DENMARK

Denmark: Crown Princess Mary releases stingrays into Danish waters

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary participated in a nature event with the WWF World Wide Fund for Denmark on Wednesday, helping to release stingrays at the Kattegat Centre in Grenaa to help foster knowledge of the marine creatures.

According to the Royal House, Crown Princess Mary aided in the release of five stingrays, the first time any have been released into Danish waters. The species has been listed as threatened with extinction.

The WWF wrote on their Facebook page: “The Danish marine environment is under pressure. That’s why we put this project in the lake, so that we can help protect life and at the same time make the Danes more aware of the amazing natural wealth that the Danish seas have.

“We are fighting for a clean, wild and sustainable sea, where there will be room for both wild sea animals and for the fish we will live on in the future.”

This project is the result of a collaboration between the WWF World Wide Fund for Nature and H&M, two partners who work together on projects related to climate and responsible water consumption.

Crown Princess Mary also provided an update about Prince Joachim, who is recovering in France following surgery for a brain stroke in July. Her husband, Crown Prince Frederik, was in France last week to visit his brother.

“Obviously we have been in constant contact with them,” she told reporters. “My husband, as you all know, has been down to visit his brother, and he came home very happy and relieved,” that Prince Joachim was well and like his normal self and “as talkative as he always has been.”

Crown Princess Mary’s engagement on Wednesday marked her first official engagement as President of the World Wide Fund for Nature, a position formerly held by her late father-in-law, Prince Henrik.

Featured image: Frankie Fouganthin  (Own work) Via Wikimedia Commons

Denmark: Prince Joachim seen for first time since brain surgery

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Prince Joachim of Denmark has been seen for the first time since undergoing emergency surgery for a blood clot on his brain last month. The prince was photographed with his older brother, Crown Prince Frederik, who has spent several days in France with Joachim and his family.

In a post on the official Danish royal Instagram page, the brothers are seen smiling while enjoying the summer sun at the Chateau de Cayx where Joachim is staying with his wife, Princess Marie, and their children, Prince Henrik and Princess Athena.

The short message with the photo says that Frederik is now back in Denmark having spent time with his brother. It adds that Joachim is doing well but still needs peace and quiet as he continues his recovery.


Foto: Instagram/@detdanskekongehus

Prince Joachim, younger son of Queen Margrethe II, was rushed to hospital on July 24th 2020 in nearby Cahors before being moved quickly to the University Hospital of Toulouse where he underwent emergency surgery for a bloodclot on his brain. He spent over a week in hospital recuperating with Princess Marie at his side. He returned to the Chateau de Cayx on August 3rd.

The prince and his family moved to France in 2019 so that Joachim could complete military training there. He is set to take up a role as Military Attache in Paris this autumn although the exact timetable of that appointment may yet be altered to allow him to continue to recover from his operation.

Featured image: Prince Joachim of Denmark (Alex Berger/CC/Flickr)

Denmark’s media reports of ongoing dispute within the Danish Royal Family over Berleburg Castle inheritance

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – There is an ongoing dispute over inheritance within the Danish Royal Family according to the Danish weekly magazine Billed Bladet. Prince Gustav Frederik Philip Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, the son of Danish Princess Benedikte and nephew of Queen Margrethe, is involved in the ongoing dispute.

The Danish media has said that, for several years, there has been an inheritance dispute in connection with the family castle of Berleburg, which is located near Dortmund in Germany.

For three years, the 51-year-old Prince has been in conflict with his great-uncle and his late grandfather, who, in their own way, have made it difficult for the royal to inherit the palace that the family has owned for several generations.

In his will, the Prince’s grandfather, Prince Gustav Albrecht, left his castle and property to his first grandson. At that time, he did not have any grandchildren, but he was sure that his son, Prince Richard, would eventually have a son. He did so, with Danish Princess Benedikte.

Prince Gustav Albrecht’s death during World War II resulted in issues with his family. A will cannot be changed once someone has died, and the writing of the will has now haunted the family for several generations. Prince Gustav Albrecht’s last will and testament required that his unborn grandson be forced to marry a Protestant, Aryan noblewoman. If he did not, he was not to get the castle. In 1940s Germany, it may not have been a particularly problematic requirement, but a lot has happened since then.


Photo: Princess Benedikte of Denmark and Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. Photo: By Holger Motzkau 2010, Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons (cc-by-sa-3.0)

For around 15 years, Prince Gustav has dated Swedish-Mexican Carina Axelsson – whom he cannot marry according to his grandfather’s will. If he does, he forfeits his right to inherit the castle.

Right after Prince Gustav’s father, Prince Richard died in 2017, a new problem arose. Prince Gustav’s great-uncle, Prince Ludwig-Ferdinand, saw his chance to claim the castle.

Prince Ludwig-Ferdinand believed that the castle had to go to him since the heir in the will did not meet the decedent’s requirements for inheritance. The case has now gone through a number of lawsuits in Germany.

The Court of Appeal immediately concluded that the castle belonged to German-Danish Prince Gustav. However, it has not been decided whether he can marry his Swedish-Mexican girlfriend. The couple have not had any children. Questions have, therefore, been raised about who will inherit the castle in the future.

In the future, the castle will probably go to the Prince’s nephews. The will excludes women from being able to inherit. Thus, the sons of his sisters are at the top of the list.

There is still much discussion in Germany regarding whether the inheritance of the castle will end up in court again or if the family has finally reached an agreement.

Featured image: Berleburg Castle (Wikimedia Commons)

Denmark: Princess Benedikte’s dresses go on display at the Amalienborg Museum

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – A special exhibition of Princess Benedikte of Denmark’s dresses is now on display at the Amalienborg Museum to coincide with her birthday.

‘Princess Dresses’ opened on 4 July and consists of 21 dresses that Danish designer Jørgen Bender created for Princess Benedikte during the period of 1968 to 1999.

The exhibition includes dresses “spanning birthday dresses, a silver wedding [anniversary] dress as well as company dresses,” per the Royal House’s website, and will give “an insight into Benders’ aesthetic and detailed craftsmanship and also presents four decades of fashion history.”

Bender began designing dresses for the Danish Royal Family in 1967 and, in addition to Princess Benedikte, designed outfits for Queen Margrethe, Queen Ingrid, and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, the Countess of Frederiksborg, and Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, including all of their wedding dresses.

Bender also designed for Queen Silvia of Sweden and Queen Sonja of Norway. He passed away in 1999.

“The exhibition is a marking of the Princess’ sharp eye for quality and craftsmanship,” said Thomas Thulstrup, the Museum’s Director in a statement on the Museum’s website.

“She has always supported Danish and sustainable design, which is right in line with Bender’s design aesthetics. It is therefore a great honour for The Royal Danish Collection to exhibit a collection of exclusive creations from Jørgen Bender.”

The exhibition website notes that Bender’s designs were “created in close cooperation with his royal clients, and according to the Princess, he was superb at drawing sketches from which good discussions arose.”

Princess Benedikte said about Bender that he often recycled her dresses and created new versions from them. She said, “Jørgen Bender has changed countless of my gowns, a form of recycling, one might say. Often, he would also create two versions of a gown, one for summer and one for winter.”

‘Princess Dresses’ will be on display throughout the summer, ending on 30 August.

Featured images: Kongernes Samling (The Kings Collection)

 

Contact:
The Kings Collection (Museum in Copenhagen)
Located in: Rosenborg Castle
Address: Øster Voldgade 4A, 1350 København, Denmark
Phone: +45 33 15 32 86
Website: http://www.kongernessamling.dk

Denmark: Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark to visit the Netherlands for Danish business promotion

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark are due to travel to the Netherlands in November to lead a sizeable Danish business delegation.

This is the first royal trip announced since the COVID outbreak hit Europe earlier this year. Several royal families had to cancel or postpone foreign tours and state visits as a result of the pandemic back in March.

The Crown Prince Couple will travel to the Dutch kingdom from 2-3 November and will spend time in The Hague and Rotterdam. The trip is being billed under the slogan “Partnering for Green Transition” and will see Their Royal Highnesses attend conferences and seminars.

The Netherlands is Denmark’s sixth largest export market.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary travelled on business promotion trips in 2019, including a visit to France and another to South Korea. They have previously visited Chile, Japan, Sweden, and the US, among others.

The Danish Royal House said about these business promotional trips: “The objective of the visits has been to strengthen the relations between Denmark and the countries visited and to support the growth and position of Danish companies in the markets concerned.”

The itinerary will be released in due course. It is not yet known if they will meet with King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima or any other members of the Dutch Royal Family.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark delivers powerful speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has delivered a powerful speech on women’s rights to open the 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The 48-year-old gave her heartfelt address virtually, as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic meant she was unable to travel to Switzerland.

Despite the distance, her words were no less powerful as she discussed how the health crisis has had a “disproportionate” devastating effect on vulnerable women in developing countries.

“Human rights do not end just as an emergency begins, pregnancies do not end when emergencies begin… Sexual and gender-based violence does not end, rather, on the contrary, it increases in emergencies,’ she began, addressing the UNHRC Commissioner and assembled delegates.

“This year the world is in the grip of a major global health crisis,” she said. “COVID-19 is not only a global health emergency, but it is also devastating for economic and social development for humanitarian situations and the protection of human rights. While it is true the virus, itself, does not discriminate, the way it impacts does.

“Conflicts and displacement impacts women and girls disproportionately, as too the consequences of the current pandemic. Women and girls’ vulnerabilities are unique, they face different risks and they often not have access to the resources and services that society has to offer,’ she explained.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CCl2RgOAz4Q/

 

The wife of the future heir to the Danish throne added that the increased risk of violence against women had created a “crisis within the crisis.”

The Crown Princess has a longstanding relationship with the United Nations, having been named as a patron for the UN Population Fund in 2010.

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Their mission is to “deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled”.

For her role, the Australian-born royal has visited developing countries to campaign for the rights of women. In November, the mother-of-four travelled to Kenya where she co-hosted a summit calling for an end to violence against women and child marriages.

In December, she visited Indonesia on behalf of the UN to see mobile clinics designed to improve access to contraception throughout the country and took place in discussions speaking out on the illegal practice of female circumcision.

Featured image: By UNRIC – CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Denmark: Crown Princess Mary’s Foundation launches new campaign against loneliness

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary has launched a new campaign to combat loneliness amongst young people, working with her Mary Foundation to support the cause.

Crown Princess Mary said of the Look for Loneliness campaign:

“Loneliness is a major problem among young people – not just during Corona, but also before and after. With the campaign, we will help break the taboo of loneliness and appeal to the youth to spot loneliness – and even better, reach out to each other. In fact, I think there is a special momentum for right now. During the first months of the coronavirus, many young people may have experienced the feeling of loneliness themselves and will therefore be able to better understand what it feels like to feel lonely every single day. Many young people would like to be there for each other. But taboo and touch anxiety often get in the way.”

The news was posted on the Mary Foundation’s website and the Foundation notes that in addition to the message Crown Princess Mary filmed to launch the campaign, that other pieces will include “various social media content targeted at young people, including a movie and a series of advice for young people on how to reach out to each other and what to do if you feel lonely.”

The Mary Foundation notes that 12% of young Danes between the ages of 12-16, feel seriously lonely.

“We adults can do a lot to help lonely young people,” said Helle Østergaard, the Mary Foundation’s Director. “But those young people who feel lonely need other young people. Feeling seen and included by your peers in the communities you travel in is the most important thing. Our hope is that with this campaign we can start a conversation among young people about loneliness and that more young people will dare reach out to someone who may be lonely. And also dare to say it out loud if you feel lonely yourself.”

The Look for Loneliness website notes that “The first step to helping someone who feels lonely is to spot loneliness. The next step is to reach out. Here you can get good advice on what to do to help. We have also provided some good advice for those who feel lonely.”

“Reaching young people with such a serious subject is a very difficult task. They are critical and move on quickly if they feel that they are being counted down and that as an adult you come with a raised index finger. We have really tried to avoid that – and it is not easy. That is why we have tried to create a campaign that communicates at eye level with young people,” said Østergaard.

The Mary Foundation was formed in 2007 and was funded initially with money raised as a wedding gift for her. The Mary Foundation focuses on three areas: bullying and well-being, domestic violence, and loneliness.

Denmark: Crown Princess Mary follows in Prince Henrik’s footsteps with the WWF

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary was named President of the WWF’s World Natural Fund in Denmark on Monday, succeeding in a role once held by her late father-in-law, Prince Henrik.

The Royal House announced the news on its website Monday, saying that Crown Princess Mary will in the future “be at the forefront of the Fund’s work in preserving wildlife habitats and the diversity of nature.”

Prince Henrik was at the forefront of bringing the WWF World Nature Fund to Denmark in 1972 and maintained the presidency of the country’s branch until his death in 2018.

“We only have one globe, and we need to take good care of it and the animals if our children and the generations after them are also to have a safe and natural world to grow up in,” Crown Princess Mary said in a statement on the Royal House’s website.

“The projects that the WWF World Natural Fund works with around the world are important in our efforts to preserve our forests, coral reefs and diverse wildlife, and it is imperative that we jointly find new solutions for how humans can live in balance with nature.”

The WWF World Nature Fund website noted that Crown Princess Mary would be involved in “important work in finding solutions to the challenges the world faces in relation to nature conservation, protecting endangered species and creating more nature to the delight of the Danes.”

The news was greeted with happiness by the Fund’s Secretary-General, Bo Øksnebjerg, who said: “I am very proud that the Crown Princess has agreed to help raise awareness of the work to ensure a better future for nature and animals. With the Crown Princess as president, we can continue with unabated strength the good work that Prince Henrik started 48 years ago in Denmark.”

He continued: “The Crown Princess has an outstanding ability to bridge decision-makers, businesses and citizens, and she can contribute to important lasting changes.”

FOLLOWING the coronavirus lockdowns across Europe: Danish royal castles and museums set to reopen this week

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Following the coronavirus lockdowns across Europe, some nations are starting to reopen slowly. Denmark has begun the first steps of relaxing restrictions, and as that continues, it’s been announced that some of the royal museums in the capital, Copenhagen, are set to reopen soon.

All the parties of the Danish parliament met on Wednesday evening (20. May) and agreed to reopen some facilities number of key cultural areas including zoos, cinemas, theatres and museums. So on Tuesday, May 26 both the Royal Museum of Amalienborg and Rosenborg Castle will open to visitors.

Amalienborg is the home of the Danish Royal Family. It consists of four identical classical palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard. In the centre of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg’s founder, King Frederick V. Amalienborg was originally built for four noble families; however, when Christiansborg Palace burned on 26 February 1794, the Royal Family bought the palaces and moved in. Over the years various monarchs and their families have resided in the four different palaces.

Rosenborg Castle is a renaissance castle originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 and is an example of Christian IV’s many architectural projects. It was built in Dutch Renaissance style, typical of Danish buildings during this period.

The Danish Kronborg Castle, located in the city of Helsingør, will also reopen on Tuesday next week. The castle was built over a fortress originally constructed by King Erik in 1420 and throughout history has served more as a fortress than a royal residence. The castle as it stands today was built under King Frederick II between 1574 and 1585.

Christiansborg Palace, which is the largest of the royal museums in Copenhagen, and which includes the Royal Reception Rooms, the Royal Stables, the Royal Kitchen, the Palace Chapel and the Ruins beneath the palace remains closed. Along with the other royal museums, it closed on 12 March and a date hasn’t yet been set for it to reopen.

The ongoing corona-virus pandemic was first confirmed to have spread to Denmark on 27 February 2020. As of 19 May 2020, there have been 11,044 confirmed cases and 551 deaths.

Denmark: Crown Prince Frederik’s emotional visit to Syrian refugee camp

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Crown Prince Frederik paid an emotional visit to the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan last week, visiting with Save the Children Denmark to mark the organisation’s 75th anniversary.

The Zaatari refugee camp is just east of the Jordanian city of Mafraq and is the world’s largest Syrian refugee camp. It opened in 2012 following the Syrian Civil War and housed around 76,000 refugees, of which over half are children.

Crown Prince Frederik was joined by the Danish Minister of Development, Rasmus Prehn, and Save the Children’s Secretary-General, Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen, for the visit which, according to the Royal House, “focused on the work to strengthen the mental health and psychosocial well-being of children and young people in humanitarian crises.”

“I have learned today that in the middle of a dark and gloomy outer area, light can be made in transmitted meaning to larger groups and especially to children and young people,” Crown Prince Frederik said in a media release on Save the Children Denmark’s official website.

“It is useful to be here [and it] is important to elucidate issues in order to help and lift children out of trauma. It is Save the Children once again front runners on. It is fantastic.”

At the Zaatari refugee camp, Save the Children Denmark has opened both educational and football training centres to help children in all aspects of their development. Crown Prince Frederik and Minister Prehn joined young people at the camp in playing with Lego and football and joining in for a meal of kebabs and meatballs.

At the education center, educators are trained “to care for under-stimulated children who, through play and friendships, enhance their learning ability, positive behaviour and mental well-being.” Nearly 40 per cent of children are educated at Save the Children Denmark’s centre.

Crown Prince Frederik and Minister Prehn then visited a football training project to see how learning the sport is also giving the children life skills such as “tools to resolve conflicts, deal with difficult emotions and develop their confidence.”

“It is absolutely invaluable that the Crown Prince and the Minister of Development help us to focus on how crucial the work on children’s mental war damage is,” said Schmidt-Nielsen.

“Children fleeing must have food, water and shelter for rain and cold. But they also need psychological first aid and support to process their traumatic experiences. For children at war are destroyed inside. The great news is that they can heal, and I am so happy to showcase our important work.”

Save the Children Denmark was founded on 14 March 1943 to help Danish children who were displaced and starving during the Second World War. Today, it still helps children displaced by war but has grown to become an international operation.

Crown Prince Frederik is the patron of Save the Children Denmark (redbarnet.dk).

Featured image: Crown Prince Frederik (By Mogens Engelund – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)

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