SOCIETY / BUSINESS

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)

Sweden: Inside the last will and testament of of the late Princess Lilian of Sweden, the Duchess of Halland

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – The details of the last will of the late Princess Lilian of Sweden are once again being debated by the country’s press. And the details show that siblings Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine were treated very differently by their aunt when it came to inheritance.

Princess Lilian died in 2013, at the age of 97, in her home, Villa Solbacken on Djurgården in Stockholm. Princess Lilian was married to Prince Bertil, uncle of Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustav. When Princess Lilian died, she left a fortune of 78 million Swedish kroner, about 7.6 million Euros. This summer, Swedish media is again looking at where her possessions went.

Princess Lilian and Prince Bertil were especially close to Carl Philip. He was their godson and Carl Philip and Bertil shared a great passion for cars. Princess Lilian was very fond of Carl Philip. It therefore quickly became known in 2013 that the prince was to inherit the property Villa Solbacken from the widow of his father’s uncle.


Villa Solbacken is a villa on Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen 67, located just north of Djurgårdsbrunnskanalen by Djurgårdsbrunnsbron on Södra Djurgården in Stockholm. The villa was built in 1930 and was owned from 1949 by Prince Bertil who bequeathed it in 1997 to Prince Carl Philip. Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen is a street on Gärdet in Stockholm. Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen begins at Dag Hammarskjölds väg in Diplomatstaden and extends east along the northern shore of Djurgårdsbrunnsviken to Djurgårdsbrunnsbron by the Djurgårdsbrunn canal, a distance of approximately 1.7 km. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The newspaper Expressen managed to obtain the essential information from the will and the estate register, and was therefore able to reveal who got what. King Carl Gustaf inherited Princess Lilian`s collection of photographs, art and some objects of great family value. Queen Silvia, who was one of Lilian’s closest friends, received five million Swedish crowns and several valuable pieces of jewellery.

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Carl Philip were very close to Lilian and Prince Bertil. They regarded Lilian and Bertil as a kind of grandparents. Crown Princess Victoria received Lilian’s favourite tiara, which formerly belonged to Princess Margaret of Connaught, Bertil’s mother. It was made by the French jewellery company Boucheron in Paris and consists of silver, gold and diamonds. Victoria wore the tiara to Madeleine’s wedding in June 2013, three months after Lilian’s death.

Princess Madeleine’s relationship with Princess Lilian wasn’t as well known. She inherited from her great-aunt an antique ring.

However, a year after the death of the princess, it was Madeleine who honoured her by naming her first child in her memory. Her elder daughter is Princess Leonore Lilian Maria of Sweden.

Featured image: Princess Lilian of Sweden, the Duchess of Halland (Wikimedia Commons)

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.

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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

Sweden’s Crown Princess Family has fun on Instagram with exercises

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel are passionate about staying fit and encouraging others to stay in shape. They find it especially important that children get up and move and not just stay inside in front of a screen all day.

Through their initiative Gen Pep and Rädda Barnen (Save the Children), the platform “Digifritids” was created for children in the lower and middle school age brackets. Digifritids has jigsaw tips, games, workout films for children and families to take part in.

The Crown Princess Couple founded Gen Pep, a non-profit organisation, to encourage children and young people in Sweden to “have the ability and desire to live an active and healthy life.” The organisation also spreads information to assist young people in finding information on living a healthy life.

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In the Instagram video on Gen Pep’s feed, the Crown Princess Family is seen in their Haga Palace home. There, Princess Estelle says that she is bored and asks the family to come up with something to do. Prince Daniel asks her, “Are you tired of just sitting here?”

The Crown Princess then asks Estelle, 8, for suggestions, and Estelle pulls up Digifritids on the laptop nearby. Four-year-old Prince Oscar then helps select a video on the screen showing an activity where one person is in a push-up position while another crawls under them before hopping back over them.

Prince Daniel is then seen on the floor with Prince Oscar on his back while Princess Estelle crawls under him and then hops over him and her brother. Crown Princess Victoria watches on as her husband and two kids fall to the ground laughing.

Photo: Anna Lena Ahlstrom/Kungahuset.se

Norway: Oslo’s Royal Palace to be closed this summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Royal Palace in Oslo will not be open for guided tours this summer. In a statement, representatives from the palace apologised and said that they hoped to welcome people back in the summer of 2021.

The Royal Palace in Oslo is ordinarily open to the public in the summer. Ticket sales always start on March 1st for tours of the same year. Everyone who visits the Royal Palace must follow a guided tour, and during the season, tours are held every 15-20 minutes during operating hours each day.

In addition to an exhibition that is new every year, visitors receive a guided tour of the Royal Palace’s most beautiful representation rooms, such as the Minister’s Lounge and the White Lounge, as well as the famous Bird Room and many of the palace’s grand halls. The small and large banquet halls are in use at major events, and when there is a gala dinner at the Royal Palace, more than 200 people can be seated in the Great Dining Hall. Visitors are also able to visit the palace’s most beautiful guest room, the King Haakon Suite.

Although the Royal Palace itself is closed, you can visit the Palace Park all day. The Palace Oscarshall, located close to the Royal Palace, is open from 27 June to 30 August, and Queen Sonja’s Art Stable opens 4 July with the exhibition “The Palace + Munch”.

The Royal Palace in Oslo was built in the first half of the 19th century as the Norwegian residence of the French-born King Charles III John of Norway, who reigned as King of Norway and Sweden. The palace is the official residence of the current Norwegian monarch while the Crown Prince resides at the Skaugum Estate.

The palace is located at the end of Karl Johan’s Gate in central Oslo and is surrounded by the Palace Park with the Palace Square in the front.

Featured image: Oslo’s Royal Palace. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Norway: The Norwegian Royal Family’s summer plans revealed

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – The Norwegian Royal Family has revealed its plans for the summer. A spokesperson for the Royal Court told the state run Norwegian TV channel, NRK, that the family will spend their holidays in Norway because of the coronavirus pandemic. King Harald and Queen Sonja will be at their country house on Mågerø, while Crown Prince Haakon and his family will be vacationing in the southern part of the country. The Royal Family will also spend time aboard the Royal Yacht.

The Crown Prince and his family will probably stay at the villa “Vogt”. It became known in April that the municipality of Kristiansand, where Crown Princess Mette-Marit grew up, has unanimously agreed to rent out the villa and the surrounding area to the Crown Prince couple for another five new years.

The family has already rented the villa for the past ten years and used the property sporadically, mainly in the summer. As a tenant, the Crown Prince couple has paid each year just over NOK 200,000, about USD 20,000, to rent the property, which includes both a villa, two boat-places and a 22-acre site.

King Harald and Queen Sonja will have the opportunity to visit their son, daughter in law and grandchildren there this summer. However, they will also be on their property at Mågerø. The Villa Mågerø is King Harald’s private summer resort, south of the city of Tønsberg. The modern villa was completed in 1993. The property is close to a Norwegian military base guarding the property as an honorary assignment. The property ensures the royal family’s privacy as it is completely inaccessible to ordinary people and the press. Several royal birthdays have been celebrated here.

Queen Sonja has already used the royal yacht this summer, but the yacht will be used more this summer. The Norwegian monarch has had a royal yacht since the Viking ages. The current yacht is “KS Norge”.

The Norwegian Royal Yacht is one of the world’s two remaining royal yachts. The other is the Danish Royal Yacht Dannebrog. The Royal Yacht was a gift from the people of Norway to King Haakon VII in 1947, purchased in the wake of a nationwide collection effort. The ship is owned by His Majesty The King but is manned and maintained by the Royal Norwegian Navy.

Featured image: The Norwegian Royal Yacht “KS Norge”. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Norway: Princess Martha Louise’s daughter Maud Angelica Behn talks about impact of Ari Behn’s death

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Maud Angelica Behn, daughter of Princess Martha Louise and Ari Behn is also the granddaughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja. She impressed many with her moving speech at her father’s funeral in January this year. Ari Behn took his own life on Christmas Day 2019. For the first time since the death, Princess Martha Louise and her daughters have talked about the hard time with the Norwegian Telegram Agency.

Maud Angelica Behn, who is seventeen, says that she felt overwhelmed and in shock after her father’s death. Nevertheless, today she is proud of the poignant speech she made in his honour. She says: “It was so important to me to give that speech. It meant so much to me that I could get some value and something nice out of all the awfulness. And I felt that I could do that with my speech and to use my grief to say something to others.”

Princess Märtha Louise and her daughters Emma Tallulah Behn, Leah Isadora Behn and Maud Angelica Behn also gave NTB a tour of Gallery Varden where a selection of Ari Behn’s art will now be on display. The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday.

This week the family has been on several trips to Jeløya, where a memorial exhibition is being prepared. It will include a selection of Ari Behn’s paintings as well as prints made by Maud Angelica.

Maud Angelica was very open about receiving support from a psychologist and from a care group she has participated in. Nevertheless, she told NTB the past months have been painful. She continues: “Mom has said it is a bit like breathing in and out. Sometimes you have to think about it, and sometimes not. My father was very good with words and compliments. It was so poetic and nice.”

Princess Märtha Louise says it has been difficult time for the children after their father died, continuing “luckily, things are getting better and better gradually. At the same time, there are many good memories to look back on. That they are going to grow up without a father is just heart-breaking.”

Featured image: Princess Märtha Louise (By Richter Frank-Jurgen – Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)

Queen Silvia of Sweden and Germany’s First Lady Elke Büdenbender unite to fight abuse of children

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Queen Silvia of Sweden had had a telephone meeting with the First Lady of Germany to discuss the opening of Germany’s third “Children’s Home”, set up to support and protect young people who have been subjected to sexual abuse. The initiative, started by Her Majesty the Queen of Sweden, offers children help from doctors, judges, psychologists and social services all in one place.

The Swedish Queen and Germany’s First Lady, Elke Büdenbender, have been involved in this work for a long time. They work together to provide German children with strong support when they need it. The Queen and Mrs. Büdenbender last year united to open the new “Childeren House” in the city of Heidelberg. Mrs. Büdenbender is a German judge, and, since 1995, the wife of Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the current President of Germany.

During the event in Heidelberg in 2019 Her Majesty the Queen said: “Children rely on us adults and are shaped by what we say or do near them. In an ideal world, a facility like the Childhood Home would not be necessary. Nevertheless, unfortunately the reality is different. When the terrible thing has happened and a child has experienced violence, it is important that they receive the best possible support.”

In Germany there are already “Children’s Home” facilities in Leipzig and Heidelberg, and in September of this year a brand new Children’s Home will be set up in Berlin. Another is expected to open in the autumn in the German city of Düsseldorf.

In a Children’s Home, children who have been subjected to sexual abuse receive support and protection. A multi-professional team consisting of doctors, judges, psychologists, social services experts work together for the best interests of the children. All the Children’s Homes established in Germany have been opened with the support of the World Childhood Foundation which is governed by the Queen of Sweden.

The World Childhood Foundation was founded by Queen Silvia in 1999 in an effort to reach and support children at risk around the world. The Foundation’s focus is on protecting children from sexual abuse as well as supporting those who have already been abused, with a focus on girls and young mothers. The World Childhood Foundation currently supports over 115 programs in 17 countries.

Featured image: Queen Silvia on the phone with First Lady Mrs. Büdenbender. (The Royal Court)

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)

Sweden: Her Royal Highness Princess Adrienne Josephine Alice of Sweden, Duchess of Blekinge turns two

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Sweden’s youngest royal is celebrating her second birthday today with her family in Miami, Florida, where the family resides. To celebrate, Princess Madeleine posted a beautiful photo of her youngest child on Instagram. In her post, she said, “Happy Birthday to the sweetest little sister and best baby girl!”

Princess Madeleine regularly posts about her children on her Instagram account and marked her eldest child, Princess Leonore’s birthday in February with a special post.

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Princess Adrienne, the youngest child of Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill, was born one year ago in Danderyd Hosptial in Danderyd, Sweden. She joined older siblings, Princess Leonore (b. 20 February 2014 in New York) and Prince Nicolas (b. 15 June 2015 in Danderyd).

Her Royal Highness Princess Adrienne Josephine Alice of Sweden, Duchess of Blekinge, was born on 9 March 2018. As tenth in line of succession to the Swedish throne, Adrienne is the third granddaughter and seventh grandchild of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

Adrienne was christened into the Church of Sweden on 8 June 2018 in the Royal Chapel of Drottningholm Palace; the date is a special one for her family as it was the day her parents married in 2013 and the date of Leonore’s 2014 christening.

The Princess’s godparents are Anouska d’Abo, Coralie Charriol Paul, Nader Panahpour, Gustav Thott, Charlotte Kreuger Cederlund and Natalie Werner.

She held the style of Royal Highness until October of last year when her grandfather removed the Royal Highness status and position in the Royal House from his grandchildren through his son, Prince Carl Philip and his wife, Princess Sofia, as well as the children of Princess Madeleine and her husband, Chris.

Princess Adrienne’s cousins, Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar, retain their place in the Royal House and status as Royal Highnesses as they are the children of Crown Princess Victoria – the future queen.

Featured image: Instagram/@princess_madeleine_of_sw

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