General News about the Danish Royal Family Part 4: August 2021 -

Blog Real said:

Where did you see this information? I didn't find anything on the royal house's website.

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I've seen on X account ChristinsQueens, now the account doesn't exist anymore

Somebody said:

See this post by polyesco for the link.

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Thank you for the link. But it appears that this X (formerly Twitter) account no longer exists.

The foundations of the royal couples have made their annual donations.
https://www.kongehuset.dk/nyheder/danmarks-indsamling-2024

The Palace announced today that the "royal house's guidelines for receiving gifts have been revised in connection with the change of throne".


** kongehuset:Revidering af Kongehusets retningslinjer for modtagelse af gaver ** google translation **

And that is probably a very good idea.

It was one of the areas where the DRF was open to criticism, because what gifts were given and accepted? At what value? And can we sure that really, truly are no conditions attached to it?

Openness is better.

The DRF will still be criticized for receiving gifts, but now they can respond: Yeah, but at least we are open about it and we only get gits on special occasions. What about you buddy-boy? Wanna talk about the gifts and perks you get? - No?!?

Queen Mary at the Danish Warmblood Stallion


Mary with Caroline Heering

Stor gensynsglæde! Dronning Mary gav kæmpe kram til nær veninde

Dronning Mary mødte en af sine allernærmeste veninder fredag under Dansk Varmblods Hingstekåring og ridestævne i Herning.

www.billedbladet.dk

nice photos, nice friendship

Who is Helle Krasnik Trolle?

Hannelore said:

Who is Helle Krasnik Trolle?

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According to Google, she is the former Grand Prix team captain of the Danish Equestrian Federation.

polyesco said:

Queen Mary at the Danish Warmblood Stallion

Se billederne: Dronning Mary hilste hjerteligt på prinsesse Benedikte

Dronning Mary og prinsesse Benedikte ankom fredag formiddag med få minutters mellemrum til Dansk Varmblods Hingstekåring og ridestævne i Jyske Bank Boxen i Herning, og fik sig kort efter en god snak med hinanden.

www.billedbladet.dk

Se billederne: Dronning Mary støttede prinsesse Nathalie på stor dag

Dronning Mary støttede prinsesse Nathalie ved Dansk Varmblods Hingstekåring.

www.billedbladet.dk

Mary with Caroline Heering

Stor gensynsglæde! Dronning Mary gav kæmpe kram til nær veninde

Dronning Mary mødte en af sine allernærmeste veninder fredag under Dansk Varmblods Hingstekåring og ridestævne i Herning.

www.billedbladet.dk

nice photos, nice friendship

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Great photos from Day One. An event she usually attends. Glad to see her there again.
Video posted by BB of Queen Mary arriving on DAY TWO

(..)

Izzie said:

Great photos from Day One. An event she usually attends. Glad to see her there again.
Video posted by BB of Queen Mary arriving on DAY TWO

Afslappet og chik dronning Mary i baggy jeans med stribet skjorte og marineblå vest (video) | BILLED-BLADET

Video: Marianne Singer (Video)

www.billedbladet.dk

Here are photos of her attending DAY TWO of the event in Herning

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Her love of horses shines through. A great event with close friends. The pictures with Caroline Heering are so cute! More then 20 years of friendship.
Benedikte is of course a horse fanatic as well.

A number of posts have been deleted as the discussion was based on hearsay. Discussing articles from reliable sources is fine, but discussing things/topics based on hearsay is not, you need to provide the relevant links to your sources. On another note: this is the general news thread for the complete family, issues concerning the King's Family only, can be discussed here:
** General News about Frederik, Mary and Family Part 20: December 2023 -**
Thank you for your understanding!

The Palace has released the annual report for 2023 today, March 26

- a great look back with many wonderful photos from last year:


** kongehuset: The Royal House of Denmark’s annual report 2023 ** pdf **

DET DANSKE KONGEHUS 🇩🇰 on Instagram: "I dag offentliggøres årsrapporten for Kongehusets virksomhed 2023. Find årsrapporten på Kongehusets hjemmeside (link i bio 🔗) 📸 Dennis Stenild, Kongehuset samt Ritzau Scanpix og Aller foto og video ©️"

2,077 likes, 4 comments - detdanskekongehus on March 26, 2024: "I dag offentliggøres årsrapporten for Kongehusets virksomhed 2023. Find årsrapporten på Kongehusets hjemmeside (link i bio 🔗) �..."

www.instagram.com

https://www.facebook.com/detdanskekongehus/posts/pfbid0up1xXdH6SGidx8VPvY5T4f2nXtzr1fEEkFACwGToFABUDPwYQyKnrLfmGZNL46pbl

What a lovely look back from an eventful year!

Tonight is Sankthans Eve here in DK.
It's a celebration of the birth of John the Baptist (Hans in DK, which is a variant of Johannes) whose birthday is states to be on the 24th of June. But in Nordic tradition such religious births are celebrated the evening before, hence Christmas Eve being the big day in this here part of the world.
Anyway, it's celebrated with countless communal bonfires all over the country and sometimes members of the DRF show up. We may hope. Queen Mary's fondness for communal singing might lure her to attend such a bonfire. More on that.

Midsummer has of course been celebrated since the first people came here some 10-12.000 years ago, and certainly when the first farmer settled here some 6.000 years ago. Bonfires of some sort may very well always have been a part of the celebrations, who knows.
However, when the Christian church had genuinely established itself in DK during the 1200s, the whole pagan thing about celebrating mid-summer wasn't acceptable anymore, but people still wanted to celebrate mid-summer, so in comes John the Baptist...

Nowadays, as before, Sankthans is celebrated pretty much everywhere. Our village has one as well, which we intent to attend later, because the weather is good this evening, totally in contrast to tradition on Sankthans Eve where the weather is usually terrible!
A local politician (or local dignitary) will give a speech as is tradition and then the fire will be lit. When the fire is going it's tradition to sing the Mid-summer ballad. (See video). Sometimes also a couple of other songs.
On the bonfire there is almost always a witch sitting on a broom. When the fire reach the witch sometimes a cheer is let out.
- It is of course a reference to the centuries where we burned witches of both genders as well as animals(!) for witchcraft and when you think of it, it's actually a pretty macabre tradition. However, bonfires are also about fending off evil spirits, so if it wasn't witches it would probably be an effigy of something else.

If you live or walk along the coast tonight you will see a lot of bonfires in the horizon, because they are often lit on beaches or out in the water (safer that way and can be seen further away).

Here are a number of pics of Sankthans-bonfires.
An old tradition even back around 1890:

The Mid-summer ballad

Christian Castenskiold, cousin of Queen Margrethe's father, has died in the USA aged 98.
On July 16, the Danish Church in California announced to the Danish Lutheran Church that Christian Castenskiold passed away that morning at the age of 98.

Without intending any disrespect to Mr. Castenskiold and the interesting life he led, his life and death also disprove the claim made in various other discussions that grandchildren of a monarch, or at least of a European monarch, will always be well-known and associated with the monarchy in the minds of the public. Christian Castenskiold was of course the grandchild of a monarch, but how many people here would recognize him on the street or think of him in connection with the monarchy?

The Royal House's head of communications Lene Balleby resigns next year, it was announced today:

Head of Communications Lene Balleby has chosen to resign from her position on 1 February 2025. Since 2008, Lene Balleby has been part of the Royal Palace's management and has been in charge of the Royal Palace's communication and press work.Work to find a replacement is ongoing.

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68 years old, I say a good age to step down and retire, if that is what she wishes

And she's been on that post for many years.

It's time for new blood and new ideas, that may likely be more in tune to what the Regent Couple wish for.

Not that I think Lene Balleby in general has done a bad job. I think she on occasion has had to work within boundaries and according to guidelines that may not have been perfect.
I also believe that she began to lose touch about 10 years or so ago.
Lene Balleby was actually very good in the beginning and indeed for many years. Her interaction with the press was good and she was accessible and she understood the mainstream media. But the world has changes since she started. So much news, gossip, mass-communication is online now and also direct from, in the case, the DRF and the public. And the public opinion today is easily influenced and reacts almost instantly to often the most peculiar things. I don't have the impression that Lene Balleby - and certainly not QMII - was geared for that.

Over the last few years, press management wasn't always what it should have been, so a new reign with a new head of communications sounds like a good idea. And after that many years, she earned her retirement.

Indeed, she was good in the beginning but it feels like she has not been able to handle the new media landscape with a social media that is bigger than ever and a gossip media that is more intensive than ever…

The world of media and communication is changing rapidly so it isn’t strange that people in their 60:s who has worked with media and communication for many years in a totally different landscape sometimes has difficulties to adapt…

(now i’m patiently waiting for her swedish colleauge Margareta Thorgren to take the same decision)

From 2025, the Royal House will have responsibility for the Christiansborg Palace museum and also for the exhibitions at the Hermitage Palace.

There is a proposal in Greenland regarding the new flag-days after QMII's abdication. A number of days are being adjusted. As an autonomous part of the realm Greenland have other flag-days than DK - or the Faeroe Island, that is in line of days that are significant for the Greenlanders.
IMO it is more than likely this proposal will be voted through the Greenlandic parliament.
The Greenlanders will add Christian's b-day as a flag day, as the Crown Prince.
But Joachim, Marie and Benedikte's B-days will now no longer be flag-days in Greenland.

There is IMO nothing odd in this. The Regent Couple is immensely popular in Greenland, and apart from being the Regent Couple for the whole realm, they also have a personal and direct affiliation with Greenland and visit the country regularly.
In Greenlandic eyes Joachim, Marie and even the ever busy Benedikte, are secondary royals, who do not have strong ties to Greenland. And it is probably also in line with the DRF being slimmed down. Now it's the time of the Regent Couple and their children - those who may be active in some way that is. And of course the future in the shape of Christian.

Muhler said:

Now it's the time of the Regent Couple and their children - those who may be active in some way that is. And of course the future in the shape of Christian.

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She isn't mentioned, but I guess the past in the shape of Queen Margrethe will also be honored. Her birthday continues to be an official flagday?

ricarda said:

She isn't mentioned, but I guess the past in the shape of Queen Margrethe will also be honored. Her birthday continues to be an official flagday?

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I am pretty sure QMII's b-day will remain a flagdag. Big fingers, sorry.