Queen Mary, Current Events Part 1: January 2024 -


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She looks wonderful. And yes, nice to learn more about Countess Danner. Great cause and poignant day as well on the UN International Day for Stopping Violence Against Women.
 
A most worthy case.
And women's rights, basic rights, like being allowed to decide to do with their own bodies, their own lives, is being pushed back these years.
Even the right to be a woman, is bizarrely under attack.
And women are still being abused with no social segment at all, being exempt, as we have learned recently.
And if you look at YouTube there are loads of incel-videos out there. (I use incel in the broadest possible definition.)
And what is even more absurd: So many attacks on women, in all kinds of ways, are perpetrated by other women.

I sometimes despair, but that's a luxury we cannot afford ourselves, we must not afford ourselves.

A rather depressing report from UN Facts and figures: Ending violence against women | UN Women – Headquarters
Figures for 2023:
Every ten minutes worldwide a woman or a girl is killed.
140 killed a day or 85.000 a year.
60 % of these killings are committed by the partner/spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend of the woman or a close relative.

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On another and more cheerful note. It was windy today but very balmy for this time of year! 15 degrees C no less, and even with the wind it didn't feel cold at all. In fact I was out in the garden this afternoon doing some work and didn't even zip up my jacket.
So even though Queen Mary was dressed for this time of year, she wouldn't have been cold.
 
I have mixed feelings about the Countess Danner memorial. I understand the inclusivity they were attempting to design this with — but wasn’t there any other way to draw attention to her work and beliefs without leaving the infamous shunned mistress as a faceless woman, still?

If her photo is not on an informational plaque somewhere, I think people will know a little more about what she did but not necessarily who she was.
 
Queen Mary presented the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s EliteForsk Awards 2025 today, February 25:


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 ** Pic 5 ** Pic 6 ** ppe gallery **






 
video of Mary's arrival

From the DRF

 
There appears to be a very clear facial resemblance between the minister and the flower-girl. A grandchild methinks.
 
Today, Queen Mary was due to attend the Danish Heart Association's 2025 awards ceremony at the Hotel d'Angleterre in Copenhagen.

However, the Queen has been forced to cancel her attendance at the event due to illness, according to the Royal Household.

"Her Majesty The Queen, like many others at this time, has been taken ill and is therefore unfortunately unable to attend the Heart Association Awards Ceremony", the Royal Household said.

Message from Queen Mary:
Thank you for your consideration. What a lovely surprise to receive this bouquet and designs, even though illness prevented me from attending the Heart Association's "Together for the Heart" event. I was looking forward to presenting the Heart Award with children Alma and Ellen and meeting some of the young people living with heart disease.

I hope we can meet another time.

As patron of the Danish Heart Association, I would like to congratulate the healthcare staff at Denmark’s three largest outpatient pediatric cardiac clinics on receiving the Cardiac Award 2025 – thank you to you and all those who make a difference in the field of heart disease every day.
 
What a lovely gesture that Queen Mary posted about the event even though she was unable to attend and posted the drawings! A very sweet message! Hopefully, a visit can be scheduled soon.
 
Queen Mary attended the opening of Realdania's conference "Our Quality of Life" in Copenhagen today, March 20:


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 **

** gettyimages: Queen Mary Of Denmark Participates In Realdania's Conference "Our Quality of Life" **





Her speech in Danish:


 
Queen Mary attended the opening of Realdania's conference "Our Quality of Life" in Copenhagen today, March 20:
And as you can tell the temperature today is a tropical 11degrees C.
 
A very good speech by Mary on the Quality of Life,
Would want to highlight this, we need more visions like this
"A good example is the upcoming Mary Elizabeths Hospital. Here, the vision is that life should be lived – even during illness.
The hospital is built so that the hospitalized children, adolescents and pregnant women, as well as their families, can maintain the life they know.
Quality of life is considered in the framework and design because it is considered part of the overall treatment.
Whether we are sick or healthy, we need other people in our lives."
 
Queen Mary inaugurated the round trip REGAN Vest-Stien in Skørping today, April 6:


** anp gallery **




 
More photos:
 
I've often been to Rebil, both the hills and the forest there. It's ideal hiking ground and very scenic and I should be very surprised if the royal family haven't hiked often in that area when they visit Trend.

Rebild is BTW also the only place outside USA where the 4th July is celebrated every year and has been so for more than 100 years now. Apart from a short pause in the 1940s.
The US ambassador usually attend the celebration where Americans living in or visiting DK also attend, as well as Danes who have an affiliation with USA or are just curious. I've been there once during my early childhood, so my memory is vague.
The trail to the place where the celebration takes place is lined with state flags: https://rebildfesten.dk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/MG_5418.jpg
The DRF occasionally attend the celebration: https://www.tv2nord.dk/img/asset/aW...jpg?w=1200&s=6d9109b81741dfc5e77bb1750859c98e
The actual celebration. It looks small, right?
It isn't:

But back to the hiking trail. A part of if goes along the small "valley" where the 4th July celebrations takes place. As you can tell from the photos posted there is plenty to look and listen to if you are fond of birds, or insects.
 
She looks great. Nice hike on a Sunday afternoon



Queen Mary out and about in nature with the community. She talks about how important being in nature is. She's always spoken about how she loves being out in nature.

Indeed she has. And part of her starting a "wild" garden in their home.

A few more photos from inside the bunker/tunnel

Interesting to learn about this
 
Very poignant visiting the Cold War bunker. This was just the kind of visit the Queen of Denmark should be making in these uncertain times - hiking with the people in beautiful surroundings in a historic place. Well done.

Thank you for the extra photos.
 
This evening, April 23, Queen Mary attended the 20th anniversary celebration of the Danish Science Day at the Nørrebro Theatre in Copenhagen:


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 **



 
Mary looks lovely.

Some photos from the DRF

 
On April 30 Queen Mary will attend the opening of the exhibition "Danner af Danmark" at Frederiksborg that will be open to the public from May 1 to November 16.

In connection with that the Palace released today that Mary has participated in the new exhibition's film:


On 1 May 2025, Frederiksborg will open the special exhibition “Danner of Denmark” about Countess Danner’s history and the interpretations of the Countess by posterity. Photo: The Royal House © In connection with the special exhibition, The Queen will appear in a new exhibition film, where The Queen will unfold Countess Danner’s life story through a series of the Countess’s personal and historical objects. The film tells the story of one of history’s most significant female figures, and the objects help to illustrate how Countess Danner’s history as a role model and norm breaker is closely intertwined with the history of Denmark. The Countess was born into the lowest strata of society in 1815 and ended up marrying Frederik VII’s left hand man. In the film, the Queen talks about Countess Danner's birth certificate, which is the first tangible sign of the Countess's poor origins - and about how the Countess, at the end of her life, gave her fortune back to the common people she had come from. The Queen also talks about the Countess's religious beliefs and the defamatory writings that document Countess Danner's role as a complex historical figure who divided the waters in her time, and whose legacy is still up for debate to this day. The special exhibition "Danner of Denmark" will be on display at Frederiksborg from 1 May to 16 November 2025.




High quality photos can be downloaded here:


 
What a lovely project to get involved with. Looks like Mary has an interest in history (as we have seen with her jewelry usage).
 
Queen Mary appears in exposé film about Countess Danner. The Royal House shared this video.
 
This afternoon, April 30, Queen Mary attended the opening of the mentioned exhibition "Danner af Danmark" at Frederiksborg:


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 **

** gettyimages: Queen Mary Of Denmark Participates In The Opening Of The Exhibition 'Danner Af Danmark' **





 
She looks wonderful. She gave a speech
(..)

More lovely pictures, wow!
 
As you can tell the weather is great today.

Countess Danner is a remarkable figure.
Much villified in her time, not because she was a golddigger, that does not seem to be the case, but for her background.
Then as now there is a lot of snobbery in regards to who marries into a royal family, from high as well as low-born.
The nobility looked down on her for being way below them in status, and now they more or less had to bow to her.
The lower classes looked down on her for being a usurper and for rising above her station, a clear case of the tall poppy syndrome.
And she did come from a very poor background and not even a respectable poor background. People can after all be poor, but still considered respectable, just look at H C Andersen and his mother.
And she was an actress! Basically only one step above being a prostitute. - And perhaps she was even forced to cross that line, who knows.
Whatever her background she and the King, clearly hit it off. Somehow they understood each other.
She would have been bright without necessarily being very intelligent and she tried to do good with what influence she had - and that's not the worst epitaph to have.

Coming from a very poor background with firsthand knowledge of abuse in all it's forms, desperate poverty and unhappy marriages and in a time in Danish history where women really had very few rights. Women's rights in the 1800s DK were worse than in medieval times in most aspects. And certainly worse than during Viking and pre-Viking times.
So she established what will forever be her most admirable legacy: An official, protected, shelter for abused women. The first of its kind in DK.
It didn't just come out of the blue, of course. And she wouldn't have been able to set up such a shelter on her own. Nor would such a shelter even have been accepted if there wasn't already a considerable focus on abuse of poor women at the time.
- Women of wealthier families usually relied on their families and friends and other connections if they ended up in an abusive marriage and that was hushed down by the involved families.
And of course the lowest class couldn't expect any understanding or help, they were in respectable papers at the time referred to as a "madamme" = bag/hag or a "fruentimmer" = a nag. Who basically deserved the life they had and it wouldn't hurt society if such a personage got a month on bread and water in the local gaol.

But there was a considerable focus on the plight of otherwise respectable working-class women who, often due to alcoholism, ended up with their husbands being abusive. And if was for such women this first shelter was created.
Here they could go and stay in safety with their small children. And perhaps get some support, both legal and otherwise. Pretty much as it is today.
Because at the time, and especially before this first shelter was build, a husband could law in hand demand his wife being handed over to him and then "correct her" once again at home.
That too was changing. We all know that women are irrational and often get hysterical and as such sometimes they need a loving but firm hand. But beating them to a pulp! That's over the top.

In a society and time when violence was not only much more common but also much more accepted this Countess Danner Foundation was by no means capable of even sheltering a fraction of the women who needed help, but it was a beginning and an inspiration. Because even though the view on women's rights and male dominance at the time was very different from now, many men, also very influential men, had experienced abusive marriages first hand. Some having seen their mothers being beaten up and they were supportive of this and future shelters.
There is IMO an unfortunate tendency to acknowledge that the struggle for women's rights were first and foremost championed by women, but in the background there were many men without whose support and influence that struggle would have been much more difficult. People, even men, back in the 1800s could be just as progressive, in their way, as today.

Example: My maternal great-grandfather, I think it must be, had a father who regularly caned his children. My great-grandfather who by any account was a kind man, promised never to strike his own (five) children. He did strike his only son once and immediately regretted it and gave the son 0.25 DKK, a considerable sum for a child back in the 1920s!

Anyway, I'm glad, but not surprised, to see that Queen Mary is supporting and honoring Countess Danner for her shelter.

Unfortunately these shelters are still needed today some 175 years later. Women are still being abused and even killed by their partners as we all know and children still witness their mother being beaten up.
However today, the majority of women seeking shelter are now immigrant women. And I choose to see that as a good thing. Both because they can find help and support but also because they know they can find help and support. That despite some, not all but enough, imans trying to maintain the old female-oppressive cultural pattern for the sake of the honor within the families.
 
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As you can tell the weather is great today.

Countess Danner is a remarkable figure.
Much villified in her time, not because she was a golddigger, that does not seem to be the case, but for her background.
Then as now there is a lot of snobbery in regards to who marries into a royal family, from high as well as low-born.
The nobility looked down on her for being way below her in status, and now they more or less had to bow to her.
The lower classes looked down on her for being a usurper and for rising above her station, a clear case of the tall poppy syndrome.
And she did come from a very poor background and not even a respectable poor background. People can after all be poor, but still considered respectable, just look at H C Andersen and his mother.
And she was an actress! Basically only one step above being a prostitute. - And perhaps she was even forced to cross that line, who knows.
Whatever her background she and the King, clearly hit it off. Somehow they understood each other.
She would have been bright without necessarily being very intelligent and she tried to do good with what influence she had - and that's not the worst epitaph to have.

Coming from a very poor background with firsthand knowledge of abuse in all it's forms, desperate poverty and unhappy marriages and in a time in Danish history where women really had very few rights. Women's rights in the 1800s DK were worse than in medieval times in most aspects. And certainly worse than during Viking and pre-Viking times.
So she established what will forever be her most admirable legacy: An official, protected, shelter for abused women. The first of its kind in DK.
It didn't just out of the blue, of course. And she wouldn't have been able to set up such a shelter on her own. Nor would such a shelter even have been accepted if there wasn't already a considerable focus on abuse of poor women at the time.
- Women of wealthier families usually relied on their families and friends and other connections if they ended up in an abusive marriage and that was hushed down by the involved families.
And of course the lowest class couldn't expect any understanding or help, they were in respectable papers at the time referred to as a "madamme" = bag/hag or a "fruentimmer" = nag. Who basically deserved the life they had and it wouldn't hurt society if such a personage got a month on bread and water in the local gaol.

But there was a considerable focus on the plight of otherwise respectable working-class women who, often due to alcoholism, ended up with their husbands being abusive. And if was for such women this first shelter was created.
Here they could go and stay in safety with their small children. And perhaps get some support, both legal and otherwise. Pretty much as it is today.
Because at the time, and especially before this first shelter was build, a husband could law in hand demand his wife being handed over to him and then "correct her" once again at home.
That too was changing. We all know that women are irrational and often get hysterical and as such sometimes they need a loving but firm hand. But beating them to a pulp! That's over the top.

In a society and time when violence was not only much more common but also much more accepted this Countess Danner Foundation was by no means capable of even sheltering a fraction of the women who needed help, but it was a beginning and an inspiration. Because even though the view on women's rights and male dominance at the time was very different from now, many men, also very influential men, had experienced abusive marriages first hand. Some having seen their mothers being beaten up and they were supportive of this and future shelters.
There is IMO an unfortunate tendency to acknowledge that the struggle for women's rights were first and foremost championed by women, but in the background there were many men without whose support and influence that struggle would have been much more difficult. People, even men, back in the 1800s could be just as progressive, in their way, as today.

Example: My maternal great-grandfather, I think it must be, had a father who regularly caned his children. My great-grandfather who by any account was a kind man, promised never to strike his own (five) children. He did strike his only son once and immediately regretted it and gave the son 0.25 DKK, a considerable sum for a child back in the 1920s!

Anyway, I'm glad, but not surprised, to see that Queen Mary supporting and honoring Countess Danner for her shelter.

Unfortunately these shelters are still needed today some 175 years later. Women are still being abused and even killed by their partners as we all know and children still witness their mother being beaten up.
However today, the majority of women seeking shelter are now immigrant women. And I choose to see that as a good thing. Both because they can find help and support but also because they know they can find help and support. That despite some, not all but enough, imans trying to maintain the old female-oppressive cultural pattern for the sake of the honor within the families.
Thank you Muhler for the in depth explanation. Always great to learn the history. It seems that Queen Mary has really taken an interest in Countess Danner and her story -which also is in the same lane as the work of The Mary Foundation. Good to know that Countess Danner was able to establish such a legacy, even with all the obstacles she faced given the snobbery, but she has the love and support of the King. - Sadly, in some royal families and circles and the outer society, that same snobbery and elitism still exists.
 
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