moment and celebration.

Certainly I think Frederik has lived long enough in the spotlight to be able to choose friends who wouldn't violate his carefully guarded privacy. I could see with Mary some people she may have grown up with or whom she doesn't count as very close friends who might try to capitalize on their shared history with Mary now that she will be the CP of Denmark. But I hope none of the friends they've chosen to share their engagement with would stab them in the back like that.

 

[Hope]

Mary's royal babies pledge
By Bruce Wilson in Copenhagen and agencies
September 26, 2003

TASMANIA'S princess-to-be Mary Donaldson will have to sign away rights to her children as part of her pre-marriage contract.


Mary's life will change dramatically.


Agreeing to her children remaining Danish and being brought up in the Royal family in the event of a break-up is only one of the major changes the future Queen Mary will find in her life.

Danish courtiers denied yesterday that her upcoming marriage to Prince Frederik would force her into a totally different way of life.

But she is already feeling the changes.

The official announcement of the engagement of the former Taroona High School girl to heir-to-the-throne Frederik has sent Denmark into a whirl of excitement.

It is believed Mary, 31, and the former playboy prince have escaped the spotlight by fleeing to Rome for a holiday.

But immediately after the engagement became public, Mary resigned from her job in marketing with Microsoft Denmark.

She will probably find the weight of royal engagements as future queen will prohibit her from pursuing any professional career.

Mary, who has already been learning to speak Danish, will also have to convert to Denmark's Lutheran Evangelical Church and give up her Australian passport.

And there will be an expectation of an early pregnancy since both Frederik and Mary are into their 30s.

Miss Donaldson was investigated - reportedly by the Danish Foreign Ministry - before she could become engaged to the prince.

"One has to be sure that things are done in an orderly and proper fashion," a Danish royal watcher said.

Claus Bjoern, a Copenhagen University historian who specialises in Danish royals, said Miss Donaldson's medical history had also likely been examined.

"There is no doubt that it has been investigated to see if she can deliver an heir," he said.

Their first-born son will become king even if they have a daughter first. However, if they have only girls, the first-born will become Queen.

Princess Mary will be expected to extend widely her charitable works and support of good causes that plain Miss Donaldson has not had to handle.

Miss Donaldson won't be the first commoner to become part of the Danish royal family.

In 1995, Frederik's brother, Prince Joachim, married British commoner Alexandra Christina Manley, of Hong Kong, now Princess Alexandra.

The Mercury

 

[hrhcp]

TASMANIA'S princess-to-be Mary Donaldson will have to sign away rights to her children as part of her pre-marriage contract.

What else is new? I suppose like Queen Sylvia she gets a pittance if it were to come to a divorce.

Mary, who has already been learning to speak Danish, will also have to convert to Denmark's Lutheran Evangelical Church and give up her Australian passport.

Just like Queen Sylvia had to join the Swedish Church, and Prince Henrik had to give up his French passport.

And there will be an expectation of an early pregnancy since both Frederik and Mary are into their 30s.

But they have Crown Prince Philippe of Belgium to thank for letting it happen after a full year had gone by.

Crown Princess Mary will be expected to extend widely her charitable works and support of good causes that plain Miss Donaldson has not had to handle.

And she will have reams of courtiers, lawyers and accountants, all courtesy of the taxpayers, who will give her the advice which she prudently will follow to the letter. Besides, she brings enormous prestige to the charities she chooses to represent ....

 

[moosey60]

Hmmm....they make it sound like she's signing her womb away.

 

[Alexandria]

Originally posted by haakon2@Sep 27th, 2003 - 8:47 pm
What else is new? I suppose like Queen Sylvia she gets a pittance if it were to come to a divorce.

But think of all she could earn on the talk circuit if that were the case as the "former" Queen of Sweden or divorced wife of the CP of Denmark. Former President Clinton can make as much as $1 million for every rubber chicken dinner he attends and makes a speech.

Look at the Sarah Ferguson. The Duchess of York title that follows her name has earned her numerous contracts with companies like Weight Watchers and a fine china company whose name escapes me at the moment, who want to capitalize on her (former?) fame.

 

[hrhcp]

Hmmm....they make it sound like she's signing her womb away.

What else is new? I suppose like Queen Sylvia she gets a pittance if it were to come to a divorce.

But think of all she could earn on the talk circuit if that were the case as the "former" Queen of Sweden or divorced wife of the CP of Denmark. Former President Clinton can make as much as $1 million for every rubber chicken dinner he attends and makes a speech.

Look at the Sarah Ferguson. The Duchess of York title that follows her name has earned her numerous contracts with companies like Weight Watchers and a fine china company whose name escapes me at the moment, who want to capitalize on her (former?) fame.

Yepp ... at the 'front end' its cold hard facts (womb 'signed' away). At the end, witness Princess Di and Sarah Ferguson, the fear of embarrassment and notoreity (and decency as a tribute to the governed masses ) compelled the palace to 'cough up' millions. It just would not be proper to not acknowledge the bearer of the womb.

What a convoluted world this is.

 

[Adrienna]

A $1195 lesson that made Mary queen of hearts
By Rachel Browne
September 28, 2003
The Sun-Herald

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Tasmanian-born Mary Donaldson and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark.

Related:
Her royal family and her palaces


The Danish people are ready to embrace Mary Donaldson as their queen but the question now is whether the former Sydney real estate agent is ready for royal life and all it entails.

When the royal family's Lord Chamberlain Ove Ullerup announced the betrothal of Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik, and Mary Donaldson last Wednesday, it signalled a momentous life change for the Tasmanian-born 31-year-old.

Of course, the transformation of Miss Donaldson was well under way before Denmark's Queen Margrethe gave her blessing to the union of her oldest son and the commoner, who hails from suburban Hobart.

Shortly after meeting the heir to one of Europe's oldest monarchies at the Sydney Olympics, Miss Donaldson hired Sydney style consultant and actor Teresa Page to give her a makeover that would boost her confidence and social graces.

The six-week, $1195 course was a sound investment for Miss Donaldson, who was working for Kings Cross real estate agency Belle Property at the time.

The following year, Prince Frederik invited her to move to Copenhagen to continue the relationship, which had sparked over a conversation about chest hair in the upmarket Sussex Street bar, the Slip Inn.

Her prospective mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe, advised Miss Donaldson to learn Danish, a notoriously difficult language, to win over the hearts of the Danish people.

After 18 months of study, Miss Donaldson's Danish was fluent, although she and Prince Frederik were still only permitted to step out together at private events as she was not officially part of the royal family while she held only girlfriend status.

The couple's engagement will be formally announced by the palace on October 8 and a wedding is tipped for April or May next year.

While some Danish royal commentators have speculated that the pair will wed at Easter, others point to May 24, the same date the Prince's beloved grandparents, King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid, of Sweden, were wed.

Miss Donaldson will spend the next six months preparing for her wedding, expected to take place at Copenhagen's splendid 16th-century Holmens Kirke, or Naval Church, as well as ironing out the details of her pre-nuptial contract.

Her first step towards matrimony was to resign from her job at Microsoft subsidiary Navison, where she was a project consultant in the business solutions division.

Becoming the latest member of a royal clan is a full-time occupation. Between fittings for her wedding gown, she will have to convert to Denmark's Lutheran Evangelical Church and, once married, will have to give up her Australian citizenship and passport under the terms of her pre-nuptial contract.
Mary Donaldson and Prince Fredrick at the 2002 Melbourne Cup. Photo: Danielle Smith



And if she and Prince Frederik are to divorce, she will be denied custody of any children from the marriage, who will be Danish citizens and will remain in Denmark.

The Danish public, who have enormous affection for their monarchy, are hoping for a royal baby early on in the marriage.

As Queen Margrethe's eldest son, 34-year-old Prince Frederik is next in line to the throne, which, upon his death or abdication, will be inherited by his first-born son.

Under the Danish Act of Succession, boys take automatic precedence over girls but, if there are only daughters from the union, the oldest girl will become queen.

The Danish royal family has undergone considerable modernisation over the past century. It was Frederik's grandfather, Frederik IX (reigning from 1947-1972), who accepted that the royal family had no real political power and he adapted the monarchy to the elected Government and its democratic ways.

As head of a constitutional monarchy, the ruler cannot perform political acts unless they have been countersigned by a cabinet minister from the Danish Parliament, the Folketing.

While the prime minister and foreign minister regularly report to the monarch to advise of the latest political developments, the ruler is not expected to have much involvement in politics.

When Miss Donaldson becomes queen, her main tasks will be to represent Denmark abroad and be a focus for the people at home.

According to the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this means plenty of public appearances.

"She represents the people by, for instance, accepting invitations to open exhibitions, attending anniversaries, inaugurating bridges.

"Exhibition openings abroad in connection with export campaigns are also often attended by royalty.

"In addition, the queen grants frequent public audiences, where citizens with a special reason can experience a few minutes alone with their country's queen."

Prince Frederik and his princess will be expected to attend ceremonial functions but they are nowhere near as extravagant as in days gone by.

Traditional displays of pomp and ceremony are reserved for special events such as royal weddings, important birthdays and anniversaries.

Compared with other European royals, the Danish royal house is fairly low key with a staff of about 140, who are paid from the queen's annuity, worth about 50 million Danish kroner ($11 million).

Even the Danish crown jewels are comparatively modest, comprising the crown, the sceptre, the orb, the sword of state and the ampulla as well as the collars of the Orders of the Elephant and the Danneborg. These are kept at Rosenborg Palace and are rarely worn in public.

It's a far cry from the jeans and T-shirts Miss Donaldson favoured only a few years ago when she was simply Mary of Bondi Junction.