Come Tuesday it will be the first Tuesday of October and therefore the day the Parliament starts up again after the summer break.
And as always the DRF are invited as honored guests of the Parliament.
So perhaps we should go through the protocol again, if for no other than new members.
The DRF will arrive at the Parliemant at Christiansborg in reversed order of rank.
I.e. Benedikte first.
Followed by Joachim and our Marie.
M&F.
And finally the Regent Couple.
They will be met at the foot of the stairs leading up to the main entrance, because even though the DRF are guests, they also formally outrank anyone else, so you don't make them walk up stairs before being received.
They will be met by the Chairman of the Parliament, Pia Kjærsgaard, followed by the second chairman and so on. They also constitute the Presidium of the Parliament.
Waiting for the DRF will also be the director (administrative manager) of the Parliament.
Upon arrival the ladies of the DRF will receive a bouquet of flowers. The bouquet should be co-ordinated with the court, who informs what kind of color the ladies will be wearing.
Then the members of the DRF will walk up the stairs greeting the members of the Presidium in descending order.
They will wait at the first repos/landing, until QMII has arrived, because she is the highest ranking so she will be the first to walk inside.
When that happens the DRF will proceed inside, escorted by the corresponding rank in the Parliament.
I.e. QMII will be escorted by the Chairman.
PH will be escorted by the second chairman and so on.
It's going to be windy Tuesday, so perhaps we'll see a hat or two flying? - It's all part of the entertainment.
Once inside the procession will walk upstairs by the main staircase before entering a room, where the DRF can refresh, take off a coat if need by, clean their hands and get a comb through the hair.
That also give the members of the Presidium time to find their seats in the main hall along with the other MP's.
Finally it's time for the DRF to enter their box. The MP's rise in respect - or are supposed to rise... (*) and the DRF find their seats in the box.
The Chairman of the Parliament will welcome the DRF and the MP's and after a number of brief formalities, it's time for the PM, Lars Løkke, to give his address. He will naturally also welcome the DRF and proceed to talk about the governments plans for the next year and the state of affairs of Denmark.
During the speech the members of the DRF put their faces in neutral and as such the cameras focus on the DRF, because it's tradition that the papers publish at least one picture of a member, preferably more, who look like he/she is falling asleep or is bored stiff. - It simply wouldn't be a proper start of the political season if there wasn't such a photo.
The whole show also includes nine cheers for Denmark. Three cheers or shots has for more than 500 years been the identification signal for Danish ships and army units. And when the Monarch is present it three times three cheers.
For Sweden it's four cheers.
So now you have an idea what is going on, when you see the clips.
And some info to bore away an annoying person at a reception.
(*) Some MP's refuse to stand up when the DRF enters, because they do not acknowledge the monarchy, instead they enter the hall quietly after DRF has sat down.
- That is silly IMO, because DK is a democracy and the majority prefer a monarch as head of state, so that's it, you just have to accept it, whether you like it or not.
No, Polyesco. That's not a minister escorting Frederik. It's a member of the Presidium and as they take turns in charing the Parliament instead of the Chairman, they can't be ministers.
