Danish Crown Princely Couple in the USA, Days Two-Four

The Danish Crown Prince and his wife have continued their visit to the United States over the weekend. They spent their time between New York City and the neighbouring state of New Jersey.

On Friday October 21st, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary began with a visit to the September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Centre Complex, alongside the heads of state of Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland. The Crown Prince laid a bouquet of white roses tied in red and white ribbon at the base of the ‘Survivor Tree’, before the group was given a tour of the memorial site.

Following this visit, the couple headed out to New Jersey, where they attended a luncheon with Danish business leaders – including Maersk, SAS and Leo Pharma – at the Grand Cafe in Morristown. From there, it was on to the inauguration of the Leo Pharma United States headquarters, in Parsippany. Joined by the Leo Pharma US President and Chief Executive Officer John Koconis, the Prince and Princess cut the blue ribbon to officially open the headquarters. The couple also helped to launch the company’s ‘Building Bridges’ discussion panel, during which Princess Mary made a speech about skin cancer, as patron of the Danish Cancer Society. “According to the World Health Organization, between 2 and 3 million nonmelanoma skin cancers — and 132,000 melanoma skin cancers — are diagnosed globally every year…We must provide incentive and shared resources for the global battle against skin cancer,” she told the crowd of American and Danish skin cancer experts. A donation of $50,000 was made to the American Cancer Foundation during the event.

It was then back to New York, for the opening of the BIG Architectural Studio NYC. Here, the couple toured the studio with BIG’s founder and architect, Bjarke Ingels, and the company’s CEO, Sheela Soegaard. Mr Ingels has been chosen by the city to design an innovative and sustainable skyscraper in Manhattan. Mr Ingels showed the Crown Prince and Princess models of several skyscrapers during the opening. That evening, Prince Frederik and Princess Mary attended a gala dinner at the Hilton Hotel to mark the American-Scandinavian Foundation’s centennial anniversary (read more about the anniverary here).

Saturday October 22nd was a relatively casual day for the couple, as they attended the New Nordic Cookout ‘A Taste of Denmark’ at the Union Square Garden Market in the morning. The head chef of a Danish restaurant, Rene Redzepi, lead the event, which aimed to introduce the “new Nordic kitchen” utilising local and sustainable ingredients to New Yorkers. Following the main part of the event, Frederik and Mary spent some time walking around the Farmer’s Market.

Earlier today, Prince Frederik and Princess Mary went back out to New Jersey where they attended a National Football League match between the New York Jets and the San Diego Chargers. Prince Frederik was named honorary captain of the Jets for the match, and was given a green Jets baseball cap and got to perform the cointoss. Before the game, the Prince and Princess met the Jets’ head coach, Rex Ryan, and film star Michael Douglas. Princess Mary later said that the match “was definitely a cultural experience.”

The Crown Princess had an engagement in Queens in the afternoon, a visit to the Jacob Riis Settlement House. The House is a non-profit organisation, which offers training for adults and educational activities for children. At the House, Princess Mary learnt about the House’s exchange program which sends students to Denmark on trips, and also watched a presentation on body image and the media. Princess Benedikte is the patron of the House.

Read more about the visit to the USA here.

Filed under Denmark
Tagged Anniversary, Architecture, Cancer, Celebrities, Children, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Culture, Official Visit, Patronage, Sport, United States of America.

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