General News about Frederik, Mary and Family Part 20: December 2023 -


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Muhler said:
Well, because new bosses tend to spend a lot of time at the office when they are taking over a company?
Because by keeping the abdication secret the then M&F couldn't plan for activities where they act in the capacity of a Regent Couple without risking to expose the whole thing?
Because they prioritize time spend with their children? Who may not even have been informed about the upcoming abdication until the last moment? It's after all also a big change for the children. In particular Christian but to an increasing degree also Isabella, who being the first princess for many years to turn eighteen was already very interesting. It's natural, I think, for children, and here I first and foremost think of Vincent and Josephine, to think: What about us? When both their parents are promoted into a new position that will entail a lot of traveling.
I wonder if Frederik looked back at his own teenage years and remembered what he felt with having absent parents. Perhaps they want to avoid that? - If that's the case then I think it's not only a good thing but also wise. It may help to avoid rebellious behavior or unfortunate behavior simply to get attention.
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I agree that the very short public lead-up time most likely means that during the first months a lot is happening behind the scenes. Had the announcement been made at the same time but the abdication only taken place for example at Margrethe's birthday, they would have been able to spend these months preparing to bringing everything up to speed before the change of thrones.

Luckily, unlike their Spanish counterparts, both of them have had an extensive agenda prior to the accession to the throne, so they were already well-known with the people.
 
What is wrong with prioritizing family? Is that not the mantra of other RFs these days? Let's not forget that this is a huge transition that requires alot of administrative work. Per King Frederik, he and Queen Mary intend to be much more involved in the day to day running of things - so just because we don't see them cutting a ribbon, unveiling a plaque or appearing to be "learning and listening" 3 times a day 5 days a week does not mean they are not working. Also, if anyone takes a look at the calendar for April, they already have "public" events listed...and moving on to May - in addition to daily events, they have back-to-back State Visits, officially boarding the royal yacht, the Royal Run, etc. Move on to June - a 4 day official visit to the Faroe Islands in the middle of the month and at the end of June into July a 10 day official visit to Greenland. Does not sound idle to me. Besides, IIRC their winter holiday was a week long and this Easter holiday is also just one week...it is not like everytime the kids are off school (other than summer) they take 3-4 weeks off. So, that is literally 14 days technically in relation to their kids' school holidays. It is not as excessive as it is made out to be in the full scheme of things.
 
Yep, work at the office is also work.
Otherwise you go and tell your boss that only business travels, meetings, visits to sites and associating clients constitute work and see what happens... :devilish:
It's early days yet in their hopefully long reign. Let's see how much work they've done in a year from now.
 
Personally I’ve never had the impression M&F have exerted themselves too much in terms of work so I’m not surprised they don’t seem to have done many public appearances. I’m usually very sceptical about “working hard behind the scenes” for any royal bar the Sovereign but given such a recent accession even I’d agree there could well be alot going on behind palace doors sorting the way things will work from now on out.
I will say IMO it seems they are throwing away some of the wide spread goodwill we saw when Frederik acceded to the throne on silly and unnecessary decisions - the rumours of Christian getting an official allowance when he is still studying, holidaying so often out of the country (which IMO is the bigger issue), and not announcing who is regent in the way that has become the norm (thus an apperance of trying to “sneak away”). I’m sure much of this will be forgotten once we see the new King and Queen back out on duty on their state visits to their Scandinavian neighbours.
 
I don't think Christian's apanage is 'a rumour'; it was announced before his 18th birthday and according to this post by Muhler, things have been set in motion to get the bills passed in parliament.

General Questions and Information about the Danish Royal Family

:previous: so Daisy picks who it is if she and Frederik are not available? Huh...interesting. :whistling:
www.theroyalforums.com www.theroyalforums.com
 
And the whole harping on that the calendar does not say who is regent/head of state - the Swedish calendar does not either - And I don't see the Norwegian one indicate it either.

and what good will are they losing? From who? BT? They are always crying about crisis this and crisis that. The trolls? Haters?
 
tommy100 said:
Personally I’ve never had the impression M&F have exerted themselves too much in terms of work so I’m not surprised they don’t seem to have done many public appearances. I’m usually very sceptical about “working hard behind the scenes” for any royal bar the Sovereign but given such a recent accession even I’d agree there could well be alot going on behind palace doors sorting the way things will work from now on out.
I will say IMO it seems they are throwing away some of the wide spread goodwill we saw when Frederik acceded to the throne on silly and unnecessary decisions - the rumours of Christian getting an official allowance when he is still studying, holidaying so often out of the country (which IMO is the bigger issue), and not announcing who is regent in the way that has become the norm (thus an apperance of trying to “sneak away”). I’m sure much of this will be forgotten once we see the new King and Queen back out on duty on their state visits to their Scandinavian neighbours.
Click to expand...

They've left the country twice. Twice. Because the kids were out of school. It's not like FX and QMary are jetting off to the Seychelles to work on their tans for a month. I'll reiterate what I said before; if QMargrethe hadn't abdicated when she did, and the kids' school holidays weren't bunched so close together, no one would be saying jack squat about the family going abroad for a few days.

Good grief.
 
Izzie said:
And the whole harping on that the calendar does not say who is regent/head of state - the Swedish calendar does not either - And I don't see the Norwegian one indicate it either.
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But on the danish calender it was until the change of throne. Why now suddenly change it
and in Norway and Sweden it is not the case that all the time someone has to remain at home to act as Regent. Event when attending Family celebrations like Weddings or funerals abroad.
 
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Somebody said:
I don't think Christian's apanage is 'a rumour'; it was announced before his 18th birthday and according to this post by Muhler, things have been set in motion to get the bills passed in parliament.

General Questions and Information about the Danish Royal Family

:previous: so Daisy picks who it is if she and Frederik are not available? Huh...interesting. :whistling:
www.theroyalforums.com www.theroyalforums.com
Click to expand...
If true, it would be a very unwise move for him to take it. It will only increase pressure on him to deliver something in return and put him even more in focus.
While other heirs have had the same right to have an apanage/salary (Amalia, Leonor) but turned it down, Christian would be expected to do the same or he will open himself to a lot of controversy.
 
I personally find the discussion a bit silly. Regardless if (and how long ahead) the abdication was planned or not does not change when Denmark has school holidays nor the fact that they can't get back their kid's teenage years in the future. You can only go on vacation with them for that many years before they want to go their own ways. There will be times they can spend less time with the kids in the future. And (as others pointed out) it is to expect that the King can fulfil most of his duties/stay informed/make decisions even if abroad.

I doubt if we had the transition in Sweden instead of Denmark, we would've seen something different from Victoria and Daniel.

Same for the discussion about posting in the calendar who is regent. Maybe it was a deliberate decision to take the change on the throne for this cut? Because to be honest, what advantage does it have? Everyone who actually needs to know who is the regent at the moment either knows who it is or knows who to ask (although for hopefully many years to come it mostly will be either Prince Christian or Queen Margrethe).
 
What would be the reason to no longer be transparent about who is carrying out the duties of head of state? The previous system worked fine and provided essential information about the functioning of the monarchy/state; I cannot come up with a good reason to quit that practice.

Their neighbors don't use a regency as often (because of different practices regarding being abroad) but if they do, it is announced.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
If true, it would be a very unwise move for him to take it. It will only increase pressure on him to deliver something in return and put him even more in focus.
While other heirs have had the same right to have an apanage/salary (Amalia, Leonor) but turned it down, Christian would be expected to do the same or he will open himself to a lot of controversy.
Click to expand...
That would depend on what role they envision for him.
Perhaps they will give him a more active role early on. Or he will get more on the job training with his parents. Or he feel he is ready for some challenges. - Personally I doubt that. He is joining the military in August or September and as I expect him to get a basic officer course he will be pretty busy for the next two years!
So there won't be much extra time for him to perform royal duties.
However the article I quoted clearly said that the arrangement was that Christian would get an apanage once he had finished - some unspecified studies - or when he became Crown Prince. He is Crown Prince now... - So the terms, so to speak, have been met.
So whether he gets an official apanage now or whether he gets an allowance from the apanage his parents get (which will have to increase accordingly) hardly makes a big difference.
So yes, people can complain that Christian is getting an apanage. But Christian can retort by saying: I ain't lifting a finger without pay!
So unless you (as in general you. (You English speakers really need more words for you)) believe people should work for free, Christian would be justified for not lifting a finger.
Somebody said:
What would be the reason to no longer be transparent about who is carrying out the duties of head of state? The previous system worked fine and provided essential information about the functioning of the monarchy/state; I cannot come up with a good reason to quit that practice.

Their neighbors don't use a regency as often (because of different practices regarding being abroad) but if they do, it is announced.
Click to expand...
I have no idea!
In fact I think it's positively silly not to mention it. I may be a little oldfashioned but I'd like to know who is running the country at any given moment. - Otherwise I get confused. And worried. The Swede might suddenly invade us! In fact that's why we have the system of Regent and Rigsforstander in the first place. It's a just-in-case thing.
And as it only requires an entry into the online calendar, it's hardly that big a burden on the PR office, I should imagine.
 
To me it would make sense if he receives a somewhat smaller apanage that can be revised once he is done with his studies and takes up more of a full-time role. However, in the mean time he is already acting as regent whenever his father is abroad and his is not, so, as I've stated before, in that way his role is slightly different than that of his contemporaries.
 
I see no issues with Christian getting his apanage, he is the Crown Prince now, and I really don't think the Danes are all that bothered. I personally never understood why the Dutch/Belgian/etc. felt the need to so vocally delay their apanage. It came across as theater to me. Though they may be students, or in the military, they can still use the apanage to set up their staff and start exploring/planning their roles. They can also use it to build up reserves for future expenses and charity. Monarchy is hereditary, once you assume a role, an apanage seems only correct.
 
"The Swede might suddenly invade us"- nit yet 1st of April Muhler :lol: but you are right IMO , too. Don't know why they changed it . Did anybody ask the court about the matter?
God påske!
 
Stefan said:
But on the danish calender it was until the change of throne. Why now suddenly change it
and in Norway and Sweden it is not the case that all the time someone has to remain at home to act as Regent. Event when attending Family celebrations like Weddings or funerals abroad.
Click to expand...
In Norway it is only Haakon who can act as regent, and in the calendar it is clearly listed when he is, like now it says the crown prince REGENT for his events. And as he has events almost every Weekday there is not much to speculate about, but in Norway the regent really only needs to be available every friday for state council, And they go to great length to always be there, that is why king Harald forinstance arrived late to Frederiks wedding, he attended state council and the arrived just for the ceremony. And for CG 50th anniversary Haakon skipped the first day to attend state council on friday.
 
"At Easter, the royal couple headed to the Swiss Alps, where they enjoyed snow and skiing in idyllic and extravagant Verbier.
The ski holiday is the couple's second since the change of throne on January 14. In February, the Royal Couple also went on a skiing holiday.
In the new SE og HØR, which hits the streets on Thursday, you can see all the new photos from the Royal Couple's exclusive vacation."

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Turns out someone, likely Mary, didn't head off until much later, so the DRF Comms team allowed the media to report misinformation until the flags over the Palace caught them out.
 
Why Mary? Christian is 18 and maybe had other plans. I think he and Frederik can't travel (fly) together. Who knows.

Let see if other pap photos come out but from the cover, Frederik and Mary were spotted in the Alps.
 
Frederik and Christian definitely can't fly together. Same as the President and Vice-President can't be on the same plane. Maybe Mary had some last-minute work to finish and told her family to go on ahead, she'd meet them there?
 
I don’t think it is an issue if Mary followed after for whatever reason but the lack of clarity from the Royal Palace about it is the issue. Changing how something has been done for years (and a change that makes the RF less transparent) was always going to raise comment.
 
tommy100 said:
I don’t think it is an issue if Mary followed after for whatever reason but the lack of clarity from the Royal Palace about it is the issue. Changing how something has been done for years (and a change that makes the RF less transparent) was always going to raise comment.
Click to expand...
agree 100%. the lack of transparency is baffling, why not tell the public who the regent is anymore, as it has been done for many years? especially after Fred getting caught in Madrid one wonders if the reason is trying to conceal who is or isnt in the country.
 
Well now the "speculations" are going off the rails. Shocker! Especially with the usual suspect tabloids needing something to deflect.

how about this...they tried something a different way. They got feedback that some were obviously pearl clutching and needed this spelled out in basic. They said fine...we will go back to the way it has been done. Period. End of story. It really isn't that complicated, sinister or manipulative. People are acting like they committed a felony or treading into outlandish speculation territory. No one is hiding or deliberately trying to mislead anyone.

BTW, it is normal for when a transition happens to try new ways of doing things...some work and some don't. Simple as that.
 
So a Danish tabloid, has pictures of Frederik and Mary at the Alps over the Easter holidays.
www.seoghoer.dk

Ugens SE og HØR

SE og HØR er på gaden med endnu et fantastisk blad fyldt med de bedste historier lige til at rive ned fra hylden - og nu til halv pris!
www.seoghoer.dk www.seoghoer.dk

this agency, has pictures of the family at the Alps (I dont have a subscription so you can't see all the pictures), but from the first one, we can see Mary and Isabella.

I think we can expect more pap pictures to appear. No need for endless speculation. They have a right to quiet family time.
 
They decided to go from being completely transparent to obsucring/hiding this essential information. I still cannot come up with any reasonable rationale to do so. This is not about "they need to spell everything out" but about providing the most basic of information: who is officially running the country.

Had they found a different but equally transparent way to communicate this, there wouldn't have been an issue. The problem is with the complete removal and initially dodging any questions and pretending the problem was with the media for not doing their job of hunting down information that the court was not willing to provide clearly and in time.

Nonetheless, I am glad that they learned from this mistake. Hopefully they take that lesson along with them and will favor transparency over secrecy in the future.
 
Somebody said:
They decided to go from being completely transparent to obsucring/hiding this essential information. I still cannot come up with any reasonable rationale to do so. This is not about "they need to spell everything out" but about providing the most basic of information: who is officially running the country.

Had they found a different but equally transparent way to communicate this, there wouldn't have been an issue. The problem is with the complete removal and initially dodging any questions and pretending the problem was with the media for not doing their job of hunting down information that the court was not willing to provide clearly and in time.

Nonetheless, I am glad that they learned from this mistake. Hopefully they take that lesson along with them and will favor transparency over secrecy in the future.
Click to expand...
yes - it seems like they were willing and aware enough to realize that their change while good in theory maybe did not work out in implementation. Instead of digging in their heels and digging a bigger hole (like other RFs may do) they just shift gears and corrected course. No harm - no foul - no endless months of speculation, misinformation festering or wild theories (speculations are already out of hand).....moving on.
 
I would say some harm has been done, as its made people question why it was even considered in the first place. It certainly makes me wonder about how competent the Palace comms team is and why they thought of changing the system that was already in place. What was the need?

Yes it is good they saw it was a disastrous mistake and dropped it quickly, but why where they making such a disastrous mistake in the first place?
 
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