What is your opinion of Frederik and Mary

[johann]

I'm really surprised to read this. Did I miss something? Critics on Princess Máxima? Are you sure? The only critics were about her father, Jorge Horacio Zorreguieta, who was a minister in the Argentinean government under the brutal military junta.

Yes, I think you missed something or probably overlooked it. For example: There is criticism about Willem-Alexander´s and Maxima´s expensive flights; about Maxima´s absence in the “Raad van State” (=state council); there are articles about Maxima being arrogant and short-tempered in serious dutch newspapers and even the prestigious German news magazine “Der Spiegel” bashed her for wearing expensive designer clothes while visiting slums in South America. Maxima is no blank paper.
But back to Fredrik and Mary.

 

[TonyaR]

Ive tried to read this thread many times and have been shocked again and again. And iam still shocked by its continuation.
I know it been said several times, but the critizisme of Mary Ive witnessed here does not present itself in Denmark.
She shops too much? Imelda Marcos? She's not doing enough work?
The money is not an issue...yes, the Danes "pay" for the royal family. But the state here also pays for hospitals, roads, public service, schools, churches and bums on the streets..the DRF are not the only people on the state payroll. So am i....
Mary does her job and does it well...no one here can know the extent of her involvement in her charities...But we must keep in mind that it is impossible to care for everyone all the time.
There are many commoners as CP's, but none of them are "common".

Ctejnoe,

I am in total agreement with your post, and I am not surprised that the Danish people like Mary. She actually seems to be a likable person.

Most of the media/publicity I've seen about her and Frederick does seem to sort of fawn over them as a romantic couple and over her as a princess in particular, but IMO she doesn't give me the impression of a person who is constantly shopping for new clothes and shoes etc. because she obviously recycles her clothes.

If you look at the Current Activities calendar on the DRF website and go through the months of this year, you can see that she has had an extremely busy schedule of visits, speeches, appearances, etc for this year. http://www.kronprinsparret.dk/2000f/Year/2006

She also doesn't give me the impression of a person who is constantly seeking publicity and recognition to feed her ego. I do believe that there has been an oversaturation of Mary and Frederick in the world Media, and as mentioned on this board before this has lead people to feel disdain for Mary as a person and a Crown Princess, but that's not her fault because the media is not under her control.

When she's asked to do a photo shoot, a publicity outing or an interview, I sincerely doubt that she can refuse unless she wants to seem antisocial, stuck-up, uncooperative or lazy.

She probably does all of the smiling that she does in pictures so that she can project the image of a pleasant, likable princess who is enjoying what she is doing. Who wants to look at someone who is unhappy and unsmiling? By keeping a smiling face she avoids nasty comments from the press saying that she is dour, unapproachable or mean.

I've also seen many posts that say she married for the money or the fame, but why is it so impossible that she married because she was in love? Just because Frederick is a prince doesn't mean he is an unlovable guy. I think he's cute and athletic looking, and he and Mary seem to be well suited to one another (temperament wise). He seems happy with his choice of wife, and so does his family.

Obviously, she must have some likeable qualities as a person in addition to her pretty looks for so many people to be fond of her. I have seen remarks posted about her intelligence (or lack thereof), but since her father is a University Professor of Applied Mathematics and her stepmother is a published author (her real mother was the Executive Assistant to the Vice Chancellor of the U of Tasmania) http://www.kronprinsparret.dk/ac000c
and she herself has a Bachelor's Degree of Commerce and Law, I assume that she is smart enough to perform her duties as Crown Princess.

I know that if I were a Crown Princess, I would go out and shop for clothes, shoes, etc. just as much as I liked! There has to be some sort of compensation for living in a public media fishbowl! Being royalty has provided a certain level of comfort, prestige, and privilege to its' members for thousands of years and we've been tolerating it for this long, WHY should it have to stop because Mary smiles at a camera too often?

 

[Henri M.]

Yes, I think you missed something or probably overlooked it. For example: There is criticism about Willem-Alexander´s and Maxima´s expensive flights; about Maxima´s absence in the “Raad van State” (=state council); there are articles about Maxima being arrogant and short-tempered in serious dutch newspapers and even the prestigious German news magazine “Der Spiegel” bashed her for wearing expensive designer clothes while visiting slums in South America. Maxima is no blank paper.
But back to Fredrik and Mary.

Yes: I missed that. I have read that the royal plane was too infrequently used and that all the use fits in the new agreements anno 2001. The 'Raad van State' is just a seat by courteoisie: they have no right to vote, just are given 'entrance' to the council. I see no added value of an native Spanish-speaking economist amidst old grey eminent jurists discussing laws in the council. The arrogant and short-tempered part came from Argentineans who said Máxima is a typical product of the Buenos Aires bourgeoisie. (The story of someone who sits on a horse can only look down). And I have no problem with the Princess' spending habits as these are her own business. I have not seen her with Versace, Chanel and the Stuart Tiara in a slum, so it must be taken with a grain of salt.

And now back to Mary.

 

[johann]

Yes: I missed that. I have read that the royal plane was too infrequently used and that all the use fits in the new agreements anno 2001. The 'Raad van State' is just a seat by courteoisie: they have no right to vote, just are given 'entrance' to the council. I see no added value of an native Spanish-speaking economist amidst old grey eminent jurists discussing laws in the council. The arrogant and short-tempered part came from Argentineans who said Máxima is a typical product of the Buenos Aires bourgeoisie. (The story of someone who sits on a horse can only look down). And I have no problem with the Princess' spending habits as these are her own business. I have not seen her with Versace, Chanel and the Stuart Tiara in a slum, so it must be taken with a grain of salt.

And now back to Mary.

I’m sorry but you didn’t get the point. You suggested that there are only critical remarks about her father’s role in Argentina. And this is obviously wrong. There are many other negative utterances about Maxima and I only listed a few. Your response has revealed that you know them very well. The point is not if the criticism is justified – the point is that there is criticism. And you have to deal with this, even if you disagree. With this point of view of yours I’m really surprised that you were able to notice the criticism against Mathilde.
And since we are referring to the same newspaper article: it was a Dutch banker, who characterized Maxima as short-tempered. Furthermore, if the state council is this irrelevant for royal members, I’m surprised that Prince Claus took the trouble to participate.

 

[Mandy]

Please let's get back on topic... that of Frederik and Mary.

Thanks for your co-operation.

Mandy
Danish Forum Moderator

 

[Ctejnoe]

TonyaR: that was the first time anyone has replied to a post ive written (iam kinda new)...Yaay, that was fun! thanks!
Iam a student and i WISH i could shop for cool clothes and shoes the way Mary does..sigh....i dont view the shopping as a character flaw, iam just plain old jelous
But since i pay taxes and that in turn pays for the royal family, i'll just consider her sweet Prada pumps my own. At least spiritually......

 

[TonyaR]

TonyaR: that was the first time anyone has replied to a post ive written (iam kinda new)...Yaay, that was fun! thanks!
Iam a student and i WISH i could shop for cool clothes and shoes the way Mary does..sigh....i dont view the shopping as a character flaw, iam just plain old jelous
But since i pay taxes and that in turn pays for the royal family, i'll just consider her sweet Prada pumps my own. At least spiritually......

Ctejnoe,
Your welcome! I am happy to be the first to reply to your post !! Although I am not as new to this board as you I have not been posting very long either!
I agree, to me also shopping is not a character flaw, and even though I'm not a student, I am jealous also of the way Mary gets to shop.
What woman would not like to afford new things? But at least you get to share her designer outfits and shoes through the taxes you pay.... LOL

It's nice to hear the opinion of person who is a true dane, and who has the 'inside' scoop on the people's real opinion of their Crown Princess.

Does she seem nice when she greets the peoples, or is she a person who seems to stand apart from everyone and only smiles when she has to?

The reason I like Mary as a princess is because all of the pictures I have seen of her show a pleasant person who seems to be enjoying her life and her family, and she and Prince Frederick seem to keep a very active schedule of appearances and interactions with the public.

I like that, because my work keeps me very busy but I enjoy my life and my family too.

 

[lise]

Ctejnoe,

I am in total agreement with your post, and I am not surprised that the Danish people like Mary. She actually seems to be a likable person.

Most of the media/publicity I've seen about her and Frederick does seem to sort of fawn over them as a romantic couple and over her as a princess in particular, but IMO she doesn't give me the impression of a person who is constantly shopping for new clothes and shoes etc. because she obviously recycles her clothes.

If you look at the Current Activities calendar on the DRF website and go through the months of this year, you can see that she has had an extremely busy schedule of visits, speeches, appearances, etc for this year. http://www.kronprinsparret.dk/2000f/Year/2006

She also doesn't give me the impression of a person who is constantly seeking publicity and recognition to feed her ego. I do believe that there has been an oversaturation of Mary and Frederick in the world Media, and as mentioned on this board before this has lead people to feel disdain for Mary as a person and a Crown Princess, but that's not her fault because the media is not under her control.

When she's asked to do a photo shoot, a publicity outing or an interview, I sincerely doubt that she can refuse unless she wants to seem antisocial, stuck-up, uncooperative or lazy.

She probably does all of the smiling that she does in pictures so that she can project the image of a pleasant, likable princess who is enjoying what she is doing. Who wants to look at someone who is unhappy and unsmiling? By keeping a smiling face she avoids nasty comments from the press saying that she is dour, unapproachable or mean.

I've also seen many posts that say she married for the money or the fame, but why is it so impossible that she married because she was in love? Just because Frederick is a prince doesn't mean he is an unlovable guy. I think he's cute and athletic looking, and he and Mary seem to be well suited to one another (temperament wise). He seems happy with his choice of wife, and so does his family.

Obviously, she must have some likeable qualities as a person in addition to her pretty looks for so many people to be fond of her. I have seen remarks posted about her intelligence (or lack thereof), but since her father is a University Professor of Applied Mathematics and her stepmother is a published author (her real mother was the Executive Assistant to the Vice Chancellor of the U of Tasmania) http://www.kronprinsparret.dk/ac000c
and she herself has a Bachelor's Degree of Commerce and Law, I assume that she is smart enough to perform her duties as Crown Princess.

I know that if I were a Crown Princess, I would go out and shop for clothes, shoes, etc. just as much as I liked! There has to be some sort of compensation for living in a public media fishbowl! Being royalty has provided a certain level of comfort, prestige, and privilege to its' members for thousands of years and we've been tolerating it for this long, WHY should it have to stop because Mary smiles at a camera too often?

TonyaR excellent post I agree with u

Ctejnoe Thanks for posting. Most of the opinion on this thread seems to be from non Danish members so I'm gald there's some opinion from a Danish member

 

[HenrikaB]

From all the pictures that I have seen, Frederik ofttimes looks at her with love in his eyes. Thus, it would appear that he simply adores her and worships the ground she walks on. There obviously must be something about Mary. Lucky woman!

 

[juliana]

I think the Australian and Danish media put Mary on a pedestal that was too high and too unrealistic. There wasn't anything Mary could do about this happening of course, as it was all happening separate from her, but I do see the point about over saturation of a Mary media world.

I think you are correct about the pedestal but that was also encouraged by Mary herself. Whether she had permission from the Danish Royal Family or not there was the promotion by her in the TV interviews and magazine articles. That is a unique situation for a new royal and I think that is why there are many people who do not respect that. I actually think she has realised that what she has done wass innapropriate and she has played a much lower figure recently. Unfortunately, with the media, the higher the pedestal the bigger the fall.

 

[Australian]

I think you are correct about the pedestal but that was also encouraged by Mary herself. Whether she had permission from the Danish Royal Family or not there was the promotion by her in the TV interviews and magazine articles. That is a unique situation for a new royal and I think that is why there are many people who do not respect that. I actually think she has realised that what she has done wass innapropriate and she has played a much lower figure recently. Unfortunately, with the media, the higher the pedestal the bigger the fall.

Well it is obvious that the media had asked Mary for interviews and published articles and pictures but could you imagine what people would think if she, or the DRF turned them down? They would accuse her of being snobby and distant, I am very sure of that.

I think the media put her on the pedestal (and I agree that she is put on a pedestal which is not ideal) and not Mary herself.

 

[crisscross1]

Well it is obvious that the media had asked Mary for interviews and published articles and pictures but could you imagine what people would think if she, or the DRF turned them down? They would accuse her of being snobby and distant, I am very sure of that.

I think the media put her on the pedestal (and I agree that she is put on a pedestal which is not ideal) and not Mary herself.

I totally agree with the fact that she is on a pedastal, but like Australian, I don't think Mary would have intended for it to happen. Would she have had to have permission from her husband and the DRF to give interviews and have pictures taken? Probably. So any attention she has been getting would be with their knowledge and blessing. A lot of the pictures are taken during their day to day lives, such as their recent holidays on the beach with family and friends can hardly be attention seeking on her part. I wonder how sick she gets having the media constantly lurking behind every sand dune.
The latest addition of a woman's magazine in Aust states that Mary may never concieve another child naturally I really don't think that would be an interview she would have given. I think she looks good on her pedastal.

 

[highpriestess]

Well it is obvious that the media had asked Mary for interviews and published articles and pictures but could you imagine what people would think if she, or the DRF turned them down?

Why not? Other royals turn down such requests day in and day out. You don't think Mary is the only royal who has received such requests, do you?

The only other royal who agreed to do fashion shoots - instead of official portraits - was Diana, after her divorce. But even Diana didn't "model" for designers. She wore her own clothes. Mary was the only royal who came to mind modeling designers' creation in fashion shoots for commercial purpose, not to mention accepting freebie designer clothes for such shoots. She commercialized her position.

 

[ortino]

I think Mary makes the crown prince happy. He had (from what it seems) a very unhappy childhood and all my Danish friends comment on the fact they have never seen their crown prince happier-and this stems from 40 something women to 20 something men. so that is something positive regardless of the other issues.

 

[Australian]

Why not? Other royals turn down such requests day in and day out. You don't think Mary is the only royal who has received such requests, do you?
.

I never said that Mary is the only one who received requests, can you please tell me where I said that? I used Mary's name only because this thread is about her

And how do you know other royals turn down these requests day in and day out? I'm sure they do, but is it fact? Maybe some other royals don't get asked as much as Mary for interviews and such.

In addition, I do not think she has commercialised her position on any level. IMO

 

[fandesacs2003]

Ctejnoe,

The reason I like Mary as a princess is because all of the pictures I have seen of her show a pleasant person who seems to be enjoying her life and her family, and she and Prince Frederick seem to keep a very active schedule of appearances and interactions with the public.

I like that, because my work keeps me very busy but I enjoy my life and my family too.

ABSOLUTELY agree

This is the main reason i LOVE Mary. She had a very big chance in her life, OK, but she knows how to enjoy this luck, she is happy and she shows it. She respects people who love her, and she desserves well this role. She never looks ennoyed, or tired or fed up, she shows people that their adoration is well put, and people feel that, this is why they love her, it is not just only because she is pretty.

I remember I read that when for the first time she showed her baby, after the hospital scene, people were also waiting for them at the castle. Frederic wanted just to pass fast through the entrance, but Mary told him not to disappoint all this people waiting for them, and she stayed more longer to show the baby, despite that she had a very difficult delivery
This is very nice

 

[soCal girl]

Why not? Other royals turn down such requests day in and day out. You don't think Mary is the only royal who has received such requests, do you?

The only other royal who agreed to do fashion shoots - instead of official portraits - was Diana, after her divorce. But even Diana didn't "model" for designers. She wore her own clothes. Mary was the only royal who came to mind modeling designers' creation in fashion shoots for commercial purpose, not to mention accepting freebie designer clothes for such shoots. She commercialized her position.

Mary did those fashion shoots and interviews at the beginning of her marriage. She has now been married for over two years and had a son less than a year ago. I still don't understand why Mary is still paying the price for what she did in the beginning when she was inexperienced as Crown Princess. Mary obviously hasn't done a fashion spread recently.

 

[Alexandria]

And how do you know other royals turn down these requests day in and day out? I'm sure they do, but is it fact? Maybe some other royals don't get asked as much as Mary for interviews and such.

Queen Elizabeth II regularly, daily even, gets requests for interviews. Especially this past year with it being her 80th birthday and whenever historical milestones occur for events she has lived through, such as the 50th anniversary of VE Day or the like. She has never given a single interview.

Princess Diana, before and after her marriage to Prince Charles regularly got requests for interviews from publications around the world.

The Duchess of Cornwall, and even her friends, have received requests for interviews before and after her marriage to Prince Charles.

Princes William and Harry regularly get requests for interviews and photoshoots, especially after their mother's death and in the run up to Charles marrying Camilla.

An American fashion magazine contacted the Administrators here some time ago about a story they were working on about Princess Letizia, thinking that we might have some pull with Casa Real as they requested an interview and the Spanish royal court said no.

Last week I was contacted by a colleague who wanted to know how she could contact the Norwegian royal court for an interview with Mette-Marit in conjunction with her participation in the AIDS conference in Toronto this month.

I have not read, but I would lay good money that Albert, Caroline and Stephanie of Monaco (and probably Caroline's older kids, too) get requests for interviews regularly, as do Victoria, Carl Phillip and Madeleine of Sweden, Masako of Japan or Maxima of the Netherlands.

All royals get requests for interviews, I'm sure. The difference is in whether they accept such requests or not. Sometimes it's a matter of protocol -- some royal courts are very open to interviews such as the Danish royal court or the Jordanian royal court (King Hussain gave an interview to Vanity Fair and to Barbara Walters following his cancer treatments at the Mayo Clinic with Queen Noor), and some royal courts are strictly against such interviews, such as the Spanish royal court. Other royal courts fall somewhere in the middle, such as the Norwegian royal court, who will grant access to their royals for interviews during special milestones such as this year's centennial celebrations or when one of the royals has a pet cause that they wish to promote. None of the practices are right or wrong, simply a matter of what works and what doesn't in each court.

The only other royal who agreed to do fashion shoots - instead of official portraits - was Diana, after her divorce. But even Diana didn't "model" for designers. She wore her own clothes.

I don't know if they actually wore their own clothes, but several other royals come to mind who have done fashion shoots for magazines: Rania of Jordan, the Duchess of York and Princess Michael of Kent.

 

[lise]

Mary did those fashion shoots and interviews at the beginning of her marriage. She has now been married for over two years and had a son less than a year ago. I still don't understand why Mary is still paying the price for what she did in the beginning when she was inexperienced as Crown Princess. Mary obviously hasn't done a fashion spread recently.

Well said soCal girl. I don't understand either.

 

[ZandraRae]

I agree with everyone who says Mary has done her job as Crown Princess great! Everytime we see her in magazines or on TV she has a smile on her face that will light up a room.

As for her marrying for money? I don't believe it for one second! As someone has said on here, I don't know who, when Frederick and Mary look at each other, it's done with so much love! They seem to be two people who are very much in love.

 

[Thi]

Why is that eveyone keep saying that Mary married for money? If you married a rich guy, does that automatically make you a gold digger, no. Then why doesnt this theory apply to Mary?

 

[PrincessDianafan]

They are a very loving and good looking couple.

 

[sashajones]

I see them as the new Chuck and Di.

 

[HenrikaB]

I see them as the new Chuck and Di.

Interesting comment.

In what way are they the new Chuck and Di? Did he not love her when married her? Do you think history will repeat itself, etc.?

 

[UserDane]

Interesting comment.

In what way are they the new Chuck and Di? Did he not love her when married her? Do you think history will repeat itself, etc.?

IMO there is no more reason to expect that Charles and Diana's history should be replayed for Frederik and Mary than for any of the other CP couples around nowadays. I don't know why anyone would think that - unless influenced by the warped imaginations running wild at sites dedicated to unsavory comments and the belittlement of Frederik and particularly Mary.

If Fred didn't love Mary, why go to the other side of the globe to choose a girl. Why not thrill royalists, feed the hungry royalist magazines and find a nice blue-blooded girl from DK or one of it's neighbouring countries. He didn't and for a very simple reason if you ask me.
​

 

[HenrikaB]

Pardon, I live in a free society where people have been granted the inalienable rights of freedom of thought and freedom of speech; hence, my posting.

Also, people marry for different reasons, alas, it is not always about love, and only the parties involved know the real reason; and there are cases where they even hide this from each other. Furthemore, lest you jump to conclusions, my statement in no way implies anything about Frederik and Mary's marriage. It is a general statement on the reasons for marriage. Only Fred and Mary know why they married, and I don't pretend to know that reason.

Finally, I did not make a statement in my initial post; I only asked the questions in an attempt to better understand the following post:

I see them as the new Chuck and Di.

 

[UserDane]

I didn't understand the comment about Chuck and Di either.

I think Joachim and Alexandra's marriage proved how difficult it is to assess the felicity of a couple which are often in the media.
​

 

[HenrikaB]

I didn't understand the comment about Chuck and Di either.

I think Joachim and Alexandra's marriage proved how difficult it is to assess the felicity of a couple which are often in the media.
​

I agree. It has been duly noted that the day prior to their separation announcement, Joachim and Alexandra attended an event and looked the part of the perfectly happy couple. Thus, I am fully aware that things aren't always what they seem. Therefore, in my personal life, I always reserve judgement, and try not to jump to conclusions unless I have "hard" evidence. But I am more lenient with myself on this type of forum and I do/will make comments that are intended as jokes and are not meant to offend anyone.

Also, I enjoy studying human behaviour, thus, I always like to find out what people think; why people feel/think the way they do; what motivates them; what's the basis for their reasoning; etc. It is probably my greatest pastime.

Well, enough about me. I'm sure you didn't want to hear all that!:mrgreen:

 

[UserDane]

Of course I want to hear it - that's the best part of these discussion boards!

 

[juliana]

If Fred didn't love Mary, why go to the other side of the globe to choose a girl. Why not thrill royalists, feed the hungry royalist magazines and find a nice blue-blooded girl from DK or one of it's neighbouring countries. He didn't and for a very simple reason if you ask me.
​

It has amused me why there aren't enough Danish spouses for the royal family. All the Danes I know, for the most part, are very nice people. I would have thought that there would have been plenty of suitable men and women, after all, Denmark even has its own aristocracy.
Marrying outside the country was the historical pattern but the main intent was to create new alliances - it does seem unusual today however. The 4 year relationship is also, I believe, the longest out of all the present day hereditary princes ( though we know that in the past Sonia had to wait 9 years for permission to marry and Camilla even longer).