There's something rotten in Denmark, and it's not just the economy. According to this article in Berlingske (a pro-monarchy broadsheet), it's the largesse of the royals, who, in these times of economic turmoil, instability and inequality, are getting a raise. Yes, Daisy & Company are being given money that would otherwise go toward schools, health care, indigent care and other social safety nets.
The text of the article is below. This news is going to go down in Denmark as smoothly as a hillbilly's golden shower down a bogan gullet in a steamy ute parked in the back lot of the Hobart Mall. To the Bastille-borg, Danish citizens!
Interesting choice of photo Berlingske made. Mary is set aside from the other royals who are clustered together focussed on the babies. Subliminal messaging: this Mary Antoinette character is the one who got us into this mess with her Prada & stiletto habits and fencing addiction chez Haberdash, owned by Mary's stylist Anja!
It costs to be royal.
While the public economy is being cut down and every penny counts, the taxpayers are to pay a total of one million kroner more for the royals in 2012.
Queen Margrethe, who next year celebrates 40 years on the throne, gets 700,000 kroner ($135,391 USD) extra to squander. Of this amount, 100,000 kroner ($19,342 USD) will go to her husband, Prince Henrik, thus raising their apanage to 7.2 million kroner ($1,392,480 USD). The queen will have a total of 71.8 million in 2012, of which she must give 1.1 million kroner ($212,762 USD) to her sister, Princess Benedikte.
Annuities to other members of the royal family will increase by 300,000 kroner to a total of 24.6 million, but it's only Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, who get more money directly.
The Crown Prince's annual allowance is increasing by 200,000 kroner ($38,684 USD) to 17.8 million ($3,442,520 USD), of which 1.8 million ($348,120 USD) is earmarked for Crown Princess Mary.
Prince Joachim's annual allowance will increase by 100,000 kroner ($19,342 USD) to 3.2 million ($618,880 USD).
Also Prince Joachim's former wife, Countess Alexandra, will receive from the state the same amount as this year, a total of 2.1 million kroner ($406,142 USD).
Also Count Ingolf's annual allowance is unchanged from 1.5 million kroner ($290,100 USD). Neither Alexandra and the Count are in the succession to the Danish throne.
Good that Alexandra and Ingolf are not receiving raises, but also, they pay taxes and so, the effects of the tightened economy will be felt a bit in their households. Prince Joachim's raise can be slightly justified with a new baby on the way, but there is no apparant justification for the raise that the nearly non-working Crown Princely Couple do. Princess Benedikte's raise is quite substantial! No wonder she never renounced the throne! And is it any surprise that Mary will try her damnedest not to divorce this gravy train!? (Cousins Princess Elisabeth and her brother Count Christian do not receive an apanage.)
No comments:
Post a Comment