Queen Margrethe II, Current Events Part 3: September 2023 -


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iceflower

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Welcome to Part 3 of the thread for the current events of Queen Margrethe II!

You can find the old thread here:

** Queen Margrethe II, Current Events Part 2: June 2020 - August 2023
**

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Yes, and those who constitute the honor guard are conscripts, or more correctly volunteer conscripts, because most conscripts to the Civil Defense, just like the military are volunteers.

It has traditionally been a trademark of the Civil Defense to not look "military". That included not wearing caps unless for practical reasons and not looking too neat.
The reason being that beforehand - in my youth actually - those who served in the Civil Defense were conscientious objectors, people who resented authority and/or long haired hippies who smoked pot and discussed Karl Marx at every opportunity and whose efficiency in an emergency was only marginally better than frightened pigs.
That was a little unfair though, some if not most did take their training pretty seriously and first aid, basic firefighting, rubble clearing, digging people out of rubble, decontamination and so on are not the most useless skills to learn. And many conscripts signed up as volunteers after their service.
In fact when I joined the Home Guard later on, one of our tasks were to protect the Civil Defense units should the whole thing go nuclear and later on it emerged that the whole was indeed intended to go nuclear right from the start.
We were supposed to protect them because there would be very little police left. The army - or what was left of it - would be in northern Germany. And the Civil Defense were supposed to hand out what food and drink was available as well as clearing people out of the rubble. Well, after a few days people would be so desperate they would do anything to get food and water and the Civil Defense were only issued truncheons for self defense.
Also only people buried in the outskirts of the orange zones would be helped. It was also our job to protect the Civil Defense units from desperate people wanting them to help loved one buried further inside the orange zones. (It was impossible to even consider helping anyone still alive in the red zones, near the blast centers.) Not that it really made that much difference anyway, most of us would have gone down with radiation sickness within two weeks anyway. The NBC suits and decontamination facilities were hopelessly inadequate.
The whole thing was organized in the same manner as the British Civil Defense. With the whole country being divided into regions, with regional centers in bunkers (in the region where I was stationed that bunker was located under a school in the outskirts of Aarhus, where I lived back then.) run by people who literally had dictatorial powers. Including the death penalty. They were of course held accountable to whatever democratic government that would emerge after the war. Well...
The whole thing was very well organized. Zones for mass burials had been selected - with due concern for the water level, to avoid contamination as far as possible. That was also the task of the Civil Defense. To dig those graves.

But back then the most common task of the Civil Defense was actually to fill sandbags along the West Coast of Jutland whenever there was a flood. That happened quite often, the dykes weren't as well-build as today.

Nowadays, things have changed quite a lot!
The conscripts are much more serious and motivated and certainly better trained. they are also more proud of their service and not afraid to show that they are members of an disciplined organization. And they are much more respected now.
Today, they are often called out to major fires, where their powerful equipment as well as trained manpower is a great help. But also to major ecological accidents where their heavy equipment again is a great help. And in recent years to pump away water after rainfall, because heavy rain is orders of magnitudes more common and worse than I recall from my childhood and youth - and I'm after all not that old! So the climate is changing. I've lived to see it.
Civil Defense units (mostly the relatively few professionals) are also send abroad to disasters.

But back to QMII.

Presenting a new colour to a unit is traditionally something the commander-in-chief, that's QMII, presents.
That includes hammering in three nails. These nails are: One for the Monarch, one for Denmark and one for the unit - in this the Zealand Brigade of the Civil Defense.
The old colour is either placed in a place of honor, say in a mess hall, an auditorium or such place or it is disposed of.
And disposal of a colour follow the same rules as for disposing of a Dannebrog.
According to the Flag Law, a Danneborg must always be folded neatly before placed on a clean fire and then burned. If you are a in the military you will stand to attention while the Dannebrog is burning.
Foreign flags are to be disposed in the same manner - it is a criminal offense to dispose of a flag, be it foreign or a Dannebrog, in a less respectful way.

A Danish colour, be it military or otherwise (that includes say a sports association in a village, who will also have a colour), is almost always a Dannebrog with some sort of inscription.

We are pretty obsessed with our flag here in DK! Comes after having the same flag since 1219, I suppose.
Sorry American members, but you are amateurs in comparison to us when it comes to using and respecting the flag. You will find it absolutely everywhere here. And the rules about using Dannebrog are very detailed. The Americans often being singled out as very flag-waving.
(I once wrote about them somewhere else here on TRF.)
 
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Queen Margrethe received new ambassadors from Chile, Iceland, Pakistan, Switzerland and Bosnia-Herzegovina at Fredensborg Castle this morning, September 22:


** instagram gallery **
 
Queen Margrethe attended the official opening of the new extension at CLAY ceramics museum in Middelfart this afternoon, October 7:


** instagram gallery **
 
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Queen Margrethe attended a memorial ceremony on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the rescue of the Danish Jews in October 1943 at Gilleleje Church in Gilleleje today, October 9:


** tt.se gallery **
 
Queen Margrethe received the ambassadors from Djibouti, Ecuador, South Sudan, Gambia and New Zealand yesterday, October 10:


** kongehuset: Ambassadørmodtagelse den 10. oktober 2023 **


She received the incoming and outgoing battalion commanders of the 3rd Battalion of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment at Christian IX's Palace, Amalienborg

and in the evening she was present at the Research Evening at the National Museum in Copenhagen:


** instagram gallery **


** BB article: Modtaget for fuld musik af lurblæsere: Dronning Margrethe fik helt særligt spørgsmål i aftenregnen **


Today, October 11, Queen Margrethe received the Prime Minister of South Korea H.E. Han Duck-soo at Christian IX's Palace, Amalienborg:


** instagram post **


Later she handed out the Queen Ingrid's Research Award at Christian IX's Palace:


** kongehuset: Dronning Ingrids Forskerpris 2023 **


And in the evening Margrethe attended a concert on the occasion of the completion of the restoration of Fredensborg Castle Church's organ at Fredensborg Castle Church:


** kongehuset: Genåbningskoncert i Fredensborg Slotskirke **
 
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Not often we see the queen with a Papal Nuncio!

Julio Murat is the current Papal Nuncio to Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Finland and Norway
 
She seems to do everything and to leave nothing for Crown Prince Frederick to do.
 
Frederik seems to have plenty of his own activities to do
 
Susan D said:
She seems to do everything and to leave nothing for Crown Prince Frederick to do.
Click to expand...

yesterday he visiting the DTU Science Park. "This is where the Crown Prince met participating companies in this year's Danish Tech Challenge, where 20 hardware startups are testing their businesses while getting help to develop. The companies that the Crown Prince met are currently working on solutions for everything from sensor technology in swimsuits to 3D printing in nano size."
https://www.facebook.com/detdanskekongehus/posts/pfbid0eE7oYvjVmJB9Lu6b6MnDm9CxcPTPvyyZ3Z5s2Qjff9gVBxATbFKaaRukWFq4Y86ml

He does so throughout the year in connection with the Danish Tech challenge.
 
:flowers:

Most deserved, because alcoholism is a major problem in Greenland!
With quite a lot of homes simply falling apart because one or both parents is an alcoholic. (I understand that Greenlanders who are genetically related to Indianere (all Native Americans) have a lower tolerance in regards to alcohol than Europeans. Please correct me if I'm wrong.)
Anyway, the result is that children and young in such homes suffer and that goes from neglect to sexual and violent abuse often resulting in the children also becoming alcoholics.
The Greenlandic politicians and to a great extent the local press as well have certainly had a tendency to turn a blind eye to the problem, so at some point Danish politicians openly called for Denmark to take over handling the social issues in Greenland, overruling the Home Rule.

One problem is of course that the population of Greenland is only around 65.000 - of which about 10 % are "foreign". i.e. Danes or South East Asians. That's the size of an average Danish municipality.
The Greenlandic elite is very small and they pretty much all know each other and the majority are concentrated in the capital of Nuuk, a town of some 16.000.
A major problem for Greenland is lack of talent. I.e. skilled specialists and administrators, not least since most can get a better paid job with more opportunities in Denmark.
The population of Greenland is basically well below the critical mass for the native population to manage itself in all vital areas. (I have read that the critical mass today, given the complexities of running a modern society, is around 300.000.)
 
Queen Margrethe hosted three reception to welcome newly appointed officers from the Army and Air Force and corps masters from the Emergency Management Agency at the Hall of Knights in Christian IX's Palace at Amalienborg today, December 18:


** instagram gallery **
 
https://www.kongehuset.dk/en/news/read-hm-the-queens-new-year-address-2023

https://www.kongehuset.dk/nyheder/laes-h-m-dronningens-nytaarstale-2023

Queen Margrethe II went beyond calling for respect and closeness in general terms and also specifically expressed sorrow at the resurgence of antisemitism in her own country and called for remembering the humanity of both Jews and Palestinians in Denmark in her last New Year's address to the nation (along with expressing compassion for victims of terrorism against civilians in Israel and victims of war in the Middle East and Ukraine as well as their family members and refugees in Denmark). A sensitive last act of care for her citizens, especially Danish Jews who perhaps could feel less isolated listening to it. The reminiscence of the late King Christian X's actions also seems like an appropriately historical touch to end her own reign.

[...]
Some years stand out clearly in our minds because we associate them with specific events.

We remember the year 1943 for the Rescue of the Danish Jews. It was 80 years ago in October.

What are we to do when innocent people are attacked?

We must do what the Danish population did then. Ordinary citizens helped their fellow human beings quite spontaneously. They alerted their neighbour, hid a colleague, and brought families to safety in Sweden. The vast majority of Danish Jews succeeded in escaping from the Nazi genocide.

At the time when Denmark was occupied, my grandfather, Christian X, expressed the attitude of the people: “Jews were and are esteemed citizens of Danish society”. When we know each other, we are also able to empathise with each other’s fate. Compassion and helpfulness will then follow as a matter of course.

The year we are taking leave of tonight – 2023 – will be remembered for the horrible terrorist attack on civilians in Israel. It is incomprehensible.

Also the war in the wake of the attack is horrible. There are no winners, only losers. Women and children have not opted for the war themselves, but they are paying the price. Innocent people are the first victims. Not only in the Middle East far from here, but also in Denmark.

The war makes antisemitism spread again. It is tragic and shameful.

Tonight, I wish to make a clear and unequivocal call for all of us in Denmark to treat each other with respect.

We must approach each other more closely, not distance ourselves from each other. We must remember that we are all human beings. This applies to Jews as well as Palestinians.

Both Jews and Palestinians in Denmark get anxious when the phone rings. Is it bad news about the family?

The Ukrainian refugees experience the same fear.

The year 2022 will always be associated with the attack on Ukraine. This year, the war has continued with the same intensity and with huge losses of human life. Even though attention is directed at the Middle East right now, the Ukrainians’ fight for freedom must not be forgotten.
[...]
Click to expand...
 
As you can expect there is a lot about QMII these days and the two main channels in DK are going together about airing a show in tribute to QMII Friday evening. Well, I won't be watching that. I suspect it (as usual) will be toe-curlingly over the top.

But BT has compiled a list of 83 trivia about QMII and I'm going to write about some of them:
https://www.bt.dk/royale/heste-fobi-og-trump-afvisning-83-ting-du-ikke-vidste-om-dronning-margrethe
#1 - She was 12 before she saw a black person in real life.
#3 - QMII weighed 3.300 grams at birth.
#5 - She met Elvis Presley in 1960 and was not impressed! "I thought he was dreadful."
#13 - QMII and PH almost drowned during their honeymoon in Turkey in 1967, when an undercurrent took them. They had to swim for their lives. (Many make the mistake of swimming against the current, obviously they didn't.)
#16 - QMII's two first pets were two canaries, whom she named hr and fru = mr and mrs.
#17 - She learned to speak early and by age 2 she was - what do you call it? Proficient? Fluent? Accomplished? You get what I mean.
She loved difficult words and learned the names of all the flowers in her mother's flower-garden.
#19 - Frederik was delivered by C-section after nine hours of labor. Joachim wasn't.
#21 - In 1994 QMII underwent surgery for cancer in the womb and had her womb and ovaries removed.
#24 - QMII is (or perhaps was) 182 cm, Frederik is 183 cm and Joachim is 188 cm.
#33 - in 2023 there were 2.197 Danes named Margrethe and 263 named Daisy.
#37 - Before being asked out by PH, QMII had never been on a date before.
#43 - He favorite ballet is Napoli (Naples).
#45 - Her favorite bird is the raven.
#52 - She is very fond of the color blue. It started when she was little and got a blue toilet seat. (Presumably as a kind of advanced potty-training.)
#53 - In 1980 while QMII was flying on a military plane to the island of Bornholm and flew across Sweden, someone goofed and two Swedish fighters were scrambled to force her plane down. The misunderstanding was soon cleared and she flew on.
#54 - Her favorite cigarette brand is Karelia, which is very strong.
#59 - She rode until she was 14-15 years old, then all of a sudden it scared her and for no apparent reason. So she stopped.
#64 - She hates minigolf. "I actually couldn't think of anything worse."
#65&66 - She was very sensitive as a child and prone to crying at the drop of a hat. It wasn't until she was 12-13-14 years old he was able to watch a movie to the end with out crying her head off. The slightest drama scared her.
#67 - She has no TV in her living room at Fredensborg, if she want's to watch TV it's wheeled into the room.
#68 - No jungle safari with PH for her! She doesn't like creepy crawly things.
#69 - In 1991 when visiting president George Bush, she declined meeting a Donald Trump.
#70 - When she turned 18 she was presented with a parrot, which she named Nina Frederiksen. (Some of you may recall the duo Nina and Frederik.)
#71 - QMII has never said no comments to a journalist.
#74 - QMII never carry cash. Her LiW carry cash for the odd payment. (Paying in cash or even obtaining cash is a becoming a serious problem here in DK! I can't even remember the last time I had cash on me. It's at least a year.)
#75 - QMII is a great fan of a trio called the Nattergale, who made a 24 episode Christmas calendar that has become legendary. She and her close friend Susanne Heering can spend hours speaking Jutlish with each other = a mix of Jutlandic dialect and English. (See video at the end of this post.)
#79 - QMII still save the love-letters from PH that he wrote some 50 years ago.
#82 - QMII does not watch The Crown! "I've know the family so well that it would annoy me to no end seeing the saying things they would never say or speak in a way I don't think they would speak.

And for those who a curious about how Jutlish sounds and get an idea what QMII and Susanne Heering are up to when they goof around, here is a merry video.
 
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