Queen Margrethe: Work as an Artist and Scenographer


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:previous:
Queen Margrethe is just a marvelous lady, in fact not one royal out there can out do her in her accomplishments for her interests in life are so wide and varied and challenging. This is a brilliant lady who is also a queen in her own right...now I love the video and watched it twice and could not understand a darn word....yet I got the message of the video by looking at all there was.

I wonder is she having a hard time walking for that curtsy was not what she has done in the past?
 
:previous:
Yes, she's pretty remarkable. ?

At 79, and even if she didn't have problems with her back, I'll readily forgive her for not doing a steady curtsy.

- In fact I'd forgive myself! That's because the gravity for whatever reason increase when I bend my knees. It's most peculiar!
I wrote to Aarhus University and explained the phenomenon, but they haven't replied yet. :ermm:
 
Summary of article in Billed Bladet #1, 2019.
Written by Ulrik Ulriksen.

A new book about QMII has been published. The book is focusing on QMII's creative side, her work as scenographer and not least how making costumes and dressing up was an integral part of her upbringing.
The book, The Fairy Tale Queen, includes many private photographs as well an interview with QMII.

As you all know she has not put aside her fondness for being creative. In fact it has been known for many years that QMII "is not at home" on Thursdays. Because Thursday is the day she locks herself up - more or less - and work on whatever creative projects she has on the table.
(Beforehand Thursday was also the day she danced ballet.)

In fact it was Queen Ingrid who introduced QMII in particular, but also her sisters to making their own costumes, dressing up and perform in small theatricals for the family. Queen Ingrid had been brought up with that and when she married Frederik IX the family happily embraced that, also Frederik IX himself, even though his parents could hardly be described as being into theater and dressing up!
"Dad was just as silly with that sort of things like the rest of us, no, dad wasn't shy about that.
I don't think however that my Danish grandparents dressed up. Not willingly that is."

Queen Ingrid's approach has been adopted by QMII. And that was to use what was at hand - old dresses, pieces of cloth and veils, old hats and add something or simply modify it. It was not about buying something to work with. And that was something Queen Ingrid was very good at!
On the other hand her oldest daughter, Margrethe, took it upon herself to instruct, direct and ordering her younger sisters around, when they were to perform for the family...

Using the material at hand, the result was of course often amateurish. It may be that the dress had stains or was wrinkled or that the hair wasn't perfect but QMII loved it.
And while she was occasionally shy later on, when on the job, she wasn't shy at all when performing on stage.

To this day the family still improvise a theater performance, involving PH (when he was around of course) Joachim and Frederik and now the grandchildren.

But let's us look at some of the photos in the article.
https://app.box.com/s/rxeri6jdlo3qzt1yr6bvq0lyotzj74tf
Here princess Margrethe, with her sisters and their mother, has dressed up as an Italian lady.
QMII Think it's a lot more fun to dress up hideously than being pretty and delicate.

https://app.box.com/s/i9is11fb8cnh41gw9mrmpljsiu1jcexr
Here OMII and PH attended a costume ball in Paris in 1969.
"Damn, it looked good!" Is QMII's comment.

https://app.box.com/s/m3d2e72zxw5puoms2ppo01zf32cnb3qu
Here princess Margrethe took part in a crime-show on stage in 1954. She wore earrings she had been presented by her mother and she still has them:
"The stupid thing about them is that they don't stay on the ears, because they have screws and my ears, they shrink and shrink!"

https://app.box.com/s/rwbxaoe4p165b83gs3z58b5w9uy3osfc
See the photo in the blue box.
Here princess Margrethe is performing at the Juliane Marie (*) theater at Fredensborg in 1954. Dressed as Queen Juliane Marie, with typical 1700s wig and heavy make up.
"I'm dressed and made out like Queen Juliane Marie with artificial nose and wig and around the neck I have my mother's precious brilliant-chain, which I today use for gala-parties.
Benedikte was dressed up as the Swedish, later Queen Desiree with Anne-Marie as her little son Oskar.
Benedikte wore Desiree's original train for the coronation, which is now at a museum and my mother's ruby parure, which today belongs to the CP-couple."

(*) Queen Juliane Marie very much put her mark on the DRF back in the 1700s. Including the, now turned depot, theater named after her at Fredensborg.
It is also some of her more magnificent pieces of jewellery that today constitute the Danish crown jewels.
 
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The Queen

M. Payton said:
:previous:
Queen Margrethe is just a marvelous lady, in fact not one royal out there can out do her in her accomplishments for her interests in life are so wide and varied and challenging. This is a brilliant lady who is also a queen in her own right...now I love the video and watched it twice and could not understand a darn word....yet I got the message of the video by looking at all there was.

I wonder is she having a hard time walking for that curtsy was not what she has done in the past?
Click to expand...

I agree with you. It is great to see her having so much fun with her interests.

Thanks Muhler for the information. I wonder if the book will be published in English?
Actually I have learnt a lot about Queen Margrethe's interests as she has been very happy to share her life story with us.
She is a very interesting Lady. I have saved photo's of her on her knees drawing designs for the ballet on top of tables and on the floor. Not many Monarchs would do that.
Her passion always shines through.
The Danes must be very proud to have her. Long may she reign.
 
Muhler said:
Summary of article in Billed Bladet #1, 2019.
Written by Ulrik Ulriksen.

A new book about QMII has been published. The book is focusing on QMII's creative side, her work as scenographer and not least how making costumes and dressing up was an integral part of her upbringing.
The book, The Fairy Tale Queen, includes many private photographs as well an interview with QMII.

As you all know she has not put aside her fondness for being creative. In fact it has been known for many years that QMII "is not at home" on Thursdays. Because Thursday is the day she locks herself up - more or less - and work on whatever creative projects she has on the table.
(Beforehand Thursday was also the day she danced ballet.)

In fact it was Queen Ingrid who introduced QMII in particular, but also her sisters to making their own costumes, dressing up and perform in small theatricals for the family. Queen Ingrid had been brought up with that and when she married Frederik IX the family happily embraced that, also Frederik IX himself, even though his parents could hardly be described as being into theater and dressing up!
"Dad was just as silly with that sort of things like the rest of us, no, dad wasn't shy about that.
I don't think however that my Danish grandparents dressed up. Not willingly that is."

Queen Ingrid's approach has been adopted by QMII. And that was to use what was at hand - old dresses, pieces of cloth and veils, old hats and add something or simply modify it. It was not about buying something to work with. And that was something Queen Ingrid was very good at!
On the other hand her oldest daughter, Margrethe, took it upon herself to instruct, direct and ordering her younger sisters around, when they were to perform for the family...

Using the material at hand, the result was of course often amateurish. It may be that the dress had stains or was wrinkled or that the hair wasn't perfect but QMII loved it.
And while she was occasionally shy later on, when on the job, she wasn't shy at all when performing on stage.

To this day the family still improvise a theater performance, involving PH (when he was around of course) Joachim and Frederik and now the grandchildren.

But let's us look at some of the photos in the article.
https://app.box.com/s/rxeri6jdlo3qzt1yr6bvq0lyotzj74tf
Here princess Margrethe, with her sisters and their mother, has dressed up as an Italian lady.
QMII Think it's a lot more fun to dress up hideously than being pretty and delicate.

https://app.box.com/s/i9is11fb8cnh41gw9mrmpljsiu1jcexr
Here OMII and PH attended a costume ball in Paris in 1969.
"Damn, it looked good!" Is QMII's comment.

https://app.box.com/s/m3d2e72zxw5puoms2ppo01zf32cnb3qu
Here princess Margrethe took part in a crime-show on stage in 1954. She wore earrings she had been presented by her mother and she still has them:
"The stupid thing about them is that they don't stay on the ears, because they have screws and my ears, they shrink and shrink!"

https://app.box.com/s/rwbxaoe4p165b83gs3z58b5w9uy3osfc
See the photo in the blue box.
Here princess Margrethe is performing at the Juliane Marie (*) theater at Fredensborg in 1954. Dressed as Queen Juliane Marie, with typical 1700s wig and heavy make up.
"I'm dressed and made out like Queen Juliane Marie with artificial nose and wig and around the neck I have my mother's precious brilliant-chain, which I today use for gala-parties.
Benedikte was dressed up as the Swedish, later Queen Desiree with Anne-Marie as her little son Oskar.
Benedikte wore Desiree's original train for the coronation, which is now at a museum and my mother's ruby parure, which today belongs to the CP-couple."

(*) Queen Juliane Marie very much put her mark on the DRF back in the 1700s. Including the, now turned depot, theater named after her at Fredensborg.
It is also some of her more magnificent pieces of jewellery that today constitute the Danish crown jewels.
Click to expand...

Wonderful stuff, Muhler! Mange tak for sharing; I look forward to the book:flowers:
 
You are welcome, both of you. ?

Alas, I doubt very much such a specialized book will be translated into English. But it might still be worth purchasing if you are a hardcore follower of QMII, since there are bound to be many illustrations, private photos and captions worth a Google translate.
 
Muhler said:
You are welcome, both of you. ?

Alas, I doubt very much such a specialized book will be translated into English. But it might still be worth purchasing if you are a hardcore follower of QMII, since there are bound to be many illustrations, private photos and captions worth a Google translate.
Click to expand...

I am trying to order this book Muhler but need the danish title and publisher. Would you be able to share this information? Mange tak:flowers:
 
gerry said:
I am trying to order this book Muhler but need the danish title and publisher. Would you be able to share this information? Mange tak:flowers:
Click to expand...

With pleasure. ?

The book is called: Eventyrdronningen.
Written by: Elisabeth von Buchwald - and Kamilla Bryndum.
It appears it's published under the DRF. And not available in commercial bookstores.
I had a look at the books, the prices are very affordable and presumably only to cover the expenses.

You can purchase it here, but only in Danish, so you may have to e-mail and ask for guidance, because the English page does only contain books in English. Or you can simply just put it in your basket and take it from there, it's pretty basic.
English: https://shop.kongernessamling.dk/en/product-category/books/
Danish: https://shop.kongernessamling.dk/produkt-kategori/boeger-da/
 
Muhler said:
With pleasure. ?

The book is called: Eventyrdronningen.
Written by: Elisabeth von Buchwald - and Kamilla Bryndum.
It appears it's published under the DRF. And not available in commercial bookstores.
I had a look at the books, the prices are very affordable and presumably only to cover the expenses.

You can purchase it here, but only in Danish, so you may have to e-mail and ask for guidance, because the English page does only contain books in English. Or you can simply just put it in your basket and take it from there, it's pretty basic.
English: https://shop.kongernessamling.dk/en/product-category/books/
Danish: https://shop.kongernessamling.dk/produkt-kategori/boeger-da/
Click to expand...

Mange tak!:flowers: I have sent an email to these people as they do not seem to allow registration from outside Denmark. I shall let you know the results.:bang:
 
The DRF's love of the arts is brilliant. The Queen follows in a notable dynastic tradition although her father's interest was more musical; and not many sovereigns have conducted Beethoven. Frederik IX conducts Eroica:

 
Excerpts from an interview with QMII in Billed Bladet #41, 2019.
Interviewer Trine Larsen.

Who has very much been attached to QMII.
QMII is as always busy as a scenographer and costume designer. Now for the ballet The Snow Queen, that is due to premiere on 1st December.

QMII was in excellent mood! As you can tell from the facial expressions in the scans and her replies were full of her usual wit. - especially when the questions become too silly. :D Only to soften the blow.
QMII is now very familiar with a lot of the people behind the scenes at Tivoli and also the composer, Oh Land, with whom QMII has worked with before.

But let's go straight to some of the Q&A's.

Q: Does the Queen ever suffer from performance anxiety?
QMII: "When you have said yes, you tend to think: What have you done! But the game is on and I think it's healthy having to really pull yourself together in order to get thing done right."

Q: Does the Queen accept criticism - or rather is the Queen being criticized?
QMII: "Without it, it wouldn't work, would it?
You can't just sail through it... And the choreographer has some ideas and some demands, like for instance that the characters must be able to dance in the costumes in the way he wish them to. So you have to consider that and conform to that."

Q: How many drawings has the Queen made?
QMII: "Why, I really can't remember, I haven't counted them... I'm not good at anything with figures. Nor counting."
There are more than 40 dancers on stage, each with a costume.
"Yes, each one of them. And some of them must wear several costumes several times. Oh yes, there are lots of costumes, but I can't say how many there are."

Q: When does the Queen even find the time to draw so many costumes?
"Yes, well, I usually say: I don't knit. So I find the the time."

Q: So it's all the Queen's spare time that is used on this project?
QMII: "Yes, but it's a fantastic way of being allowed to use it as a pass time. Even thought it's a pass time with obligations, you can safely say."

Q: But something the Queen is very fond of?
QMII: "YES! Very much."

https://app.box.com/s/h34cqaxq5c3c51ghn7d1jqb3k7491hyi
https://app.box.com/s/wdp4w2yld10p0725b56s6w30tvy2qlgp
https://app.box.com/s/jdojilpuci1i8456frahoufqx6gsmlpu
https://app.box.com/s/thvzgucu3zy6t2f0d1uou2uggmuuz6sd
 
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Its plain to see that Queen Margrethe thoroughly loves doing what she does. Whether its as her role as a monarch, or pursuing her love for the arts and the theater, or touring and seeing ancient sites. its clear that this is a woman that enjoys her life to the fullest and that is what keeps her young at heart and bright in mind. We should all live our lives like that. ?

Rock on!!
 
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Well, I'm not overly impressed with what we can see so far of the costuming, but perhaps it will all look better when the show premieres.
 
And among the journalists present were two children from the Children's Paper, complete with presscards.
They were two girls aged eight and eleven - accompanied by the adult editor-in-chief of the paper, but they were the ones asking the questions.

The Children's Paper is a serious paper aimed at children in the younger classes at school. Written (mainly and with some editing of course) by children, for children, from children's views and about topics that for various reasons interest children.
That also include various "adult" topics like politics, current top news stories, culture (as in this case) and so on.
Because children at that age may not necessarily read papers or watch the news, or really understand what it is about. But they do know of course hear about current news and pick up what the adults around them talk and are concerned about.
Say global warming, something that can genuinely scare children! This paper tries to explain such an issue in a way that is relatable for children by using children in the editing process.
The paper is as such often used as basis in the classes at school.

But back to the press meeting. Being children, they had prepared and asked sensible questions. One each.
Addressing QMII very correctly, the first girl (the youngest) asked whether QMII had ever wanted to be an ordinary girl.

QMII did IMO the right thing, she smiled friendly and obliging and didn't laugh, but answered the questions seriously.
She replied that she had indeed been an ordinary girl when she was a child.

(You can of course debate that one! Even though she wasn't destined to become a monarch until she turned thirteen, her childhood was hardly normal. But everything is relative I guess.)

The next question was whether QMII believe it is good for children to be creative. And here QMII gave them a long and pretty adult reply. QMII does indeed believe it's beneficial to be creative. It's good for the imagination and the creative process from mind/fantasy to the hands to the finished result is a wonderful thing as well.

QMII was later asked by an adult reporter what she thought about the children's questions. (IMO she probably thought: They were more sensible than the ones you have been asking!) QMII replied that she thought they were well-prepared and asked good questions and she wouldn't have mind if they had gotten the formal address a bit wrong. (They didn't.) And using one of her favorite expressions, she found it amusing.
 
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:previous:

Here's a nice video of the press conference last week:

 
Has Queen Margrethe II done any painting on any handmade glass Christmas ornaments? :bauble::bauble::bauble::bauble:
 
Has Crown Princess Mary ever helped Queen Margrethe with an art project?
 
CyrilVladisla said:
Has Crown Princess Mary ever helped Queen Margrethe with an art project?
Click to expand...

Don't think so.
Apart from photography I don't think Mary is the creative type.

She did during a state visit, to Vietnam I think, paint a plate at a factory sitting next to QMII - who of course painted something presentable.
While the plate Mary painted was more... simplistic. ;)

But then neither Frederik, Joachim nor our Marie have done any particular artwork I can recall right now.
 
Simplistic! Dear Muhler your command of the English language is outstanding. A brilliant choice of word.

Mary is more the sporty adventure type, rather than the crafty type. She possibly plays a mean hand of cards and could be a reasonable chess player.
 
Muhler said:
Don't think so.
Apart from photography I don't think Mary is the creative type.

She did during a state visit, to Vietnam I think, paint a plate at a factory sitting next to QMII - who of course painted something presentable.
While the plate Mary painted was more... simplistic. ;)

But then neither Frederik, Joachim nor our Marie have done any particular artwork I can recall right now.
Click to expand...

That is the moment I was remembering too. Yes, the Queen looked more enthusiastic about it :flowers:
Mary from the start: State Visit to Vietnam: Day 3
 
"Here on the second Sunday in Advent, a new messehagel , created by Her Majesty the Queen for the Danish Church in London, was taken into use at today's mass.⁣
⁣
A messehagel is a disguise that the priest wears in front of the altar during the service and at holidays. His Majesty's work on the new messehagel began in December 2019, when the Queen visited the Church of Denmark in London. The queen studied the church's decor, colors and glass mosaic, and the inspiration for the color choice is taken both from the colors in the church room and from colors associated with Denmark and England. The white cross on the red background symbolizes Dannebrog, and the red and white colors are also pervasive in the glass mosaic in the large window above the church altar. Messehagelen has a blue lining, which together with the red and white colors allude to the colors of the British flag.

On the front of the messehagel, the Queen has embroidered a Christ monogram. The monogram, which is based on the first three letters of the name Jesus in Greek, is surrounded by a crown of thorns. On the back is the embroidered cross with a Luther rose in the middle. The Lutheran rose is a widespread symbol of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The curved vines in the pattern of the mass shotgun indicate the Gothic lines in the church, which is a 200-year-old neo-Gothic church building.⁣

Messehagelen's fabric is from England, and Her Majesty has in the design emphasized that it can be used throughout the church year and for all church holidays.⁣"

⁣
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIdZwVzgbXL/
 
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