What is your opinion of Frederik and Mary

[tabbitha]

I agree on the logic you used here. Actually, same thing could be said even we praise royals...In fact, they are living their lives and we are wasting our times whether in criticizing them or in praising them. .

You got me there I guess I just think that if you hate /dislike someone so much then i wouldn't bother talking about them- that would only feed their ego so I would have an opinion and move on but when it comes to bashing them everyday all day you have to think that there is more to life than that.
Each to their own..

 

[Jamerican]

i agree tabbitha, that is so true. To even have a thread entitled "What bothers you about Mary and Fred" is so leading and it is just starting the negativity

I agree that the thread title is Leading. I don't see anything wrong with that, as it encouraged people to read the thread and share their comments. I think a Mary is Great! thread title would have done just the same thing.

Personally, I don't think this thread has been all that negative. I think it is a credit to everyone on this board that people here generally express their opinions in an intelligent manner, and that people here can agree to disagree without descending into a name calling cat fight. For me, negativity is when you bash someone just for the sake of bashing them. a critique is somewhat different.

 

[seto]

The baby is half austrailian his mother is aussie so he is to. By birth he is danish but he has his mothers blood Ie he is half aussie.

 

[Jamerican]

The baby is half austrailian his mother is aussie so he is to. By birth he is danish but he has his mothers blood Ie he is half aussie.

By blood, he is probably more Scottish than Aussie. In terms of citizenship, He is Danish, as his mother gave up Australian citizenship in 2004.

 

[ysbel]

The baby is half austrailian his mother is aussie so he is to. By birth he is danish but he has his mothers blood Ie he is half aussie.

What bothered me was the overkill. Almost every single Australian report referred to him as half-Aussie. Almost nobody refers to Alexandra's children, Nicholai and Felix, as half-Chinese. We almost never hear Princess Amalia referred to as half-Argentinian although she is. Its enough for most people that they are princes and princesses and adored children of their parents.

Heck for that matter, I have never heard Margrethe called half-Swedish despite her Swedish mother and Prince Charles is never referred to as half-Greek although his father was Prince of Greece. I could go on and on but I think you understand what I mean.

 

[Australian]

What bothered me was the overkill. Almost every single Australian report referred to him as half-Aussie. Almost nobody refers to Alexandra's children, Nicholai and Felix, as half-Chinese. We never hear Princess Amalia referred to as half-Argentinian although she is. Its enough for most people that they are princes and princesses and adored children of their parents.

Heck for that matter, Margrethe is never called half-Swedish despite her Swedish mother and Prince Charles is never referred to as half-Greek although his father was Prince of Greece. I could go on and on but I think you understand what I mean.

The Aussies like to make a big thing out of it, and why not, Mary is or was an Aussie, maybe not much by blood but being Aussie must be in your heart, not so much blood.

 

[Gaia]

The very fact that I see the title of this thread in a couple of forums makes me want to see this couple succeed. I just love to see an underdog overcome the negative. I find that tongue-in-cheek persuasion tactics are a double-edged sword and as I am asked to reflect on what resonates with me about various Crown couples, I find that in the review I reinforce my original theory that Mary is doing an excellent job, inspite of her critics.

Everyone has a princess or two that they like, I would hope that the focus would be on what they do right and if we don't like that particular CP then skip the family, everybody wins this way.

 

[Zonk]

I think that Prince Christian is referred to half Aussie as a matter of pride. Kind of look at this adorable baby...the future King of Denmark...he belongs to us too Also, its a gentle reminder for anyone who doesn't know that Mary is Australian...of course..you have to have lived under a rock. But not everyone discovers things at the same time. I didn't discover Mary until the wedding and some are just getting to know about her now.

 

[Alexandria]

What bothered me was the overkill. Almost every single Australian report referred to him as half-Aussie. Almost nobody refers to Alexandra's children, Nicholai and Felix, as half-Chinese. We almost never hear Princess Amalia referred to as half-Argentinian although she is. Its enough for most people that they are princes and princesses and adored children of their parents.

I think you've made a really good point ysbel that I've never thought about before -- that it was media overkill that led to Mary being put up on an impossibly high pedestal by the Australian media that led to a saturated belief that she was perfect.

I think it's wonderful that Australia as a country is so proud of Mary -- it must be a great feeling for Mary to know that her (birth) country is behind her.

But then I think what likely happened giving the impression that Mary gave a lot more interviews than she did was that media outlets took excerpts from her VOGUE, DANSK and Women's Daily (or whatever that other magazine was), and the TV or newspaper interview she gave and made it seem like she gave 50 interviews instead of just five or so.

This happens to many public people, whether it be the head of a government, a celebrity or some other major public figure, one interview leads to endless sound clips and quotes repeated in other media sources as if they interviewd the person personally.

So, if this is the case (and I suspect that it is at least partly), Mary -- nor her advisors or the Danish royal court -- be to blame for the zealousness of Australian media sources.

Afterall, it could be worst -- the Australian media sources could be zealous to bring Mary down rather than support her.

 

[Aotearoagal]

What bothered me was the overkill. Almost every single Australian report referred to him as half-Aussie. Almost nobody refers to Alexandra's children, Nicholai and Felix, as half-Chinese. of Greece. I could go on and on but I think you understand what I mean.

That'd be because Christian is the heir to the throne and Alexandra's children aren't, so having an Australian King of Denmark was a really fun idea for the Australian press, while nobody would be much interested in the offspring of the younger sibling of the Crown Prince of Denmark.

Also, Hong Kong is not a place with a royalist culture, is it? Would anyone much in Hong Kong think about royals? I reckon they're too busy getting on with now being part of the People's Republic of China and getting ready to take over the world economically. In fact it would be much more strategic for Denmark to "own" and promote its part-Chinese princes, given that the trade aspect of royal tours is so important these days as a justification... Who knows? That Chinese connection may come to the fore one day and be noticed!

Aotearoagal

 

[Australis]

Not every Australian likes mary!!! There are the few who like her and there are other few who dislike her. She is pretty boring and artificial to be a real OZ!

 

[carlota]

after reading all the comments i think we can all agree on something: we need time to judge mary. it's a little bit too soon to know how she is doing as a princess, for the ones who say she is doing perfectly and for thoe who said they don't like how she is dealing with being princess. only time will tell. grand queens and princesses are known along history, as they made a difference, isabel of castilla and aragon, queen of the bigest empire along history, empress sissi of austria or lady di. it's in mary's hands to make a difference and i guess if she does we will see it some time soon.

i also agree with ysbel and alexandria that the press is giving an obsessive and strange image of her, that none of the princesses in other houses had when they married.

 

[Aussie Princess]

I'm not really sure what to make of them. it's odd. I can't really decide where I stand on this one

 

[Alexandria]

Not every Australian likes mary!!! There are the few who like her and there are other few who dislike her. She is pretty boring and artificial to be a real OZ!

I'd be interested in hearing more about this -- how the Australian public feels about Mary. I suppose that what I've read has been about Australia/Mary has soley been on royal message boards and 99% of what I've read has given me the impression that the whole of Australia loves and supports Mary in her new role, and that she is Australia's daughter.

I realize that what I've read is partial -- both from those articles chosen to be posted at royal forums and that I've read only a small portion of the Australian media, and that those media sources are all pro-Mary just as news sources in other countries are pro-monarchy and others are not.

I think that if others saw some more rounded views of Mary from Australia, it might change the minds of some that think Mary has been made too perfect by the press -- that there exist more objective views of Mary, and therefore that she is human like all of us.

 

[Warren]

I think that if others saw some more rounded views of Mary from Australia, it might change the minds of some that think Mary has been made too perfect by the press -- that there exist more objective views of Mary, and therefore that she is human like all of us.

The Australian media is overwhelmingly positive. Not all are as gushing as the weekly magazines of course, but still you would be hard-pressed to find negative stories. Earlier on the magazines tried the Mary vs Alexandra line, but soon dropped it, and more recently there was something about Mary vs Queen Margrethe, but that went nowhere.
As to a more objective view... you'd probably have as much success as finding an objective view of the Queen Mother.

From this distance we seem to be interested in domestic details... Mary and Frederik, Mary and Christian, what she's wearing, how she's going. I don't think too many people would be interested in a debate about "has Mary done too many interviews?" or "was appearing in Vogue a mistake?" The Denton interview was one of the most-watched TV shows of last year, and the Vogue issue one of that magazine's biggest sellers. The two major weekly magazines both had Christening Specials.

Everyone loves a romance, a 'fairytale', palaces, jewels, a wedding, a baby... and when it comes to one of ours, Mary has it sewn up. The tide may well turn, but not yet.

 

[Christo's Girl]

I always find it interesting when people talk about Prince Christian having Australian blood in him. Mary's parents are Scottish and Mary herself is a first generation Australian. I also find it intersting that Christian indeed has more Scottish blood than Danish blood in him.

 

[ysbel]

Also, Hong Kong is not a place with a royalist culture, is it? Would anyone much in Hong Kong think about royals? I reckon they're too busy getting on with now being part of the People's Republic of China and getting ready to take over the world economically.

Interesting point, Aoteraroagal so I did some research. Hong Kong does seem interested in Alexandra. Her divorce was front page news in Hong Kong as well as Denmark. Mostly the press she receives highlights the diplomatic trips and events she makes in connection with Southest Asia. Like the Australian coverage of Mary it highlights Alexandra's connection to Southeast Asia but in a more formal and respectful manner. Other than saying she is Hong Kong-born they don't make a big deal out of where she came from. They make a big deal of what she's doing and since her missions involve children they ask her about her children.

Here I think the difference is not so much that Mary is married to the heir of the throne as it is the differences between the Australian and Hong Kong media. The Hong Kong media seem more polite and restrained overall while the Australian media is more extrovert and exuberant. Now that I think of it, that described the differences between the Hong Kong and Australian girls I went to the university with. The Hong Kong girls were a lot more demure and the Australians were more peppy. Sure, you'll find peppy and vivacious Hong Kong girls and shy Australians but overall I think the tone of the media may reflect differences in the culture.

That still doesn't explain why the Argentinians aren't going crazy over Maxima. The Argentines are a very passionate nation and there is some interest in Maxima but it doesn't seem a lot, at least from what I can find.

Oddly enough, I think that Mary may be one of those shy Australians - or if not shy, at least reserved - but her press coverage is not. There are a lot of contradictions around Mary but I don't think they are contradictions within Mary herself. She projects a rather consistent image. Rather I see it as a contradiction between Mary herself and her press coverage and also between Mary the person and her role as princess.

It makes her very interesting to watch because I want to see what she makes of all of it.

 

[Marengo]

That still doesn't explain why the Argentinians aren't going crazy over Maxima. The Argentines are a very passionate nation and there is some interest in Maxima but it doesn't seem a lot, at least from what I can find.

We might have less Argentinians here to share these things with us + most of us can not read spanish, so the argentinian articles are not as widespread as the australian ones on this board, maybe. I have seen several pictures of Maxima and her family almost haunted by paparazzi in Buenos Aires. In fact, that is the reason Maxima didn't visit Argentina for quite a while.

But in all those years, untill her last visit Maxima never ever gave an interview to the argentinian press (and only one personal interview to the dutch public station, with her future husband before her marriage). The two interviews to newspapers she did give were in December and about Microcredit only. As we can see in a thread of this visit there were a lot of people cheering Maxima during these visits and they were veru enthausiastic to (on television anyway).

A reason which might be a factor in this can also be that Maxima was regarded as a member of the establishment, and not 'one of us', as her father was a minister and the difference between poor and rich in Argentina is bigger then in Australia. But after her last visit I believe the press made some comparisations with Evita already. I suppose she will get a lot of Argentinian attention when she joins the Queen for a state visit to Argentina in March.

 

[Princess Maxima]

February 9, 2006: The Crown Princess will preside over the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair at the Bella Center.

Again a fashion fair?

I think Mary is a great princess and i like her very much, but i wonder when she'll start "doing something for Denmark", helping people, i dont know...just like other crwonprincesses: Mathilde, Màxima and Victoria(they dont spend the hole day going to fashion fairs )

 

[soCal girl]

I think a princess promoting fashion has a stigma attatched to it. Why is it bad? Fashion helps the economic cycle go around. Maybe those designers need Mary's support otherwise they would be no-name designers going nowhere. BTW, she just had a baby and is probably very tired. If she did something that other people call more "worthy" she might not be able to give them 100%. Yes, I would like Mary to do other things than fashion but to compare her to Crown princess Victoria (who I love) is like comparing apples to oranges. Victoria has no husband or child and is younger than Mary which might enable her to do other sorts of official duties.

 

[pollyemma]

I think a princess promoting fashion has a stigma attatched to it. Why is it bad? Fashion helps the economic cycle go around. Maybe those designers need Mary's support otherwise they would be no-name designers going nowhere. BTW, she just had a baby and is probably very tired. If she did something that other people call more "worthy" she might not be able to give them 100%. Yes, I would like Mary to do other things than fashion but to compare her to Crown princess Victoria (who I love) is like comparing apples to oranges. Victoria has no husband or child and is younger than Mary which might enable her to do other sorts of official duties.

of course there is nothing wrong with her supporting her country's fashion. that is a very appropriate thing for her to do. but-whether rightly or wrongly-an impression has been created that she focuses more on fashion than on her "high fiber" patronages like mental health.

 

[soCal girl]

An impression has been cast on Mary that she focuses primarily on fashion than other patronages such as mental health which is unfortunate. She may be working very hard for those other patronages in her office and doesn't need to make photo appearance at these places and waste their time. Sitting by a runway is probably easier for her to promote fashion than working in her office (for fashion).

 

[tiff_tiff_tiff2000]

It is her job to attend these fashion events as she is a patron to CIFF. So if she doesn't attend these fashion events, she is not doing her job.

 

[UserDane]

Again a fashion fair?

As Tiff Tiff Tiff2000 says this is the CIFF (Copenhagen International Fashion Fair - see http://www.ciff.dk/english/exhibitors/about+ciff). This is said to be one of the largest Northern European fashion fairs and since the industry has a patron in Denmark this is definitely the event for the patron to make an appearance at.


​

 

[Jane1]

I think Australia has a tendency to sentimentalise Australians who are overseas and to encourage those expat Australians to feel sentimental about their homeland. Hong Kong is more pragmatic!
Mary fits right into this, with much of the press coverage being of the "mary makes us proud" tone. Also her inclination to honour her heritage by Australian flowers, wine etc.
I think we hear much more about Mary visiting fashion events because there are good photos to go with it. She has sought out less fashionable but desperately important causes such as mental health and I fully expect her to continue to serve these causes.
(my first post here and it is nice to see names I recognise from other boards!)

 

[norwegianne]

Welcome, Jane1.

I agree with you on the press coverage of the fashion fairs. There are, presumably, more photographers at CIFF as they're there to record the fashions, in addition to Mary, than would be at a Mental Health Event.

 

[Little_star]

"To even have a thread entitled "What bothers you about Mary and Fred" is so leading and it is just starting the negativity"

I don't think it's a leading title. There are plenty of people who don't buy into all the hype surrounding this couple, so it's only fair that there be 1 thread where they can express their views.

 

[Christo's Girl]

Mental health isn't a nice photo oppertunity, fashion shows are. Photographers are going to take the pictures that sell for example Mary looking stylish at fashion shows. Mary meeting a person with a mental disease is not "sexy" and does not sell. Very simple.

 

[Australian]

"To even have a thread entitled "What bothers you about Mary and Fred" is so leading and it is just starting the negativity"

I don't think it's a leading title. There are plenty of people who don't buy into all the hype surrounding this couple, so it's only fair that there be 1 thread where they can express their views.

Only one thread? no, a handful of people express their views regarding how they dont buy into this couple everywhere on this board- which they have every right to . Its not like this is the first thread.

 

[Marengo]

of course there is nothing wrong with her supporting her country's fashion. that is a very appropriate thing for her to do. but-whether rightly or wrongly-an impression has been created that she focuses more on fashion than on her "high fiber" patronages like mental health.

Agreed, and as Christo's girl more or less pointed out, because these visits attract so much attention, her other causes do not. So a re-focus might be handy, if it bothers her/the court (if not, and this is the image she and the court want the crownprincess to have + the main cause they want to highlight, they should continue on this path).