Under Way. - Queen Margrethe tells her story from 1940-1972

[Muhler]

Undervejs by Tom Buk-Sweinty.
Published in 2021, by Politikens publishing House.
Some 450 pages.
ISBN #978-87-400-6150-5

Under Way, a first person portrait of QMII.

As mentioned in other posts, this book is a must-read for anyone remotely interested in QMII. Nothing less.
This book consist of more than 400 pages, based on 37 hours of conversation between QMII and the author. The end result has been one long transcript with QMII telling her story – and no one else.
Normally I summarize a text and translate the odd quote. That is simply not possible with a book that is basically one long 400 page quote, that really deserves to be translated in full. Because it’s so full of details and nuances and verbal quirks, that says a lot about QMII and is most enjoyable to read. Unfortunately no summary can do that justice.
QMII has a very brilliant memory for details and she is a storyteller per excellence.
And while there are a number of overall topics in the book, there are also many detours from the topics, that often deserves a mentioning in their own right.
So I have decided to approach the book in a different matter and see how that works.
Instead of writing a summary and translate, I will start out by dividing the book into topics, persons and events. That I think enables me to cover as much ground as possible, while conveying as much information as possible.
As such this “summary” is very condensed but with possibility for more detailed elaborations or translations depending on questions from you, the readers.
I have consistently used the final titles of the persons. QMII is Queen Margrethe, even in relations to periods when she was only a princess. That’s to try and make things less confusing.

Part one.

This is my attempt.
It is far from complete, but this is how I will approach the book.

Let me know what you think. ?

If this works, I'll continue.
If it doesn't I'll have to do some rethinking and find a new approach.

First are the scans to photos in the first part of the book.
Later on the text will be scanned as well.

The draft I have begun and which is posted here, will also be updated in this text-file, which you can view and download for your personal use.
As always, you are free to download and upload the scans elsewhere as I don't have the copyrights.
The text however, is my intellectual property and I hope you will have the courtesy to at least mention me, if you quote or upload it elsewhere.

The scans first:
https://app.box.com/s/gtlguzjrh2to031lql1fl8r3it4vuilf

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Topics in part one.
Presenting herself and her family.
Talking about the various family members, mainly those whom her father remembered.
Childhood.
The Occupation.
The Liberation 1945.

 

[Prinsara]

I'm glad to see the summaries getting underway!
I think you mean her mormor was (now famously) called Daisy. Surely Queen Ingrid wasn’t?

 

[Heavs]

Thank you, Muhler, very interesting.

 

[Muhler]

Persons mentioned.
Gorm the Old.
She was present when his grave was opened in the late 70’s, with her sons. It fascinated her that she could trace her – albeit winding – linage back to him.

Frederik IX.
Incredible memory. He could remember Christian IX, who died when Frederik IX was six.

Queen Ingrid.
Was extremely fond of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and lived at his place for extended periods when she visited England, which she did at least once a year. And while getting to know a lot of colorful aunts and uncles, she never got to know Queen Victoria.

Christian IX and Queen Louise.
Called Apapa, a common name for granddad in the family. Very fond of children and was often visited by his great-grandsons.
Became king in 1864, just before the disastrous Second Schleswigan War. He had deep sense of responsibility to the country and he remained true to what he believed in, which may explain why he became so popular, despite initial skepticism. (He was basically German and spoke with a German accent.)
Deeply loved by his family and well respected abroad, because so many of his children married into other royal houses. (The Father-in-Law-of-Europe.)
He and Queen Louise was a lovable couple who were very close. They were extremely hospitable and there was often lots of guests in their residences.
QMII feels a particular connection with Christian IX due Southern Jutland. He never lived to see the Reunification with Denmark, despite that being his dear wish. Something that was so special for Christian X, who had a distant relationship with his father, Frederik VIII, but who treasured Christian IX.

Frederik VIII.
Her father remember him as a nice man, but not much more. So his memory is a bit blurred within the family. He was perhaps left in the shadow of his wife, Queen Louise.

Queen Louise.
Married to Frederik VIII.
Strict and called Amama.
A determined, imposing tall women, with a streak of Puritanism (the Scandinavian variant) in her. Something Frederik IX wasn’t into. (It shines through that he didn’t like her.) She wasn’t much loved in the family. – But then she may not have had an easy time in DK. In Sweden she had been the only Princess. In Denmark she wasn’t even the only Louise. Her mother-in-law, also Queen Louise was good looking, intelligent and with an artistic talent.
Apart from that she had three sisters-in-law, who all three were more beautiful and intelligent than the other. Dagmar, Alexandra and Thyra.
Dagmar was very intelligent. So was Alexandra, but she got deaf early on and that may have restricted her abilities. Thyra was the least gifted of the three but nevertheless easily outshone her sister-in-law, Queen Louise.

Gustav V.
Whom she met in 1948, when she was eight and he was 90. Court etiquette apparently dictated that QMII should wear a hat, something Queen Ingrid thought was too much for a little girl, so she arranged for a wreath of flowers to be worn in QMII’s hair instead.
He was tall and unusually slim, with a vaxed moustache with points that itched when she was to kiss him good day.
He was very fond indeed of Queen Ingrid.

Empress Dagmar.
After the 1917 revolution in Russia she fled to DK. She was called Minnie by the family. She was no push-over and would not be cowed by Christian X. Something Frederik IX appreciated and as such he was fond of Empress Dagmar.

Princess Ingeborg.
Daughter of Frederik VIII. Called tante (aunt) Ingeborg by the family.
Frederik IX was close to her and so was Queen Ingrid, because Ingeborg had very much looked after Queen Ingrid after the death of her mother.
She was married to Prince Carl.
QMII remember her as a “fantastic little lady”, a very upright bearing and with strong opinions. During WWII she sided with the Allies and made no secret of that. That was controversial in neutral Sweden and caused some rows within the SRF. She and Prince Carl lived in an apartment in Stockholm that was located on a corner, with one side facing the German embassy. After the occupation of Denmark in 1940, she lowered the curtains on the windows facing the embassy, and did not open them again until Denmark was liberated in 1945.

Christian X and Queen Alexandrine.
The Reunification was a pivotal moment in his reign and his diaries expressed his emotions when that happened, something that made QMII cry when she read the diaries.

Crown Princess Margareta and King Gustav VI.
Mother to Queen Ingrid. Daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught.
They met in Egypt at a visit to the Kediv there and “it was love at first sight.” Some of their letters from that period has never been published, but it’s clear they fell head over heel in love, both being around 22-23 years old. There were in total agreement that they were to be married – and they were.
Referred to as “granny” for QMII.

 

[Muhler]

Events mentioned.
The Reunification of Southern Jutland with Denmark in 1920.
The DRF had carefully avoided going to Schleswig after the Second Schleswigan War in 1864, when Holstein and Schleswig was lost. It happened that they had to pass by train through these duchies, but when that happened, Empress Dagmar, Queen Alexandra and Duchess Thyra, were said to always close the curtains, so they didn’t see the landscape.
Christian IX, Christian X and Frederik IX never sat foot there either prior to 1920. – So after 1920 they continued to see something new, something they had only heard about. QMII herself gets a lump in her throat each time she cross the old border.

The Occupation.
QMII was shielded from what went on during the Occupation and it was only towards the end of WWII that it dawned on her that things weren’t normal.
The war and the general situation was never discussed with or within earshot of QMII, because children talk about what they hear, so her parents made sure she didn’t hear anything, she could talk about. Anyway, the Germans were simply not mentioned. She was taught about three flags, Dannebrog, Svenska Flaggan (the Swedish flag) and Union Jack. All other flags were simply “other flags.”
One day when out walking with her nanny, Helvig Nielsen, they met a column of singing German soldiers, they turned their backs to the column and studied a greengrocer’s window instead.
At another time they passed a pavilion that had been blown up. (Shallburgtage, in revenge for sabotage by the Resistance) something QMII thought was odd. Her nanny just explained that the Germans had blown it up and that was it.
1943 and 1944 were increasingly tense years in DK. But QMII somehow didn’t really notice the skirmishes near Amalienborg between the Royal Lifeguard and German troops in 1943, nor the heavy fighting between the police guards and the Germans in 1944, also at Amalienborg.
Air raids were of course common, especially during the night, but it didn’t scare QMII to into the cellar, because her dad had explained that there was nothing to be afraid of. And angel was protecting her and it wasn’t just any angel, but a cellar-angel. Usually the bombers just flew past Copenhagen but at times the bombs fell. Frederik IX explained that the canons were merely shooting at gulls.
One summer the family was holidaying at the coast and it happened that German planes flew low along the beach. QMII believe they were looking at girls bathing. Anyway, QMII didn’t like loud noise and started to wail loudly. Her dad stood on a bathing-bridge wearing trunks and shook his fist at the planes, shouting: “That rubbish!” After that German planes were called “rubbish” at home.
It was in March 1945 when it really dawned on QMII that something was wrong. RAF planes bombed the Gestapo HQ, but by mistake also a school killing more than 100 children and teachers. Something QMII only learned about later.
On that day she was walking with her nanny, and the Valet, Old Jensen (who acted as a kind of bodyguard) when the air raid sirens started to wail. They quickly sought refuge at a railway station while Old Jensen called back to the palace for a car. QMII vaguely recall the explosions. When she came home her father waited on the stairs with outstretched arms. QMII said: “Dad, it was rubbish.” He replied: “No, it was the English.“

The Liberation.
On the evening on 4th May 1945 the Liberation Message was heard on the radio from BBC. The Germans in DK would surrender the next day.
QMII woke up due to the commotion. People were standing at the streets leading into Amalienborg Square, they couldn’t get in because of barricades, and shouted and cheered. She couldn’t understand it, because it wasn’t farfar’s birthday.
To her surprise her nanny didn’t send her straight back to bed, but her dad came up and took her downstairs where she was given a soft drink, lemon. Unheard! Soft drinks was by no means an everyday thing.
Her euphoric parents told her that there was peace. She was put back to bed. But during the night a German warship refused to surrender and fired towards targets in Copenhagen, with Amalienborg being in the line of fire, so it was down into one of the salons. Where she and Benedikte spend the night.
(There was sporadic fighting between German troops during the evening and night, but the next day, Liberation Day, was the bloodiest during WWII. Danish collaborators and die hard Nazis fought the Resistance or were simply shooting at the crowds.)
They were still in the salon the next day and at some point the nanny went up to fetch her radio, but returned shaken because a bullet had passed right above her head. So the rest of the day was spent in the cellar.
The nursery was particularly hard hit, with Benedikte’s room being badly shot up.
A few days later QMII went to meet some of the Resistance fighters who were now guarding Amalienborg. Or Visistance fighters as she called them, because the word was difficult to pronounce. She asked her dad for a bonbon to give to one the fighters, and got one. Walking down into the garden she presented the bonbon to a young man in a cotton coat.
In 1966 she visited Uruguay and in Montevideo during a reception for Danes living there, she met a man who asked whether she could remember him. Not right away, but he was the man who was presented with the bonbon.

 

[Muhler]

Various.
She was named Margrethe after her mormor, Margareta. Alexandrine after her farmor. And Thorhildur after a recent visit to Iceland, her mother believed it would be important to give her daughter an Icelandic name. Ingrid after her mother. It was her father’s wish that all the daughters were named after their mother.
QMII is called Daisy, by her family, and only her family. Her mormor was also called Daisy. For everybody else it was Princess Margrethe, as if it was a double-name. That also applied to her close friends until she became Queen.

First memory.
From the summer of 1942. She was put to sleep outside in a play-cart, with a kaleche. It’s no fake memory, because she can recall seeing out from inside and there no photos from that angle. While her parents had lunch nearby, she slipped out of the cart and picked flowers, and knowing she may have done something wrong hid them under her pillow. – Her parents had noticed everything though.
Another early memory was during the same summer at Gråsten, where she had been given a pretty big playhouse, called the “little house”. It actually used to be a home for two families of gardeners. (It was probably unfit for living in, because) a new house for the staff was build and she can recall seeing her father having a beer with craftsmen when the rafters had been raised.
She recalls a dress she wore at age two. An English brand, Viyella. A mix of cotton and wool, white with a red smock with a pattern of tiny hearts in blue, red and green. The dress had been bought in London in 1939.
QMII believe that the reason for her detailed early memories was that she learned to talk very early on, so that she was able to put words on what she saw and thus remember it.
Her father also had clear memories from just as early on in his childhood.

Early childhood.
Her first rooms were on the first floor in the Pavillion building at Frederik VIII’s Mansion at Amalienborg. (That’s to the right, when you look towards the front of the mansion. One of M&F’s current living rooms.) Her parents had moved in in 1936 and the whole thing had been renovated and modernized. There was now central heating, warm water and electricity.
QMII’s rooms was a small complex with playroom, bathroom and room for the nanny and so on. Her bedroom was decorated with paintings by Crown Princess Margareta. QMII still clearly remember three of these paintings.
She had two dolls, one named “dukke Lise” (an extremely common name for dolls in DK) the other named “dukke Dick” and two teddy bears. Dukke Dick was named after Queen Ingrid’s LiW, who was called Dick. Her teddy bears were named Plys and Ninusen – after characters in Winnie the Pooh. QMII preferred her teddies, she couldn’t be bothered to dress and undress her dolls, so at some point they were given to someone else by her mother.
Her parents were not into pets. QMII did have a kitten in 1943, but it started climbing the curtains and was dispatched back from whence it came. (The text suggests that QMII suspects it was put down.)
QMII had several nannies, the first being Kirsten Skafte, called Kisse, QMII remember her well. But the second nanny was the most important for QMII when she was very young. Helvig Nielsen was a qualified nanny with brown curly hair, a lovely smile and a lovely smile. “I loved her dearly.”
The day started with nanny pulling away the curtains, also the blackout curtains. Then QMII brushed her teeth and got washed. Breakfast was Øllebrød (Boiled ryebread soaked in beer, it’s an acquired taste, but nourishing) with milk. To the first spoonful was added a little concentrated liver. That was breakfast until QMII and her sisters were around 14-15 years old. In the weekends it was oat-porridge. And in the holidays oatflakes with milk and sugar (I still eat that in mornings BTW.)
After breakfast QMII went downstairs to say good morning to her parents while the nanny tidied up and aired the room.
Queen Ingrid had her breakfast served on a tray placed next to her bed by her chambermaid, Ella Sørensen. A small and very funloving lady, who could be very hard on the other staff if they didn’t do their job properly though. It was also Ella Sørensen who mended the clothes. During the Occupation all clothes were mended.
Her father usually had his breakfast in his study, fried egg, bread and coffee. And he often gave QMII a “coffee-fish” – a lump of sugar dipped in coffee.
She often played with Old Jensen, her father’s valet. He had basically served with the DRF since he was a guardsman. Starting as a lackey, he was tasked to look after Frederik IX and Prince Knud, when they were boys, among other things getting them up in the morning. Frederik was very fond of him. Jensen was phenomenal in coming up with games and play with QMII and they played happily until her nanny had finished her duties upstairs and it was time for the forenoon-walk. It was a fair walk, which they only returned from just before noon. Lunch consisted of a warm dish, perhaps egg and spinach, which is still a favorite of QMII today and a piece of smorgasbord.
Then it was time for the afternoon nap. And that was boring! Just lying there, waiting for the nanny to return. With a glass of carrot-juice, something QMII still likes to drink.
She often joined her parents for tea at 16.00. She got a glass of milk and a cookie. QMII is still an eager milk-drinker leading Queen Ingrid to declare that QMII was the best advert Danish Dairy could imagine!
Then it was time for her daily bath in a tub. Sometimes the nanny bathed her, at other times her mother. When it was Queen Ingrid they usually spoke English. Queen Ingrid of course speaking English like a native. As such QMII also had a number of English children’s books by Beatrix Potter about Peter Rabbit, the frog Jeremy Fisher and the porcupine Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle.
Apart from that QMII was taught English twice a week by a Monica Redlich. For whatever reason “red shoes” were the first English words QMII could say.
But sometimes during the bath they also spoke Swedish. And that was actually something QMII herself had asked for, because she had met her Swedish cousins and while QMII could understand them, they couldn’t understand her. (A common problem between Danes and Swedes.)
Sometimes Queen Ingrid went for a day trip to Sweden, but she never stayed the night, insisting in returning to Denmark. But that was only until 1943, when the collaboration policy was abandoned and the Danish government resigned. After 1943 Queen Ingrid didn’t go to Sweden, because she refused to ask the Germans for permission.
By now the clock had turned 18.00 and it was time for supper, just having bathed she dined wearing a robe, usually sandwiches with a glass of milk and around 18.30 her nanny tucked her in for the night. Often her mother would come in to say goodnight and sometimes her dad. A goodnight story was read to her. If it was her dad it was often H.C. Andersen, But otherwise it was often Winnie the Poo – in Danish, with the original illustrations by Howard Shepard. She absolutely loved Winnie the Poo!

Kindergarten.
A kindergarten was set up at Amalienborg during the winter of 1942-43 and that lasted until she started in school in 1946.
The class consisted of 6-8 girls who attended twice a week. The girls were selected from friends of Queen Ingrid’s LiWs. One of the girls was Marianne Koch, who later on became a Social Democrat minister, her father had been interned by the Germans, but to the girls he was simply away on a travel somewhere.
Another girls was Marianne Haslund-Christensen, whose father was a Jew, so the family had fled to Sweden. They still see each other often.
The days in the kindergarten started in the early forenoon and ended at lunch. The day consisted of plays and songs and creating things with scissors and glue. QMII simply couldn’t stop once she had started! But the days also included basic sewing, drawing and setting up theatrical performances.

Music.
Frederik IX always played music. Either at the piano or by putting on records and QMII was allowed to dance to the music, in fact she couldn’t help not dancing. And sometimes she and her father sang together.
QMII never learned to play an instrument. Her parents didn’t insist on it and QMII preferred to draw anyway.

 

[Muhler]

FYI.

We have now reached page 36.

My first post has exceeded 10.000 characters and has now been split up.

These posts will be continuously updated until they also reach 10.000 characters or the end of Part One.

The text file will also be continuously updated, and forgive me for mansplaining, but for those who are not that familiar with Word, it may be an advantage if you open the navigation window.

This post will also be updated, in regards to what page I have reached.

 

[Prinsara]

Persons mentioned.

Queen Ingrid.
Was extremely fond of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and lived at his place for extended periods when she visited England, which she did at least once a year. And while getting to know a lot of colorful aunts and uncles, she never got to know Queen Victoria.

It would have been a little difficult, considering Victoria died nine years before she was born. I'm glad Ingrid and the Duke had a good relationship. Is there no mention of Ingrid's aunt Patricia? Or Great-Uncle Bertie/Edward VII, for that matter? (He only died the year she was born.)

Queen Louise.
Married to Frederik VIII.
Strict and called Amama.
A determined, imposing tall women, with a streak of Puritanism (the Scandinavian variant) in her. Something Frederik IX wasn’t into. (It shines through that he didn’t like her.) She wasn’t much loved in the family. – But then she may not have had an easy time in DK. In Sweden she had been the only Princess. In Denmark she wasn’t even the only Louise. Her mother-in-law, also Queen Louise was good looking, intelligent and with an artistic talent.
Apart from that she had three sisters-in-law, who all three were more beautiful and intelligent than the other. Dagmar, Alexandra and Thyra.
Dagmar was very intelligent. So was Alexandra, but she got deaf early on and that may have restricted her abilities. Thyra was the least gifted of the three but nevertheless easily outshone her sister-in-law, Queen Louise.

And yet Thyra was apparently the only one who was nice to her. Queen Louise the elder apparently came to deeply regret the way her daughter-in-law was treated and tried to tell Alexandra and Dagmar not to do the same thing… did not work.

Gustav V.
Whom she met in 1948, when she was eight and he was 90. Court etiquette apparently dictated that QMII should wear a hat, something Queen Ingrid thought was too much for a little girl, so she arranged for a wreath of flowers to be worn in QMII’s hair instead.
He was tall and unusually slim, with a vaxed moustache with points that itched when she was to kiss him good day.
He was very fond indeed of Queen Ingrid.

What, no tennis?

Princess Ingeborg.
Daughter of Frederik VIII. Called tante (aunt) Ingeborg by the family.
Frederik IX was close to her and so was Queen Ingrid, because Ingeborg had very much looked after Queen Ingrid after the death of her mother.

Which was a very splendid and kind thing of Ingeborg to do, considering she had four kids of her own. I wondered if she disposed Ingrid to feel kindly towards Denmark?

 

[Muhler]

Not that I recall. Only among the "colorful aunts and uncles."

We have now reached page 56.
Kindergarten, the Occupation and the Liberation.
Update in five minutes.

 

[Prinsara]

Well, here's a thought. Not that HM isn't extremely credible about all this, of course, but how do we know her memories are true? Did someone fact-check it all or is the book simply meant to be a memoir?

 

[Muhler]

How do we know anyone's memoirs are true?

Anyway, apart from a lot of trivia and details most of the events in this book is something we have heard before, in other interviews, other biographies or seen in documentaries or news clips.
And when persons are mentioned at least they can verify whether it's true, if they are still alive of course.

But it's in the details. A person who makes up a story will hardly go to the trouble of describing the colors of her dad's bathing trunks, while he is shouting at German planes.

You can, if you want to, no doubt dig up the family members of the Resistance guard who was presented with a bonbon, and ask if that was true.

So the credibility is high in this one.

But you have a valid point in regards to persons and events before QMII was old enough to remember anything.
That can only have come from other family members who told their version or their impression - or in the case of Christian X from reading his diaries.
That in itself is illuminating though, because it describes the family dynamic and internal relationship within the DRF.

But all impressions are subjective.
They are influenced by the prejudices of those making the observation.
Prince Knud's description of events may very well have differed considerably in many cases from those of Frederik IX.

That doesn't mean that everything is mentioned. QMII does not mention Princess Helene, who was deported after the War, for being too friendly with the occupiers. Nor does she mention Captain Schallburg who fought and died in Waffen SS on the Eastern Front. Nor is Prince Aage who joined the Foreign Legion mentioned.

Just as the BRF rarely mention those among their acquaintances in the 1930's who were associated with the British Fascists.

So yes, QMII is very open and very frank in this book, but she doesn't bring up dirty linen she isn't asked about.

 

[Prinsara]

It's not that I think she is lying or even slanting things. I'm just flabbergasted she can remember her first words in English, when she spoke it practically natively with her mom. Even with her amazing powers of recall, and she truly seems to have those.

I think the book is obviously 400 pages because she recollects to this level. Are there more volumes planned?

 

[Muhler]

It's not that I think she is lying or even slanting things. I'm just flabbergasted she can remember her first words in English, when she spoke it practically natively with her mom. Even with her amazing powers of recall, and she truly seems to have those.

I think the book is obviously 400 pages because she recollects to this level. Are there more volumes planned?

There is no follow up mentioned in the book and it will be interesting to see whether there will be an edition covering her time as Monarch.

Her memory is nothing less than astonishing! I have omitted a number of details in which she describes colors and patterns in all sorts of contexts.
Her memory seems to be clear pictures that she can see before her.

But it runs in her family. Her father had an amazing memory as well and Felix and Christian also appears to have brilliant memories.

 

[kalnel]

What a great summary Muhler! Thanks for taking the time to write it and sharing it with us!

 

[Osipi]

I am also enjoying the translations immensely here, Muhler, and thanks so much for doing this for us. Queen Margrethe has always been a woman that I admire not only for being the Queen of Denmark but also for the many amazing talents this woman has and the interests she keeps close to her heart no matter how busy her life gets.

She seems very rooted in her family's history and probably soaked up the stories told to her by her elder relatives like a piece of bread sopping up the stew and has retained all those memories. It's a wonderful thing that she can be such a good storyteller as she relates all of these memories she has for us and her words paint a wonderful picture.

If there is an English translation of this book, I'll probably be first in line to buy it and enjoy reading it. ?

 

[winifred]

Muhler, you're amazing. Thank you so much.

400 pages and 50 more years to go! Please let her cover even a fraction of those. "My first year as Queen" would be fascinating and enlightening.

 

[Muhler]

Thank you for your encouraging words. ?

QMII is a wonderful storyteller, who doesn't take herself or people around her too seriously. I think not least Australians who have a humor that is very similar to the Danish would enjoy listening to her.
Her descriptions of her teachers at school is pretty funny!

As an example of her style. This is her explaining that her father was very interested in ferries all his life and had memorized the routes and time tables. Quite impressive considering how many ferries there were back then.
"It was important for dad, that we knew what ferry we were sailing in. When people who had crossed the Great Belt came visiting the first thing he asked was what ferry they had been on. And then it was a matter for the visitor to remember what the name was, and by all means not try and guess. If dad could tell that it wasn't entirely correct, he would reply in his bold sailor language: That sounds odd! That's not where the damned ferry is sailing."
And then it of course was clear that the poor person had been caught trying to... improvise.
For dad it was unthinkable that you hadn't noticed what ferry you were sailing on. As he said: It bloody says so when you drive aboard. All you have to do is look up!"

Or a quote from her account before her very first visit to the theater:
"Before we went to the theater, I dined up in the playroom, which I as mentioned before always did alone. When I was finished and therefore no longer could spill on my clothes, I was dressed in the fine dress, a short light-blue organdi-dress (whatever that is) with some white nists on (whatever that is as well.)"

Or Christian X on the phone. He had a soft spot for Queen Ingrid. As the only one...:
"When Christian X answered the phone he shouted a rough: "Hello!" into the mouthpiece. But when it was mother who had called, it changed to a completely different gentle tone, at once he heard it was her.
Oooh, it's you, Ingrid? He then said with a smile in the voice."

The book is full of such subtle humor.

 

[gerry]

Thank you for your encouraging words. ?

QMII is a wonderful storyteller, who doesn't take herself or people around her too seriously. I think not least Australians who have a humor that is very similar to the Danish would enjoy listening to her.
Her descriptions of her teachers at school is pretty funny!

As an example of her style. This is her explaining that her father was very interested in ferries all his life and had memorized the routes and time tables. Quite impressive considering how many ferries there were back then.
"It was important for dad, that we knew what ferry we were sailing in. When people who had crossed the Great Belt came visiting the first thing he asked was what ferry they had been on. And then it was a matter for the visitor to remember what the name was, and by all means not try and guess. If dad could tell that it wasn't entirely correct, he would reply in his bold sailor language: That sounds odd! That's not where the damned ferry is sailing."
And then it of course was clear that the poor person had been caught trying to... improvise.
For dad it was unthinkable that you hadn't noticed what ferry you were sailing on. As he said: It bloody says so when you drive aboard. All you have to do is look up!"

Or a quote from her account before her very first visit to the theater:
"Before we went to the theater, I dined up in the playroom, which I as mentioned before always did alone. When I was finished and therefore no longer could spill on my clothes, I was dressed in the fine dress, a short light-blue organdi-dress (whatever that is) with some white nists on (whatever that is as well.)"

Or Christian X on the phone. He had a soft spot for Queen Ingrid. As the only one...:
"When Christian X answered the phone he shouted a rough: "Hello!" into the mouthpiece. But when it was mother who had called, it changed to a completely different gentle tone, at once he heard it was her.
Oooh, it's you, Ingrid? He then said with a smile in the voice."

The book is full of such subtle humor.

And the subtle humour is so well translated by our dear Muhler! Mange tak, I am so enjoying reading this book thanks to your efforts

 

[Prinsara]

I was dressed in the fine dress, a short light-blue organdi-dress (whatever that is) with some white nists on (whatever that is as well.)"

Or Christian X on the phone. He had a soft spot for Queen Ingrid. As the only one...:
"When Christian X answered the phone he shouted a rough: "Hello!" into the mouthpiece. But when it was mother who had called, it changed to a completely different gentle tone, at once he heard it was her.
Oooh, it's you, Ingrid? He then said with a smile in the voice."

The book is full of such subtle humor.

Organdy is a fabric that was usually used for nice children’s dresses of the era. Perhaps QM meant “netting”?

CX and Ingrid sound exactly like George V and his daughter-in-law Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. “You are not late, my dear; we must have sat down two minutes too early.” ?

 

[Muhler]

Organdy is a fabric that was usually used for nice children’s dresses of the era. Perhaps QM meant “netting”?

CX and Ingrid sound exactly like George V and his daughter-in-law Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. “You are not late, my dear; we must have sat down two minutes too early.” ?

Or a perfect gentleman. A lady is never late.

I figured out what "nister" is.
It's a design used in knitting: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1...-447c-bf3f-7b33e143d799_620x.jpg?v=1591861865
Presumably it's those flower-things mixed into the fabric.
And now I now what Organdy is as well. - I can go to bed and sleep well tonight.

 

[Prinsara]

Or a perfect gentleman. A lady is never late.

Except George was more famous for being a blunt sailor and controlling grouch and yelling at everyone who wasn’t Elizabeth (and later her daughter). He excused her on the basis of liking, not politesse.

More about organdy for the curious and why it was used for girls who weren’t even princesses: https://sewguide.com/organdy-fabric/

 

[Muhler]

Just a brief FYI.

I'm still working on the summary. About half an hour a day.

You are in for a little treat later on, when I cover QMII's description of her time in school and not least her - singular - teachers.
And of course when Henri meets Margrethe.
Both of which I intend to cover more detailed.

So patience.

 

[Muhler]

Sorry about the delay, life has a tendency to get in the way of important things.

After the War.
As a part of the celebration of the Liberation the Royal Theater opened with the National play Elverhøj = Elf’s Mound. And that was the first time QMII went to the theater. Before the play, her dad explained the plot and played a number of songs from the play to prepare her. And she and her family were dressed in their finest, in the case of Queen Ingrid, the only gown she had left. That had been made back in 1939.
Despite being only five years old, she vividly recall the atmosphere and the rush among the audience when Christian X was wheeled in in his wheelchair. As for the play, QMII’s attention was drawn to a red dress one of the actresses wore!

In June 1945 it was off to Stockholm with her mother, by plane. And it was the first time she was flying. The excited girl sat on a table during the flight and sang loudly – perhaps to the chagrin of the other passengers…
They were received by the Swedish King aka morfar, whom she knew well from visits during and after the War. Visiting cousins and uncles, she was also taken by her mother of a tour of Stockholm and on such a tour QMII was presented to her first balloon. There was no such luxury in DK during the War. Something she otherwise only knew from children’s books.

Later that summer they went on holiday to the hunting lodge at Trend, also a first from QMII, (Going to Jutland during the War time was risky. The ferries could easily strike a mine or be bombed.) The area around Trend is very remote and as such was used as a drop zone by the Resistance. And indeed cashes of weapons and equipment had been hidden within the area of Trend, with the silent approval of Frederik IX.
Summer also meant spending time at Gråsten. QMII’s parents were closely attached to Southern Jutland, not least her mother, who learned what it means to be Danish here. Because there was no contested border region in Sweden, so the deep sense of nationality that can exist in a border region, was unknown to her before coming to DK.

School. Grades 1-3 at Amalienborg.
Quen Ingrid’s pregnancies had been difficult, the third with Anne-Marie was particularly difficult. In fact QMII and Benedikte was send off to Trend for a couple of weeks. It ws a disappointment for Queen Ingrid that she did not have a son, because at the time it meant that Prince Knud, or his son, would inherit the throne. But the doctors made it clear that further pregnancies were not advisable!

QMII was older than her siblings and while they were sweet and cute they were a bit of a nuisance and all through her childhood she always referred to her siblings as “the two little ones.”

In 1946 a section of the mansion they lived in at Amalienborg was converted into use for QMII and her siblings and that included a little classroom as well. Altogether there were seven pupils, because QMII’s parents decided it would be beneficial if she had classmates. Fortunately she became close to all of them, two of whom, Pernille Westergaard and Marianne von Essen are still her friends.
School was from 1st to 3rd grade under the care of Miss Barfod, a young but most competent teacher, whom the girls respected a lot. While being allowed to burn of a little energy from time to time, the girls were required to sit at their desks with their hands behind their backs except when writing and putting up an arm.
School stated at 09.00 with a song. QMII soon learned to read. By second grade she could read fluently. But writing was another matter! Neatness and order was not QMII’s strengths. But the worst bit was arithmetic. She found it very difficult and still does. History was another matter though. That she liked. Especially ancient history.

Ancient history was something QMII had been introduced to by a new nanny, who started in 1946, shortly before school start.
The nanny, Agnethe Orth, came from an intellectual home, her father being a priest. This nanny knew her history and often she would read a bedtime story to QMII from a history book. Especially about ancient history and that was the seed of QMII’s lifelong passion for archeology.
Apart from that QMII loved drawing. The school had two weekly lessons in drawing. Her passion for drawing and painting had been reinforced by a visit by Queen Ingrid’s moster (maternal aunt) Lady Patricia Ramsey. Lady Ramsey was an accomplished painter and a member of the Watercolour Society and she offered a number of good advice to the young QMII.

Frederik IX becomes King.
During the Occupation a tunnel had been dug between the mansions where Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid lived and the one where Christian X and Queen Alexandrine resided.
Twice a week after the War, QMII and Benedikte with two nannies walked through that tunnel to visit farfar and farmor: the visit was brief, because the purpose of the visit was to get some light from a monster of a solarium Christian X had installed in their bathroom, they only had one in that mansion. That was considered beneficial for the children. And sometimes Queen Alexandrine afterwards presented them with a luxury in the shape of an orange.
Farmor Alexandrine was a gentle person, speaking with a slight German accent. Farfar Christian X on the other hand was a rough man, the absolute patriarch of the family and everybody were scared of him – except Queen Ingrid, who had him wrapped around her little finger. Indeed he was always kind to her. Not that he was unkind to QMII and Benedikte. Because after getting a slight tan, they got a goodnight kiss by their farfar: “Goodnight, my pumpkin” (in DK: snut) Pronounced: “Goodnight, my puuuuumpkin.” Which QMII and Bendikte found endearing.

On 20th April 1947 Christian X died after a period of illness. QMII did not attend the funeral. 1947 was a bad year for Queen Ingrid, not only had Christian X died, but her brother, Prince Gustav Adolf was killed in planecrash at Copenhagen Airport. And her beloved uncle, Prince Eugen also died.

While being nervous, Frederik was ready and willing to become king. It hadn’t been easy working with his father beforehand and after Christian X had his accident during the Occupation, Frederik IX had been Regent for seven months, until Christian X, despite his handicap, resumed responsibility. To the slight annoyance of Frederik IX, Christian X after having had a heart attack in 1945 again resumed his job as monarch. No stepping aside there. Something Frederik later remarked on to his daughter.

With their father being king there was suddenly a lot more focus on his daughters, something the girls didn’t appreciate! Hating being labelled “the three sweet little princesses.”
At some point they were sitting in the backseat of a car, driven by their father during a tour, when someone remarked: “My, they are so sweet, the three little princesses.” To which Frederik IX retorted: “You should try having them on a day to day basis.”
The girls were shy, not over meeting new people, but from the massive attention. Not Least Benedikte, so their father directed her in the car from behind the wheel: “Benedikte, wave to the right, wave to the left.”

Becoming the Regent Couple also meant taking over Fredensborg Palace as a residence. A place Christian X and Queen Alexandrine hadn’t used that much. And that meant Queen Ingrid set about to redecorate the place, having a very good taste herself – in contrast to her in-laws… QMII sums it up: “My farmor and farfar had many qualities, but they had no taste. They didn’t even have a bad taste. They simply had none at all. To put it a bit naughty.”
Queen Ingrid told and taught QMII about putting colors together and how to create harmony and so on. And QMII fell in love with the place and is still very fond of Fredensborg.

Being the regent Couple also meant taking over Dannebrog and being very much a navy officer, Frederik IX taught his daughters about ship life and the correct nautical terms. And used the first officer as a bogeyman when his daughters misbehaved, like drawing on the deck with crayons. They were scared of the first officer – who probably had no idea about his role in calling three little girls to order.

It also meant taking over the royal salon-wagon when going by train. Something the family loved and the children were given a cabin with bunks – where they crawled around like monkeys. Only to dart under the duvets when they heard an adult approaching.

It was a bit weird for QMII to hear her mother now being referred to a Queen Ingrid. To QMII Crown Princess Ingrid was synonymous with mother. And dad was now His Majesty or the King.
It also meant a larger staff, including four adjutants, who were quite some characters! One had been a senior member of the Resistance and could tell vividly about his escape to Sweden, swimming through cold water.

Being the daughter of a king now also meant official duties, like naming a new ferry. And that happened for the first time in January 1948. Her parents took her by car to the town of Helsingør and under way she was told that she was to name a new ferry and what to do. That was of course in order not to make her too nervous. Frederik IX told her about the ferry, how it had actually been finished back in 1940, but kept under wraps so to speak, in order to prevent the Germans from confiscating the vessel. He instructed her in pulling a string and saying: “Your name shall be Crown Princess Ingrid. Good luck, Crown Princess Ingrid.” – And everything did indeed go well.

Sometimes when Frederik IX spotted a ferry leaving Copenhagen, passing Amalienborg, under the command of a captain he knew, he would go out on the private terrace of their mansion and morse bon voyage to the ferry.

----------

The text file is also updated.

 

[Prinsara]

Hey, Muhler, is there any chance of hearing more about this? It's still all quite fascinating.

 

[Muhler]

You poked at my guilty conscience.

It's been quite a hectic year!

So I won't promise anything unless I happen to break a leg or an arm and be off work for a few weeks.
In fact as you may have noticed I've been less active here on TRF as it is for this past year or so.

 

[Saragli]

While being nervous, Frederik was ready and willing to become king. It hadn’t been easy working with his father beforehand and after Christian X had his accident during the Occupation, Frederik IX had been Regent for seven months, until Christian X, despite his handicap, resumed responsibility. To the slight annoyance of Frederik IX, Christian X after having had a heart attack in 1945 again resumed his job as monarch. No stepping aside there. Something Frederik later remarked on to his daughter.

How delightful to come across this thread again! You are much appreciated Muhler. I was struck rereading everything by this summary from Muhler. I wonder if QMII's initial interpretation about this from her father was to think that abdication was not an option. Her grandfather had stayed on, despite his difficulties, until the very end. But she also seems to recognize how frustrating it was for her father acting as regent and picking up an extra work load from an ailing parent. I wonder if she started to see her father in her son and decided it would be best to step down.