SOCIETY / BUSINESS

Denmark: Four new official images mark Prince Christian’s 15th birthday + A look at Denmark’s future king

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – The Danish Royal House has released four new official images to mark Prince Christian’s 15th birthday. The photos were taken by Franne Voigt who has taken many images of the family over the years.

The Prince bears a striking resemblance to his father, Crown Prince Frederik, in the portraits shared; however, his smile is very much like his mother, Crown Princess Mary.

Prince Christian, who is second in line to the Danish throne, will one day be the King of Denmark. He was born as Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John on 15 October 2005 as the first child of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. He was born at Rigshospitalet at 1.57 am. He has three younger siblings: Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.

His given name Christian also follows tradition as Danish kings have had their names alternate between Frederik and Christian throughout the years. His middle name Henri is the French version and original name of his paternal grandfather, the now late Prince Henrik; additionally, it is the male form of his late maternal grandmother’s name (Henrietta Donaldson died when Crown Princess Mary was 25). The name John comes from his maternal grandfather.

Prince Christian was due to have his confirmation into the Church of Denmark this year; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused this to be postponed. It is expected to eventually take place at Chapel of Fredensborg Palace where his father and paternal grandmother, Queen Margrethe were each confirmed.


A look at Denmark’s future king as he turns 15

Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John came into the world on 15 October 2005 as the first child of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. He was born at Rigshospitalet at 1.57 am and has been second in line to the Danish throne since birth.

As the heir to the throne, a 21-gun salute marked his birth at noon and bonfires were lit in both Denmark and Australia – the latter of which is his mother’s home country. His first few days caused some worry for his parents, and he was hospitalised on 21 October due to neonatal jaundice. Photos of the unnamed prince were released that day that showed him with a yellow tint to his tiny hands and face. After blood tests and time under special coloured light rays, the newborn was cleared to go home that same day.

His christening took place on 21 January 2006 with Prince Joachim of Denmark, his paternal uncle; Jane Stephens, his maternal aunt; Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden; Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway; Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, his father’s first cousin; Jeppe Handwerk and Hamish Campbell, friends of his parents, serving as his godparents. Keeping with Danish royal tradition, his names were not announced until his christening took place.

His given name Christian also follows tradition as Danish kings have had their names alternate between Frederik and Christian throughout the years. His middle name Henri is the French version and original name of his paternal grandfather, the now late Prince Henrik; additionally, it is the male form of his late maternal grandmother’s name (Henrietta Donaldson died when Crown Princess Mary was 25). The name John comes from his maternal grandfather.

The Prince was the first Danish royal to attend nursery school and the first to attend a public state school – Tranegårdskolen – which he began in August 2011. He attends school there alongside his three siblings: Princess Isabella (b. 2007), Prince Vincent (b. 2011), and Princess Josephine (b. 2011).

He is fluent in Danish and his mother’s native English. He and his family alternate Christmases in Denmark and Australia so that the children get to spend as much time as possible with their maternal family.

Prince Christian was due to have his confirmation into the Church of Denmark this year; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused this to be postponed. It is expected to eventually take place at Chapel of Fredensborg Palace where his father and paternal grandmother, Queen Margrethe were each confirmed.

The Crown Prince Couple have worked hard to allow their children time to have a private life. Christian has accompanied his parents on some engagements, including a tour of Greenland, but the teenager has yet to make any type of public speech to the Danish public. It is expected that he will address the public in the coming years as he continues to prepare for his future role.

Denmark: Crown Princess Mary speaks at Copenhagen Fashion Summit + VIDEO!

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary participated in the Copenhagen Fashion Summit’s virtual conference earlier this week, appearing in a video on the opening day to discuss sustainability in fashion.

Due to the pandemic, the organisers behind the Copenhagen Fashion Summit decided to host a virtual conference this fall. The conference, which met on Tuesday and Wednesday included a “hybrid of pre-produced premium digital content, live sessions and an online forum” that connected the “fashion industry with the world’s leading innovators to keep the sustainability agenda alive,” according to its website.

“It reflects the times we are living in right now. The worrying times. And it is sad because it’s so nice to meet people from all corners of the globe, to be able to hear everyone’s different reflections and great ideas and innovations, but we’ll continue to do that.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGPugHnALmN/

“We have to have respect for the time we’re in. we have to think creatively and innovatively to find ways to keep moving towards the goals of creating a sustainable fashion industry.”

Crown Princess Mary continued: “Even though our priorities have shifted to deal with COVID and manage the crisis, we have to continue to work collectively on achieving the goals we set before COVID.”

The theme of the 2020 Copenhagen Fashion Summit had been set as ‘Redesigning Value,’ though the theme was modified slightly to reflect the effects of the pandemic. “The worldwide pandemic is forcing our industry to undergo a dramatic transformation that is playing out in real-time,” the Summit’s website says, noting that the discussions would discuss how present and future realities will be affected by health and economics and need to navigate the “repercussions of which will be felt for years to come.”

“The fashion industry is a huge employer, and the majority of those employed are women,” Crown Princess Mary said when asked about how the fashion industry has been affected by COVID-19, and how it provides income and financial sustainability to women all over the world.

Crown Princess Mary also spoke of the importance of finding value in clothing, especially in terms of clothing that will last and be sustainably produced. “We’re seeing a much greater market for second-hand, for recycled, for up-cycled, and I’m thinking that this is another value because it tells another history of the product,” she said, talking about how people are viewing this as a way to be environmentally friendly with their clothing.

Featured image: Crown Princess Mary is patron of the Global Fashion Agenda, a partner of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit. She has spoken at every Summit since 2009. (DET DANSKE KONGEHUS)

Norway: Crown Prince Haakon attends special service in Nidaros Cathedral

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Crown Prince Haakon was present as the Church of Norway marked the appointment of a new president in the Episcopal Conference, a new church meeting and a new church council with a special service in the Nidaros Cathedral.

The Norwegian Church’s new president, Bishop Olav Fykse Tveit, was installed during a service in Nidaros Cathedral on 10 May this year. Due to the infection control restrictions, the service was held in limited forms and outside the planned church meeting. Further celebrations was therefore held on October 11th with Crown Prince Hakkon, currently Regent of Norway, present. King Harald and Queen Sonja were meant to attend originally but, following His Majesty’s heart operation just days earlier, both stayed in Oslo.

The President began his sermon with a greeting to the King and Queen: “We had looked forward to the King and Queen being with us today, but for reasons we all know, it was not possible. We send King Harald and Queen Sonja our warm greetings, and hope and pray for continued good recovery for the King.”

Olav Fykse Tveit also said: “Sometimes we are inspired to see the value and infinite value of all people by the way someone meets others or mentions others. We recognize such moments when we have them. For many of us, it has happened when we has listened to His Majesty King Harald. Then we were all embraced as Norwegians, no matter who we are, where we come from, what we believe in or who we love. These are words that have left traces in us as a human being and as a nation. These are words that build on what we have with us in our Christian and humanistic heritage, but which show what they must mean today, in our diverse society now. These words set a new standard in our understanding of our nation’s common values”

All bishops in the Church of Norway, President of the Parliament, President Tone W. Trøen, Prime Minister Erna Solberg and President of the Sami Parliament, President Aili Keskitalo were also present during the service together with Crown Prince Haakon.

Nidaros cathedral choir participated during the service. After the service, the Crown Prince attended a lunch in the Archbishop’s Palace in Trondheim.

Featured image: Crown Prince Haakon (Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen, Det kongelige hoff)

Denmark: Princess Benedikte honours fallen resistance fighters

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Princess Benedikte of Denmark and Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg has attended a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Denmark and honouring the fallen members of the Danish resistance. The event in Spentrup should have happened in May, but was postponed due to COVID-19 and took place on October 11th 2020.

Princess Benedikte, younger sister of Queen Margrethe, came without any other royals to the ceremony.

The day started with a service in Spentrup Church where the Princess, together with a number of specially invited guests, listened to actress Bodil Jørgensen, who is known for her role in the movie about the resistance group “The White Stone Group”.

Then the Princess continued to Hvidsten Kro, where she was given a tour of the property and then was served lunch before visiting the memorial site. Wreaths were laid at the memorial stone where eight men from the White Stone Group are buried.

The Danish White Stone Group was a Danish resistance group that, during the occupation, handled the delivery of weapons, ammunition and explosives from English planes. The group was centred on Hvidsten Kro. The group provided a number of other groups with weapons, so that larger operations could be carried out against the German occupation of Denmark. After being reported by a Danish informant, several members of the group were executed in 1944.

May 4th 2020 marked 75 years since the message of liberation came to Denmark. The announcement of the German surrender came on the evening of May 4th, but finally took effect the day after at 8 p.m.

The German invasion of Denmark took place from April 9th 1940, during the Second World War. The attack was a prelude to the main attack against Norway. Denmark’s strategic importance for Germany was limited. The invasion’s primary purpose was to use Denmark as a staging ground for operations against Norway, to secure supply lines to the forces about to be deployed there. An extensive network of radar systems was built in Denmark to detect British bombers bound for Germany.

Featured image: Princess Benedikte of Denmark  (MFads Danquah/CC/Flickr)

Sweden: Schedule for royal visits around Sweden released

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Sweden’s Royal Court has released the schedule for the nine royal visits through the country that will take place this autumn. The family is touring Sweden to visit with those affected by COVID-19, promote tourism and draw attention to various sectors in different areas of society. The first part of the tour will take place from October through the beginning of December; each visit will follow all health recommendations due to the pandemic.

The Royal Court has said, due to the ongoing health situation, dates for the visits could be altered.

The King and Queen are due to start off the tour next week in Stockholm County on 12 October. The Crown Princess Couple then visit Västmanland County on 15 October before heading to Södermanland County on 22 October. They will pay a visit to their daughter, Princess Estelle’s duchy of Östergötland County in November. Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia’s first mission is in their duchy of Värmland County on 28 October; they will also visit their son, Prince Gabriel’s duchy of Dalarna County (where Princess Sofia also grew up) in November.

The majority of the tours will be undertaken by Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, as the King and Queen only have one scheduled at the moment.

King Carl XVI Gustaf initiated a tour throughout the kingdom by himself, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia. The country’s 21 counties have been divided up between the three families to allow the Royal Family to cover as much ground as possible.

The King and Queen’s youngest child, Princess Madeleine, and her husband, Chris O’Neill, are not able to take part as they reside in Florida. The United States is the hardest-hit country in the world by COVID-19 with over seven million who have been infected. Within the United States, Florida is the third worst-hit state with over 700,000 positive cases.

Featured image: Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel with their children (Anna Lena Ahlstrom/Kungahuset.se)

Norway: Queen Sonja hands over the “Queen Sonja Print Award”

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Irish-Canadian artist, Ciara Phillips, is this year’s recipient of the world’s leading graphics prize, “Queen Sonja Print Award”. Queen Sonja presented the award to the winner in a small ceremony at the Royal Palace on October 7th 2020. Queen Sonja received Ciara Phillips in an audience at the Palace before presenting the award during a lunch.

Queen Sonja said: “I am very pleased that the Queen Sonja Print Award 2020 goes to an artist who is as dedicated to graphics art. Ciara Phillips’ formal and social research in the field of graphics is both bold and unconventional and yet striking and aesthetic”.

Queen Sonja continued: “A unanimous jury is impressed by the power of Ciara Phillips’ commitment to graphics as a medium, by the boldness of her formal and social research in art, and by the maturity and solidity of her view of art and production in general. Her belief in collaboration, as it manifests in her ongoing project “Workshop”, springs from a set of political and aesthetic issues that she develops and elevates through a joint participation process.”

A total of 44 artists from around the world were nominated for the award this year. Curators, museums and artists from around the world were behind the nominations, which show the breadth of contemporary graphics. Both traditional methods and new approaches with installations, assemblies and performance have been represented among the nominees.

Ciara Phillips receives 400.000 Norwegian Crowns, aproximalty 40.000 US dollars and a stay at the Gallery “Atelje Larsen” in Helsingborg in Sweden. The Queen Sonja Print Award is considered the world’s leading award in graphic art and is awarded every other year.

Ciara Phillips lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland, and is a graduate of the Glasgow School of Art and Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. She has been represented at a number of exhibitions both in the UK and internationally. In Norway she has held exhibitions in Stavanger and Bergen. Her ongoing art project “Workshop”, which started in 2010, was nominated for a Turner Prize in 2014. In 2021, exhibitions await in Sligo, Edinburgh and Limerick.


Queen Sonja and the winner Ciara Phillips. Photo: Sven Gjeruldsen / The Royal Court.

Featured image: Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen, Det kongelige hof

Denmark: Crown Princess Mary attends virtual UN Girls’ Day celebration

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary participated in a virtual event to celebrate the United Nations’ Girls Day, joining a Danish women’s charity to discuss how COVID-19 has impacted girls’ rights in countries like Uganda and Ethiopia.

The Crown Princess was a guest of the PlanBørnefonden, a charitable organisation that works to support the world’s most “fragile and vulnerable areas to ensure the rights of children and young people and create equal opportunities for all, regardless of gender,” according to its website.

During the discussion, Crown Princess Mary spoke with 21-year-old Faridah from Uganda and 29-year-old Lidya from Ethiopia about their lives and how COVID-19 has impacted them.

“We know that when the crisis hits, the poorest and most vulnerable are hardest hit, and women and girls are unfortunately often in that group,” said Crown Princess Mary.

Faridah spoke of her focus on ensuring the right to education for young girls after she became pregnant at 14 and struggled to complete her education. She told Crown Princess Mary, “Right now, I am influencing the responsible leaders online and physically to ensure that they ensure that girls have access to education and that they improve the safety of girls. I try to change men’s attitudes and attitudes towards girls because they see us as sex objects. And I encourage the girls to be brave and fight against the injustices they encounter, and go to the police, so we break the circle of silence.”

Crown Princess Mary praised her efforts, saying: “You are such an inspiration, Faridah.”

Lidya spoke of how girls and women are experiencing violence and abuse as a result of the pandemic, telling Crown Princess: “When girls and women are assaulted, they are subsequently afraid of being blamed. Often, if girls are exposed to abuse, harassment or assault, people assume that the girls themselves are to blame.”

“We must first and foremost ensure that girls’ rights are respected and that they are given the opportunity to receive an education,” Crown Princess Mary said at the event, “that they are free from violence, can be healthy and have equal opportunities. They deserve the right to a future that everyone else [has].”

Featured image: Crown Princess Mary (UNRIC/CC/Flickr)

Norway: Crown Prince Haakon opens Norwegian parliament

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Today is a historic day for the Norwegian people. For the first time in 30 years, the solemn and traditional opening of the Norwegian Parliament has been made by a crown prince and not the king of the nation. In a shortened ceremony, due to the pandemic, Crown Prince Haakon opened the 156th session of the Storting, the Norwegian parliament. Queen Sonja was also present during the ceremony.

On September 25th 2020, it was announced that King Harald had been admitted to hospital in Oslo. The Norwegian Royal Family later confirmed it was because the King was having breathing difficulties. Covid-19 was ruled out after tests, and on Friday evening, the Royal Court released an update on the King’s health. They confirmed that the King was to be in hospital over the weekend and on sick leave until 4 October. This is the reason why King Harald did not open parliament this year.

The last time a crown prince opened the Storting was in 1990. Then, it was King Harald who opened the parliament as Crown Prince. His father, King Olav V, was then seriously ill and died only a few months later.

There was great excitement about whether Crown Prince Haakon would make the opening sitting on his Crown Prince’s throne or whether he will use the Norwegian Monarch’s throne, as he is the regent in his father’s absence. The Crown Prince ended up sitting on the King’s throne. It was also the first since 1990 that only two and not three thrones were placed in the parliament hall.

The ceremony began when Crown Prince Haakon and Queen Sonja left the Royal Palace. Escorted by police and soldiers, they travelled by car down the parade street to the parliament. Usually, several hundred soldiers are lined up as a guard of honour, but due to the COVID-19 danger, only a few soldiers attended. Some spectators had lined up to watch, but significantly fewer than usual.

Featured image: Opening of the parliament. (Stortinget via Flickr.)

Denmark: Princess Marie wins “Stræberen 2020” award for her campaign against food waste

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Denmark’s Princess Marie has won an award for her campaign against food waste. The Princess received the “Stræberen 2020” award on 29 September from the De Samvirkende Købmænd organisation. The award is given to someone who has excelled in the fight against food waste.

Princess Marie returned to Denmark from Paris for the ceremony where she and her family currently reside while her husband, Prince Joachim serves as a Military Attaché for Denmark’s Ministry of Defence.

Her Royal Highness arrived at Landbrug & Fødevarer at Axelborg in Copenhagen and was greeted by a little boy with flowers before heading inside for the event.

Earlier in the day, Princess Marie gave a speech in honour of National Food Waste Day in Denmark. Her speech, in Danish, can be watched below:

Featured image: Princess Marie (Varde Kommune/CC/Flickr)

Sweden: Crown Princess Victoria supports the Swedish Cancer Society’s Pink Ribbon Campaign

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – For the twelfth year in a row, Crown Princess Victoria has been named the patron of the Pink Ribbon Campaign (Rosa Bandet-kampanj) organised by the Swedish Cancer Society. To launch the campaign, the Crown Princess was pictured wearing this year’s pink ribbon.

This week, the Cancer Society launched the Pink Ribbon Campaign in Sweden. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden participated in the launch as the official patron. To mark the launch, the Swedish Royal Court published a new photo of the Crown Princess in which she wears this year’s pink ribbon. The breast cancer awareness campaign runs during the month of October.

The Pink Ribbon campaign aims to raise awareness about cancer, in particular breast cancer, and fund essential cancer research in Sweden. During the month of October, pink ribbons are sold to raise money for cancer research. By wearing the pink ribbon, it is hoped people can raise awareness of the disease and increase public involvement in research. This year’s pink ribbons and bracelets are designed by First Aid Kit, the artist duo and sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg. For the sisters the pink ribbons symbolize hope, love and power. The proceeds will go to the best research projects on cancer in the country.

Crown Princess Victoria has long shown her support in matters related to the development of Swedish cancer research. In 2009 the Crown Princess became the patron of the Pink Ribbon Campaign.

“We would like to thank Crown Princess Victoria and everyone else involved in the fight against cancer. Every person’s contribution counts, every fundraiser, every penny, together we make a difference so that fewer people suffer from cancer and more can live a good life after treatment,” said Ulrika Årehed Kågström, Secretary General of the Swedish Cancer Society.

Every year, more than 61, 000 people in Sweden are diagnosed with cancer. Of these, almost 9 000 receive a diagnosis of breast cancer, the most common cancer among women. Every year around 60 men also receive a breast cancer diagnosis. Luckily 8 out of 10 people who suffer from breast cancer survive. However, more research is needed to effectively cure cancer in all cases.

Featured image: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden supports the Swedish Cancer Society’s Pink Ribbon Campaign (Victor Ericsson/Kungl. Hovstaterna)

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