NordenBladet — The world’s largest sandcastle has been built in Denmark, beating the previously tallest sandcastle as recognized by the Guinness World Records by more than three meters.
The sandcastle was built in the Danish town, Blokhus, and reaches 21.16 meters in height, comprising almost 5,000 tonnes of sand.
According to Guinness World Records, Denmark’s winning sandcastle beat the previous title holder built in Germany by three meters.
It was noted that a total of 4,860 tonnes of sand makes up the impressive construction and is said to resemble Blokhus’ pyramid located in the middle of the small town. The sandcastle contains roughly ten percent clay and a layer of glue on top to keep it sturdy throughout the autumn and winter conditions.
The sandcastle also features local landmarks, including beach houses and lighthouses, which is said to have delighted Blokhus residents. The sandcastle is expected to be in place until February or March 2022, when the town’s heavy frost sets in.
NordenBladet —Earlier this week, a report has shown that Denmark’s central bank was compromised during the global SolarWinds hacking operation in 2020, leaving a “backdoor” to its network open for seven months.
It was noted that the hackers were unusually sophisticated and created modified code in SolarWinds’ network management software, which was downloaded globally by 18,000 customers. The hackers then used this information to create a backdoor for potential continued access, including the Danish central bank.
U.S. security firm Fire Eye discovered that a backdoor stood open at the Danish central bank for seven months.
The bank told Reuters that there were “no signs that the attack had any real consequences”, despite managing transactions worth billions of dollars each day.
Additionally, The SolarWinds attack hit Denmark’s financial infrastructure. However, those systems that were compromised were contained and analyzed once the hit was made apparent.
NordenBladet —According to the auction house, Bruuns Rasmussen in Copenhagen, Denmark’s first-ever banknote produced was sold for just over 22,800 Euros (170,000 Danish Kroner) on Monday evening.
It was noted that the banknote was previously estimated to be worth between 60,000-80,000 Kroner, which lead to a surprise for some when the final selling price hit 170,000 Kroner.
The note issued in 1713 holds significant historical value as it was the first time in Denmark that money no longer needed to be silver or gold but could also be made using paper. It was labeled as being in good condition, with clear signatures, both printed and handwritten value statements.
Danish king Frederik IV issued the note after Denmark’s involvement in the Great Nordic War against Sweden.
Before this, Denmark and Norway had been using silver coins to exchange and cover funds for expenses for the war. Denmark followed the model used in France and issued paper money by the state.
NordenBladet – Prince Christian of Denmark’s confirmation has been scheduled for May; it had originally been due to take place last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced its postponement.
The future monarch’s confirmation will take place on 15 May at Fredensborg Palace Church. It will begin at 15.00 and be officiated by Chaplain-in-Ordinary, bishop Henrik Wigh-Poulsen.
The Royal House announced that it will be celebrated privately afterwards due to the pandemic.
Both Christian’s grandmother, Queen Margrethe, and father, Crown Prince Frederik, were confirmed into the Church of Denmark at Fredensborg Palace Church.
Prince Christian’s godparents are Prince Joachim of Denmark, his paternal uncle; Jane Stephens, his maternal aunt; Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway; Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden; Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece; and Jeppe Handwerk and Hamish Campbell, friends of his parents.
Due to the pandemic and travel restrictions, it is unknown which godparents will be able to attend the confirmation ceremony. More information regarding the religious ceremony will be released in due course.
Prince Christian, the eldest child of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, was born on 15 October 2005 and is second in line to the Danish throne. He was christened on 21 January 2006 in Christiansborg Palace Chapel.
NordenBladet – Copenhagen Airport (CPH) and its airlines have announced that they have “struck an agreement” that they believe will provide the necessary commercial framework for a restart of traffic and the route network at the Danish gateway.
The agreement sets out prices and incentives for flying to and from CPH over the coming years following the acceptance that previously agreed fees were no longer realistic.
It admits that in 2018 when it concluded a four-year charges agreement with the airlines for using CPH’s infrastructure, no one could have foreseen that a global pandemic would ground aircraft, “completely changing the conditions applying to the aviation industry”.
In light of the COVID-19 crisis, therefore, CPH has negotiated an adjusted charges agreement that considers the new reality of aviation and creates a sound commercial framework for restarting the flows of incoming and outgoing traffic at CPH.
It notes that this is a restart which, in the short -term, will provide an incentive for the airlines to start up sooner and which, in the longer-term, will give CPH a better financial platform from which to build for the future.
“Being a responsible company, we’ve carefully reviewed all our operations and plans in light of the past year’s market collapse with supply in abundance but no demand,” explains Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports A/S.
“The revenue we derive from our core business – aircraft carrying passengers – is the key component of our financial performance, so it was very important for us to reach an agreement with our customers that’ll enable us to build on a new foundation post-corona.
“It’s necessary both for the airlines and for us to have a foundation providing a stable framework. The adjusted agreement provides clarity, which is absolutely essential. For the entire industry, from this point on, it’s all about getting the passengers back.”
The charges agreement has now been approved by the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority in a very efficient process that allows the agreement to take effect already now, in March 2021, and expire 31 December 2023.
The agreement sets out the charges for using the airport runways, terminals and services. Charges have been kept stable relative to historical rates so as to ensure predictability for all parties involved, thus considering the interests of both network carriers and the airlines using the GO terminal.
Combined with various adjustments to the existing incentive programmes and the implementation of a new incentive programme for selected intercontinental routes, the airport states that the adjusted agreement ensures that CPH will retain its competitive position as one of the cheapest major airports in Europe.
NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary has written the foreword to a book on maternal health in support of the Maternity Foundation, an organisation she has been involved with for over a decade.
It Should Not Cost Life to Give Life was published last fall, but Crown Princess Mary was only able to receive her copy on Tuesday due to the coronavirus pandemic.
She met with organisers Henriette Svarre Nielsen and Anna Frellsen and discussed the book, as well as the work they do to help prevent maternal mortality and infant mortality in developing countries.
“As a mother, I know how important and reassuring it is to have a midwife and other health staff, their knowledge and support by their side during both pregnancy and childbirth. But I am also painfully aware that this is far from reality for women in large parts of the world,” the Crown Princess wrote.
Per the publishers, It Should Not Cost Life to Give Life is the story of how the Maternity Foundation was formed—with “five idealistic women” sitting around a table who wanted to help out.
“Every two minutes around the clock, a woman dies from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. That’s more than 300,000 women a year, over 800 every day. Fortunately, there are some who work for their cause. For the Maternity Foundation, a sharp brain and a warm heart are not opposites of each other, but on the contrary, preconditions of each other. The organization creates digital tools and innovative training methods that the world’s midwives and obstetricians use in their daily lives. The focus is constantly on creating more health for women and children for less money, for the benefit of more and with technology as an aid,” the book’s blurb reads.
For every copy sold, 100 Danish kroner will be donated to the Maternity Foundation.
NordenBladet – The Danish Royal Court has announced that Denmark will have a new Lord Chamberlain. Kim Kristensen will take on the position after current chamberlain, Michael Ehrenreich, decided to retire from his post after six years of service. Michael Ehrenreich has chosen to arrange his departure so that his successor has time to plan for the 50th jubilee of The Queen’s reign in 2022.
Queen Marrgethe has expressed her warmest appreciation for Michael Ehrenreich’s attention to his duties as Lord Chamberlain. At the same time, The Queen has decorated Michael Ehrenreich with the Grand Cross of the Order of Dannebrog.
Her Majesty Queen Margrethe has named the Royal Danish House’s master of ceremonies, chamberlain Kim Kristensen, as the new Lord Chamberlain effective 1 April 2021. The new Lord Chamberlain, Kim Kristensen, has been the Royal Danish master of ceremonies since 2012 and, at that time, came from a position as defence attaché in Paris. Previously in his career, Kim Kristensen was the adjutant for the Queen and Prince Henrik, chief of staff of the Danish battalion in Kosovo, and chief of the Danish Force in Afghanistan. Kim Kristensen comes from the small Danish city of Vordingborg, he is married to Tine Kristensen and they have two sons together. In 2009, he was named Leader of the Year in Denmark and he has written several books on modern leadership.
The Lord Chamberlain of Denmark is the highest office of the Royal Household in Denmark and the most distinguished of the Chamberlains of the Royal Household. The title corresponds to the British title, Lord Chamberlain of the Household. The title gives precedence in the First Class in the Danish order precedence, and the bearer is thus entitled to the style “His Excellency”.
Being the Lord Chamberlain can be compared to being the CEO of a company. In this case, the company is the Royal House, which employs about 130 people. The Lord Chamberlain maintains close contact with Queen Margrethe about the court’s daily administration and is in charge of this year’s major events.
NordenBladet – Last year, the Danish Queen had to cancel her Easter holiday due to the coronavirus pandemic but this year, her traditional holiday will take place. Many Danes take this as a sign that things can go towards normality this year and the people in the part of Denmark where the Queen is usually on holiday are welcoming the news that their royal visitor is finally on her way back.
Queen Margrethe is ready preparing her Easter holiday and in just a few days Her Majesty will move to Aarhus to stay at Marselisborg Castle and celebrate the season as she usually does. Currently, Queen Margrethe is living at Fredensborg castle and locals have told the press that here they have several times observed the queen going for a walk with her dog and enjoying the first signs of spring.
According to the Royal Court calendar the Queen will be staying at Marselisborg Castle in Aarhus from Friday 26 March. Queen Margrethe has a tradition of celebrating the Easter holiday at Marselisborg, and Her Majesty is certainly looking forward to it. Last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Queen had to stay at Fredensborg Castle and refrain from going to Marselisborg. Last year, the cancellation took place at the same time as the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had to cancel their stay in Switzerland, just as the announcement that the Queen’s 80th birthday celebrations on 16 April were also cancelled.
Coronavirus restrictions are still in place for Queen Margrethe, the Danish Royal Family and the rest of Denmark, but as the Queen has been vaccinated, she can now travel freely within her country again. Margrethe also sometimes celebrates her birthday at Marselisborg, but not this year as Easter falls early and several days ahead of Margrethe’s big day on April 16. Still, the Easter holiday gives Queen Margrethe the opportunity to participate in the traditional Easter Service in Aarhus Cathedral, which she often attends.
NordenBladet – On Tuesday, history was written in Denmark when Queen Margrethe conducted the Council of State digitally for the first time. From the Council of State Hall at Christiansborg Palace in downtown Copenhagen, the Queen conducted the meeting Tuesday morning. At her side was Crown Prince Frederik. As in Norway and Sweden, it is also common in Denmark that the heir to the throne is a regular participant in the Council of State.
At Tuesday’s Council of State, more than 250 cases and 52 new laws were processed. The Danish Royal Court shared photos from the historic session on Facebook and Instagram, showing mother and son while talking to the Danish government via a large screen. Crown Prince Frederik brought his iPad with him while Queen Margrethe took her notes by hand.
Many people noticed a particular photo that was shared on Instagram. The picture showed Queen Margrethe’s writing tools which consisted of a writing set in silver and a red book marked “Council of State”. The last thing in the picture is a fairly ordinary, green marker, which, according to the Danish press, is supposed to be the Danish queen’s favourite writing tool. This fairly common pen is only used in work contexts. If the Queen is out on a public visit and will write in a guest book, she always has a gold ballpoint pen with her.
The Council of State is made up of all ministers in the government and is the government’s body where all laws and important government measures are dealt with. The main content of the meetings is to ratify the bills passed by the Parliament, as well as to present the bills to the Queen that the government intends to present in the future. Denmark is a bit late compared to the other Scandinavian monarchies. King Harald of Norway and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden have both carried out digital Council of State meetings through large parts of the pandemic.
NordenBladet – Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has visited the military camp of the Royal Danish Lifeguard in Copenhagen for a special tradition. Her Majesty started her visit, on March 17th, by attending an impressive military parade by several regiments from the Royal Lifeguard. The parade was completed with fewer people present than usual due to the situation with coronavirus.
Queen Margrethe was in a good mood, wearing an elegant royal blue outfit with a small hat. Representatives from the Danish Defence, some generals and members of the royal court participated in the event, which took place outdoors in sunny weather. A small pavilion, with a roof, had been made for the Queen.
Following the parade, Her Majesty handed over the prestigious “Queen’s Clock” to one guard for his exceptional service to the crown and his excellent companionship. The presentation of the “Queen’s Clock” to a soldier from the Royal Life Guard has been a tradition since 1970, when Frederik IX first handed over a clock at a parade. “The King’s Clock” changed its name to “The Queen’s Clock” at the change of throne in 1972, and Queen Margrethe has since continued the tradition.
It was soldier and royal guard, Jeppe Nørhave Illum, who received the 2021 clock. The “Queen’s Clock” is an honour bestowed on the guard selected by the guard company as the best of the service period at the end of the service. The guard is appointed by the superiors and comrades, who in the selection emphasize both good military service and camaraderie.
The Royal Life Guards are an infantry regiment of the Danish Army, founded in 1658 by King Frederik III. The primary task is to provide a number of soldiers from the Guard Company to serve as a guard unit to the Danish monarchy. The Royal Life Guards provide a permanent guard at the Amalienborg Palace, Kastellet fortress, Rosenborg Castle and the garrison of Høvelte. On occasions, a guard is kept at Fredensborg Palace, Marselisborg Palace, Gråsten Palace, Christiansborg Palace and other locations where the Danish Royal Family spends their time.
