Crown Prince Christian, News and Current Events Part 1: January 2024 -


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Crown Prince Christian will privately stay in East Africa from September 4 to December, it was announced by the Palace today:






What a great way to get exposure to a world so different to the one Christian will inhabit for the rest of his life.
 
Apparently 4 days ago the Danish government announced that the development cooperation with African countries will be further strengthened. The choice of East Africa as "experience"-place for the CP is therefore also seen in a political context.
My first thought was Tania Blixen and "Out of Africa" though. I wonder if this book is standard reading in Danish schools.

From what I have seen so far the echo of the Danish Media is very positive. Christian follows the tradition but at the same time Africa is new territory for a Danish royal. (His father and grandmother were in Asia and America, his uncle and cousin in Australia.)
 
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I think that’s a great tradition. Didn’t CP Christian go on a school trip in that area last year? He must have enjoyed the experience.
 
I think that’s a great tradition. Didn’t CP Christian go on a school trip in that area last year? He must have enjoyed the experience.
AFAIR the school trip was to Jordan, not East Africa.
But 20 years ago his parents were honeymooning in this area.
 
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Perhaps at the Ol Donyo Laro estate in Kenya.

Frederik and Mary honeymooned there, and Queen Margrethe hosted the wedding of the owner at Marselisborg Castle … so close ties for Christian, not total strangers.
 
It is good news indeed. A formative journey far away will help him learn to stand on his own two legs, force him to deal with problems himself and not least give him a different perspective and teach him to realize that often our daily problems are trivial indeed in comparison to the problems other people have to deal with.
It's a good way to mature him.
- Which is indeed the very purpose of the formative journeys most of his ancestors embarked on since the beginning of the Danish monarchy actually.

Wonder if he will catch the African bug and fall hopelessly in love with the continent, just as his dad did with Greenland.
 
Sounds like a great choice. I am sonewhat glad that he didn't pick Australia as that would be the more comfortable and predictable option. I hope he'll have a great time in which he will not only get to know new places and activities but also learns more about himself. He doesn't have a lot of time in life that he can carve out as he would like to, so I wish him a very enjoyable experience before his duties and expectations as heir are calling louder and louder over the years.
 
Apparently 4 days ago the Danish government announced that the development cooperation with African countries will be further strengthened. The choice of East Africa as "experience"-place for the CP is therefore also seen in a political context.
My first thought was Tania Blixen and "Out of Africa" though. I wonder if this book is standard reading in Danish schools.

From what I have seen so far the echo of the Danish Media is very positive. Christian follows the tradition but at the same time Africa is new territory for a Danish royal. (His father and grandmother were in Asia and America, his uncle and cousin in Australia.)

Indeed.
"It fits very well with the government's foreign policy, where the foreign minister recently launched a new Africa policy, where it has been suggested that they will place even more importance on relations with Africa than before," he says and adds :

"So that's why it also fits well, as the Royal House must reflect what the government thinks they should do in their actions."
 
I was thinking of just two countries in East Africa which are relatively safe, Kenya and Tanzania. After reading this information
Danida
I guess that he will stay and work at farms in Kenya. I'm sure it will be a very good and educational experience for him.
 
I am wondering if 2 farms in East Africa actually means 2 different countries?
 
It will be a really interesting trip i’m sure :) I am glad that he will be able to do such a journey before university and military… Many young guys and girls who have just graduated from the gymnasium are very school-tired and takes time off to do something completely different before going on to higher education…

And apart from that, it is healthy for everyone who lives in a priviliged part of the world, to see and explore a different part of the world with very different living conditions.
 
I am wondering if 2 farms in East Africa actually means 2 different countries?

I won’t be surprised to learn more details over the course of Christian’s stay ricarda … three months is a long time to keep a lid on things these days.

The Ol Donyo property I mentioned upthread actually has two farms … though called ranches as they are owned by the Maasai people who run cattle.

The ranches, “Mbirikani” and “Merueshi”, are supported by the luxury lodge which passes over fees, has built schools, donates teachers salaries, and pays compensation for any stock lost to predators as a way to encourage letting the natural ecosystem continue.

Christian is heading to East Africa at the right time of year. Tourist numbers will start to drop off from September, as will the rains, but the big animal migrations will be impressive.

The hot and dry conditions of this time of year give people a chance to view the animals as they seek out the water-holes and so gather in these places.

I think it will be a big change from Denmark for the Crown Prince, though not quite as primitive as some Danish reports I’ve seen. I don’t think Christian will be living in rough conditions wherever he ends up going.

And I expect Mary may pop down at least once to visit. Maybe with the twins in the school holidays for them to see their brother and experience somewhere so different.

She was prepared to leave Denmark for three months before Covid broke out … and be with the children in Switzerland … so this wouldn’t suprize me, a visit from Mum.

Christian will have some form of Danish security I guess, and maybe a couple of friends with him too.

There will certainly be a lot to do.

If he ends up at a place like this, animal-watching is done by bicycle and on horseback and walking, and by helicopter, not just by vehicle.

Visitors to this place are encouraged to bring school supplies and toys with them for the schoolchildren, and many places are now in private hands to enable the great corridors that the animals traverse to remain so as they migrate across vast tracts of land … so plenty of conservation experience on hand for him.

Christian of course has travelled a bit, but East Africa is so different to Denmark that the contrast will be quite extreme for him, especially the physical side, working in the heat and dust.

If he stays the whole three months I expect he will return home lean and tanned through no conscious effort.
 
I won’t be surprised to learn more details over the course of Christian’s stay ricarda … three months is a long time to keep a lid on things these days.
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And I expect Mary may pop down at least once to visit. Maybe with the twins in the school holidays for them to see their brother and experience somewhere so different.
.......
She was prepared to leave Denmark for three months before Covid broke out … and be with the children in Switzerland … so this wouldn’t suprize me, a visit from Mum.

If he stays the whole three months I expect he will return home lean and tanned through no conscious effort.
It's fun to speculate but I hope the media respects his wish for privacy and understands that it is necessary for his security to keep a lid on things. I am sure Christian will tell us about his experience and the details of his stay in his first interview or the first biography "Christian Under the Beam", I for one can wait.
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I was thinking of Mary's new patronage UNEP which has its headquarter in Nairobi, Kenya. It's very possible she will visit her son and her new patronage IMO.

As for his siblings, last year the family visited New Zealand (and Australia) in December. Perhaps they plan to travel to an East African country this year, perhaps at the end of Christian's stay and then return to Dk with him?
 
You sound very knowledgeable about the whole thing @Sun Lion.
I won’t be surprised to learn more details over the course of Christian’s stay ricarda … three months is a long time to keep a lid on things these days.

The Ol Donyo property I mentioned upthread actually has two farms … though called ranches as they are owned by the Maasai people who run cattle.

The ranches, “Mbirikani” and “Merueshi”, are supported by the luxury lodge which passes over fees, has built schools, donates teachers salaries, and pays compensation for any stock lost to predators as a way to encourage letting the natural ecosystem continue.

Christian is heading to East Africa at the right time of year. Tourist numbers will start to drop off from September, as will the rains, but the big animal migrations will be impressive.

The hot and dry conditions of this time of year give people a chance to view the animals as they seek out the water-holes and so gather in these places.

I think it will be a big change from Denmark for the Crown Prince, though not quite as primitive as some Danish reports I’ve seen. I don’t think Christian will be living in rough conditions wherever he ends up going.

And I expect Mary may pop down at least once to visit. Maybe with the twins in the school holidays for them to see their brother and experience somewhere so different.

She was prepared to leave Denmark for three months before Covid broke out … and be with the children in Switzerland … so this wouldn’t suprize me, a visit from Mum.

Christian will have some form of Danish security I guess, and maybe a couple of friends with him too.

There will certainly be a lot to do.

If he ends up at a place like this, animal-watching is done by bicycle and on horseback and walking, and by helicopter, not just by vehicle.

Visitors to this place are encouraged to bring school supplies and toys with them for the schoolchildren, and many places are now in private hands to enable the great corridors that the animals traverse to remain so as they migrate across vast tracts of land … so plenty of conservation experience on hand for him.

Christian of course has travelled a bit, but East Africa is so different to Denmark that the contrast will be quite extreme for him, especially the physical side, working in the heat and dust.

If he stays the whole three months I expect he will return home lean and tanned through no conscious effort.
 
It's fun to speculate but I hope the media respects his wish for privacy and understands that it is necessary for his security to keep a lid on things. I am sure Christian will tell us about his experience and the details of his stay in his first interview or the first biography "Christian Under the Beam", I for one can wait.
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I was thinking of Mary's new patronage UNEP which has its headquarter in Nairobi, Kenya. It's very possible she will visit her son and her new patronage IMO.

As for his siblings, last year the family visited New Zealand (and Australia) in December. Perhaps they plan to travel to an East African country this year, perhaps at the end of Christian's stay and then return to Dk with him?

Yes, I can’t imagine the family won’t take advantage of Christian’s time in Africa to join him and share some of the experience. Perhaps when he’s found his feet there and can show them about and what he’s been up to.

I watch a lot of YouTube’s on tv and Mary giving the opening address in Nairobi at something popped up this afternoon.

I forgot … until I saw it … that there are these other connections between the family and this part of the world.

So not so surprising Christian is dipping his toes into adult life here as I first thought.

You sound very knowledgeable about the whole thing @Sun Lion.

Well Prinsara, places and experiences capture me more than fashion and jewellery and such, so when something comes along that piques my interest, well the internet is a wonderful thing really.

I’ve watched some promotional videos the last couple of days about luxury tourism in Kenya.

I don’t know if Christian will indeed go to Kenya, but there are connections between the Danish Royals and this part of East Africa.

Wonderful experiences to be had, and the Dutch Royals have stayed here as well. (This place in particular, where Christian’s parents honeymooned.)

The sense of adventure that going … as a young person … to this part of the world evokes, well I wish it was me!

I hope Christian throws himself into it all with gusto.

To have the experience of sleeping under the stars with wild animals nearby, and to wake up to a view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Wow, lucky him.
 
Well Prinsara, places and experiences capture me more than fashion and jewellery and such, so when something comes along that piques my interest, well the internet is a wonderful thing really.

I’ve watched some promotional videos the last couple of days about luxury tourism in Kenya.

I don’t know if Christian will indeed go to Kenya, but there are connections between the Danish Royals and this part of East Africa.

Wonderful experiences to be had, and the Dutch Royals have stayed here as well. (This place in particular, where Christian’s parents honeymooned.)

The sense of adventure that going … as a young person … to this part of the world evokes, well I wish it was me!

I hope Christian throws himself into it all with gusto.

To have the experience of sleeping under the stars with wild animals nearby, and to wake up to a view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Wow, lucky him.
I hope that Christian will also experience some of "real life" in Kenya and not only the luxury part. We have been to Kenya several times, among others visiting a German friend who lived there after retirement as well as the family of a high school friend of our son. Besides doing the touristic part of safaris which is indeed something you'll never forget there are many other aspects worth seeing, and some, sadly enough, are not so nice to look at.
 
I wonder why they didn't announce which country he would be working in, which they seem to have done for the previous study/work-abroad experiences of the members of the royal house.
 
Security, privacy..
If you are referring to Nikolai's study abroad, this was not announced by the royal house but by his mother, Countess Alexandra. And Paris and Australia are considered safer places than East Africa.
I don't know how detailed the infos were in the 60ies and 80ies.
 
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I hope that Christian will also experience some of "real life" in Kenya and not only the luxury part. We have been to Kenya several times, among others visiting a German friend who lived there after retirement as well as the family of a high school friend of our son. Besides doing the touristic part of safaris which is indeed something you'll never forget there are many other aspects worth seeing, and some, sadly enough, are not so nice to look at.

There is a photo amongst the montage released for Christian’s eighteenth birthday hereditarytitles that shows all the children … Christian, Isabella, Vincent and Josephine, with Mary … smiling broadly in what appears to be a schoolroom somewhere in Africa.

When it first came out where the Crown Prince was going, it surprised me. But now I realise they all, the whole family, have probably been there already.

To me it looks like Africa, I can’t think where else it would be. So maybe this destination for Christian should not be so surprising.

(The montage is on the official Instagram account, October last year, if anyone wants a look.)
 
Is Christian going to the Paralympics in Paris and then to Africa, is that known?
 
There is a photo amongst the montage released for Christian’s eighteenth birthday hereditarytitles that shows all the children … Christian, Isabella, Vincent and Josephine, with Mary … smiling broadly in what appears to be a schoolroom somewhere in Africa.

When it first came out where the Crown Prince was going, it surprised me. But now I realise they all, the whole family, have probably been there already.

To me it looks like Africa, I can’t think where else it would be. So maybe this destination for Christian should not be so surprising.

(The montage is on the official Instagram account, October last year, if anyone wants a look.)

Indeed.
I'm sure the family has traveled to many places we don't know about.
Christian has mentioned how his parents often talked to him and his siblings of their many travels.
This I'm sure was a conscious choice with his family and government, and not random.

He is due to be at the Paralympics on September and and begin his stay in East Africa on the 4th

I'm sure the family is enjoying the last weekend as a family of 6 for awhile. ☺️
 
There is a photo amongst the montage released for Christian’s eighteenth birthday hereditarytitles that shows all the children … Christian, Isabella, Vincent and Josephine, with Mary … smiling broadly in what appears to be a schoolroom somewhere in Africa.

When it first came out where the Crown Prince was going, it surprised me. But now I realise they all, the whole family, have probably been there already.

To me it looks like Africa, I can’t think where else it would be. So maybe this destination for Christian should not be so surprising.

(The montage is on the official Instagram account, October last year, if anyone wants a look.)
It sure looks like a class room in Africa. Since Denmark has good relations to Kenya I believe that's the place where Christian will probably go.
 
Mary at her event today on Christian's trip
"- We are looking forward to everything he will experience and learn on his journey, but at the same time we will miss him unimaginably much, Queen Mary replies when she is asked what it was like to see him off."
 
The coffee plantation “Shanghai-La” … situated at Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania … has been suggested as the location of Christian’s African adventure.

Owned by the brother of a close friend of the Danish Royals, it seems more likely than the place I posted about upthread.

Here are some details … though there is a lot of information about this place on the internet, too much to summarise here ...

 
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The Ngorongoro Crater is a beautiful place. I would just recommend to ensure that your car doesn’t get overheated or you will have to walk (as we had to) while knowing that lots of wild animals also walk around in that same area.
 
The Ngorongoro Crater is a beautiful place. I would just recommend to ensure that your car doesn’t get overheated or you will have to walk (as we had to) while knowing that lots of wild animals also walk around in that same area.

If it’s ever confirmed that this is where Christian has gone Somebody, we will have to get a first-hand account of the place from you.

I’m very envious of the whole idea of an African adventure and anyone having that experience.

And this place sounds wonderful with its colonial style farmhouse that was built in the 1920s. (There are two guest-houses as well.)

Again, a private property that allows the wild animals to move about via “corridors” and do their thing as they need. (There are several famous National Parks nearby.)
 
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