Summary of a number of articles in Billed Bladet #11, 2014.
Written by our New York correspondent, Ulrik Ulriksen.
It was busy days for Mary while in New York.
And here is a list of the main events she attended and the people she met.
A Danish-American dinner-party at the home of the Danish consul, Jarl Frijs-Madsen. Here she met and had a good chat with Chelsea Clinton, who is co-founder and works for the Chelsea Clinton Foundation. The aim is the improve a healthy lifestyle for young Americans, also on a global scale.
The two women have met before in Malaysia.
Mary attended the UN 58th Women's Assembly, which aims to improve the living conditions of women and girls globally.
She attended the opening, met the UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon, had a long chat with the head of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who is something of a heroine in her native South Africa.
Mary also gave the opening speech at the discussion Investing in Girls and Women: Everybody Wins.
I.e. better living conditions for women results in a marked improvement for the society as a whole. Mary's speech emphasized the importance of improving the positions of women in the Third World.
Later on Mary attended a working lunch along with the Danish delegation, which included the (in DK somewhat controversial) Minister for Equality and Integration, Manu Sareen, who tagged along.
Mary then attended the meeting Everyday Sexism and Hate Speech - What are the Consequences for Women's Empowerment and Equal Opportunities. And she took eagerly part in the debate.
Mary said afterwards: "It has been an incredibly fascinating and exciting day. I think it looks promising based from the results by the commission in regards to women's rights and focus on sexual an repreductive health and rights, but there is still a long way to go. I do however look forward to the continuing work".
In the evening Mary attended a gettogether at the private home of the Danish ambassador to UN, Ib Petersen. Located in a house on Fifth Avenue overlooking Central Park. And as Mary, who appropriately arrived last, posed for the press, she looked at the skyline over Central Park and remarked: "That sure is a beautiful sight and a beautiful background".
- It is of course debateble how much Mary really accomplishes by attending such meetings. My basic stand is and will always be that it's better to do something than doing nothing. I firmly believe Mary feels she is genuinely making a difference, i.e. she is not showing off.
I also feel that the international work she is doing uttilize her talents and abillities better and matures her for her future role a queen. She is to a large extent in a waiting position while at the same time she is at an age where her energy and skills peaks.
I think Mary, the Australian executive, would have backed down at the prospect of attending these meetings at this level. But Mary, the Crown Princess, is growing with her challenges. She is discovering her full potential.
In that way she is an inspiration, because very few people use their full potential during their entire lifetime.
If Mary, who fifteen years ago, worked in marketing and who is no superhuman, can now address and be heard at UN assemblies, what can you do?
I recogniced one of Mary's security detail as a female PET officer.
