Crown Princess Mary at ECCO Walk In Style Awards

This was the former Princess Alexandra's patronage for years. Now it's up to Mary to be the patron for this Danish shoe company's annual awards event at Copenhagen City Hall (where Frex was earlier with the Danish Handball Champions). Ew, Danish shoes? Madam does NOT wear clogs. Her feet are too f*cked up for that now! Crown Princess Mary of Boganson is sure a mistake has been made and is asking around for the location of the Prada Walk In Style event. Surely, there is a killer, freebie schwag bag at that shindig! You can almost see her shouting through clenched teeth: "Tanja! We're in the wrong place! This isn't it, we gotta scram!"

BT's slideshow of Mary and other celebs at the ECCO event.

The Kate Middleton transformation continues (is she now Kary? Kary-Mate?)! Long, curly, ringlet weave - check! Nearly goth-level, full perimeter eyeliner - check! Matching trouser suit (oddly enough, this look is very Alexandra!). Someone needs to tell Madam that shiny fabrics just add girth. And with Mary's loooooong torso, and the very low-riding crotch on these silly cropped pants, Mary just looks like swimmer Michael Phelps: super short legs and the body of a man eight feet tall. Is she letting the presque-zizi breathe by wearing her pants so low? Or is it because the pants would be too tight around her baby-making mid-section?





Interesting to see that Madam's skin guru (and arch-enemy - or did they reconcile?) Ole Hendriksen was co-host of the runway show along with the editor-in-chief of Danish ELLE. Ole, it was thought, had been banished to permanent exile Los Angeles after DARING to speak openly about how Mary has had success using his skin care products. Even sugary Billed Bladet published something about how Mary was no longer speaking to Ole for implying that she once had something other than perfect, porcelain skin. Maybe they are still enemies and spent the whole evening avoiding each other. I'll bet Mary is the kind of person who has had experience doing just that throughout her life.

And, finally, are those shoes Madam is wearing even Danish?? Leave it to Mary to show up at a Danish shoe company's event in someone else's shoes. Alexandra made a point of always wearing ECCO shoes when she did these events.

Practising "sexy face" looks







Iben Hjejle

Christiane Schaumburg-Müller

Danish Royals to Denmark: You're On Your Own

Huge fire today in the Copenhagen suburb of Valby. 200 people evacuated from their homes. No royals will be present. No royals are ever present at such devestating and catastrophic events. Not even little Mary Boganson - who is forever scheming on her next appearance in front of the cameras, or her next move to become The New Diana, Queen of Hearts - will show up. Welfare peasants are on their own. Sportif?

Don't be surprised if this is the view at the Danish palaces in short time.

Sportif!: Derf Parties With The Big Boy Handball Champions

Crown Prince Frederik celebrated the Danish Men's Handball Team and their European Championship at Copenhagen City Hall today. Look at poor little Freddles, so diminished in the company of a band of highly trained, fully conditioned, professional athletes. Fred looks like their little pixie mascot, yelling "Sportif!" at the games. Did he put that on his IOC application? Alas, poor Derf can't even claim that he has attended many of their games in his life. See, handball really isn't his thing, even if it is Denmark's most successful sport and therefore highly popular with the home crowd. Freddles prefers tennis and sailing. The sports of kings and Olympians, not of Danish peasants. Mary has gotten to him, despite herself not being exactly très sportif, herself. Perhaps this is why he looks so hollow and out of place on the balcony of City Hall with the team captains.

Record Crowds View Daisy's Art Exhibition at Arken

The exhibition at Arken museum of Queen Margrethe's paintings and découpage opened this weekend past to many visitors, most of whom were very impressed with the queen's works as well as the ability to get closer to the artist as a person, whether people find her intriguing or an enigma.

Politiken article on the exhibition at Arken by Queen Margrethe.

There is still a morning quiet outside this Sunday, as the snow that fell during the night has put a damper on the landscape.

The parking lot in front of Arken was turned out with strollers and wheelchairs, and people in fur coats running up to the entrance.

Well a couple thousand people in this weekend's run bought access to the museum in Ishøj to study 'The Essence of Colour' in the 135 watercolours, découpage and paintings that make up Queen Margrethe's largest ever exhibition.

In orderly regiments, the museum's first guests file past Queen's artistic portfolio of the past 35 years.

Her interpretation of the view from Fredensborg, which is decorated with découpage, and the latest creations, bone paintings on a yellow background bearing names like 'Hip Twist' and 'Large Hulls'.

And actually, most people think that it's pretty well done by the Queen. Especially when it comes to watercolours and découpage. While the bone paintings don't really speak to anyone but the museum director.

"It's damn nice to have a queen who has the courage to prove this out. I am proud that we have a head of state with such amazing abilities," said schoolteacher Kurt Roest from Greve.

Although he put it mildly, are not frivolous with the bone paintings. The Queen's latest works are a series of fantasies about animal bones, which she calls 'toil'.

"I think she should stick with découpage. But it's bold, she is proving so provocative is because it is a little unusual to be so interested in the bones. "

According to his wife, dentist Birgit Roest, it is actually the best show they've seen for long. And although it has only just opened, it is already the second time they are here.

"We went to the opening on Friday, but there were so many people that we sat in a hall and saw the Queen's speech on a screen. Then we came out again today, where there is peace and quiet to see the exhibition."

According to museum director Christian Gether there has actually never been so many visitors to an exhibition opening at Arken. There tends to be around 700, but on Friday there were twice as many.

"Over the weekend a few more thousand people have been through the exhibition. It's great - also for the restaurant and museum shop," he says.

In fact, he calculates that he can manage to get the most of a normal year's visitors through the museum during the five months that the queen's art hangs on the walls.

"We expect at least 150,000 visitors, and all of last year we had 182,000 visitors," says Christian Gether, who himself especially likes the new bone paintings, which he calls 'dramatic fantasies of bones'.

"It is unique, by means of an exhibition that one may come into mental dialogue with the Queen and the reflection she makes about existence."

Lars Peter and Taimi Jensen Snekkersten are halfway through the exhibition and are now among the découpage.

"I'm actually a little surprised at how good it is," said Lars Peter Jensen.

"And you can see that she has access to the right materials for découpage," adds his wife, Taimi Jensen.

"She is good at putting them together in terms of colour, I have not actually seen anything like it. And she has also caught the light well in watercolours. It is as they themselves see it between rocks and sunsets," she says.

Niels Just Petersen and Aasta Petersen are from Funen and came out for their granddaughter's 7th birthday in High Taastrup.

"It's really a big production. I'm impressed, I certainly think she has some skills," says Niels Just Petersen.

In return, the couple wonder a little bit about how the Queen just "fell upon those bones."

Lene Daubjerg from Skanderborg had been to a birthday party in Zealand on Saturday night and took the opportunity to also see the Queen's show.

"I've seen some of the green and blue images in Viborg and could immediately recognize them and remember which of them impressed me then."

In return, she could not immediately connect with the Queen's bone paintings and actually thought she had reached a different artist, when she saw them.

"I'm not so crazy about them, but I think otherwise, she is very versatile and talented. And I am glad that she, despite her position also has had time to do something she really likes."

Social worker Anne Bjerregaard from Amager has daughters Kamma and Alma with the ark. They have parked themselves in front of the movie 'Snow Queen', which has the queen's decoupage as scenic backdrops.

"One has such a hate/love relationship with the monarchy - on the one hand, you think it's too much. And on the other hand, you are still a little intrigued by what they actually are for anyone, and why the queen paints animal bones, "she says.

Dorit and Jørgen Lodberg drove in from Peterborough. They have previously seen her exhibitions in Viborg, Lemvig, Odense and Herning and think she is "immensely talented and very creative." They have also been to Cahors and gone for walk in the park and ate lunch by the river.

"But when the Queen wasn't there," says Dorit Lodberg.

It is however the first time they see the Queen's bone paintings, and as she says: "They actually look like oxtails."

Princess Marie: "Giving Birth Is Never Fun" / Prince Joachim: "She Will Be Spoiled"

A couple of similar articles as the Schackenborg family leaves Rigshospitalet. Again, what a contrast the open, relaxed, happy Princess Marie is chatting with the press as she went home today, with the uptight Crown Princess Mary. Marie may well just want to get in the car and zoom off, but she understands the rules of the game here and gladly answers questions about the birth and shows how unaffected and mature she is. How nice that Denmark has one functional princess in the next generation!

Jyllands-Posten article based on Princess Marie's exit from Rigshospitalet today.

Princess Marie: Giving birth is never fun

Friday morning Prince Joachim and Princess Marie were able to show off their daughter

The Danish press and several excited children and adults with flags showed up at the hospital to see the new princess for the first time.

Housed in a pink blanket with a bare head, the sleeping princess was held by her mother, Princess Marie, who enthusiastically carried her out.

"She has a good appetite and zest for life," said the proud father.

The little girl was born Monday morning at 8:27am. She was 49 cm long and weighed 2930 grammes.

Not fun to feed

Prince Joachim announced immediately after the birth that the girl looks like her mother. And that she has dark hair like her mother.

The prince insisted Friday that she ressembled her mother, while Princess Marie thought it was too early to say.

The princess was asked about her experience of birth.

"Birth is never really fun, but it's always a really great experience. And it's great to finally meet the baby," came the reply.

A proud big brother

This is 42-year-old Prince Joachim's fourth child, while 35-year-old Princess Marie only has one child already, Prince Henrik Carl Joachim Alain, two years old.

And he is a proud big brother, said the mother.

"He hopes that she can play with cars," she said.

The couple lives on a daily basis at Schackenborg Castle in Møgeltønder in Jutland, but the birth took place as is the tradition at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen.

We must keep watch

When the couple will be returning to Jutland, Prince Joachim could not answer.

"We're taking it slow and easy. We just need to keep watch and be sure that she is ready [for travel]," said the new father of four.

He rejoiced in finally having a daughter.

Birth Team as a family

"When I have seen a great deal of my childhood circle of friends have daughters, and see their joy over it, I thought after three boys, now I would also like a girl," he said.

The large team of medical professionals who helped during the birth were praised to the skies.

"The team is the best. They have been a fantastic support and help. They are like our family now," said Princess Marie and handed out hugs to most of them.

Prince Joachim already has joint custody of Prince Nikolai, 11, and Prince Felix, 9, with his wife from his first marriage, Countess Alexandra.

Prince Joachim and Princess Marie were married on 24 May 2008 in Møgeltønder Church.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DR article

She will be spoilt silly

The new little princess was wrapped in a pale pink blanket and both her ​​parents were in jeans, as Princess Marie and Prince Joachim Rigshospitalet with their daughter after the princess was born three days ago.

Both Princess Marie and Prince Joachim took their time to speak with the attending Danes and the press on their way through the Rigshospitalet foyer and out to the waiting car to drive them home to Amalienborg.

"It is amazing and wonderful to have her," said Prince Joachim and stressed that the little princess has already well out of the gates.

"She has a good appetite and is also an appetite for life," he said.

Can she play with cars?

Prince Henrik, at 2 ½, who has visited his new baby sister several times in hospital, is also already really happy for her.

"He is really proud and really happy and hope she can play with cars," said Marie.

The little princess has fine dark hair and slept through being displaying. When asked who she resembles, said Prince Joachim:

"She looks like her mother, of course, she's beautiful," he said.

Great to have a daughter

The Princess is the couple's second child together, and Prince Joachim's fourth.

"Being the father of four, I have not thought much about that. I've thought about being the father of a daughter. It has been quite great," said Prince Joachim.

"Honestly, when I saw my friends and crown prince have daughters and seen the joy they had in it, I thought that I wanted a girl," said a clearly pleased and happy Prince Joachim.

"She will get spoilt silly," laughed Prince Joachim - and continued:

"At least it's big brothers."

The little family is now at Amalienborg until the new princess is ready to be driven by car to Jutland. How long it takes for the not yet.

Politiken's Ditte Giese Beats The Republican Drum

OK. But, eh. The points Ditte makes are either about royal media attention (which she knows good and well from being in publishing/journalism is a market response) or take on a class-conscious tone under a light veil of feminism (pff, it's easy when you have a gaggle of nannies and don't actually work). To those points: duh, milquetoast, and so she fails on both counts. And her solution is even sillier: get rid of them. Hm, just like that? Give up one thousand years of monarchal rule, without a democratic election, and take on the even more expensive mantle of a President as Head of State, what, by the end of 2012? Or next week? Just because it's more equitable? Sorry, that's a sophmoric response. Get rid of them for better reasons than that.

Is it kind of insulting and kind of grotesque that there are women in the greater population who have to buy the same shoes as Princess Mary? Yes. But they would buy the same shoes as the First Children or other celebrities kids if there were no royals. Those women just exist and can be ignored even with an eyeroll, if you can't help it.

Ditte Giese's 27 January Politiken Blog

The Princess Takes a Couple of Days Off

Mary and Marie are extremely poor women to emulate

"Here's where Mary buys shoes for the kids," I heard recently a woman whisper to her other mother friend, as they passed Copenhagen's perhaps most expensive store with footwear for children.

Her friend nodded appreciatively, parked her cream-colored Emmaljunga Big Star Supreme of a pram-tub and slipped inside the Østerbro shop. Because obviously her little Sophie-Emily had to have genuine princess shoes.

We live in a princess time. Daily we are bombarded with media's incessant reporting on the omnivorous royalist-minions. Who is now pregnant? Who shall bring forth? Who has already a few weeks lost pregnancy weight? Who is supermor? Who has the most beautiful prom dress? Who is an adorable little princess? Who came a little close to the balcony edge? And so on.

This is especially the female members of the royal house that attracts attention. Constantly they are weighed and measured, evaluated and admired. We must however, dates back to the 1950s to find so old-fashioned one on women. Because when it comes to the royal women, it is about to give birth to children, look smart and otherwise keep your mouth shut as much as possible.

With the Queen as an exception because she is both 'an artistic soul' and not good at giving birth. But when did we last hear one of the princesses say something clever? The answer is never. And the worst thing is that it apparently is how we like it.

On the other hand 'Good Morning Denmark' made long television spots with tips and Mary style, while women's magazines have guides for how to make them look like the Crown Princess (it has something to do with a clutch-bag and a bouclé jacket, I can reveal) or lose weight quickly, like Mary.

And Marie, who otherwise has both studied economics and worked with IT and media, she could not have anything clever to say about the economic crisis? Future media image?

No, because she is busy trying to keep quiet and keep free, like the other royals, who year after year gets an apanage and uses life for shopping, travel and their own children.

They are some enormously bad women to mirror themselves in, because it has a notch to do with reality. Out here on the other hand, people count down to the children money, struggling with closing and warranty waiting lists and recycles New Year's dress. But all the little girls turn up in princess dresses, tulle and tiara for the carnival. Sleeping Beauty in the Disney princess bedding and dream about a prince who can offer them half the kingdom. It does not hang together.

Once called the 'years that went into the royal house', now called the 'every day of the year in the Crown'. There are anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, New Year's courts, dieting, official international and domestic visits, ministerial reshuffle and queens below. Plus the loss.

No sooner had the little kingdom been ready to cheer and for so long for Queen Margrethe's 40th anniversary as ruler of all that is entailed by Copenhagen coach driving, televised red carpet and details about the table settings, before Princess Marie of Møgeltønder once again secured the succession with a new little princess.

But when is it enough? How much should we hear about a select group of privileged people's mundane life?

There are children born all the time. Why are the top news in TV 2 News that Prince Joachim has been a girl, then a whole bunch of so-called 'people onto the streets' subservient to say congratulations, cheers and so long?

And on the radio they guessed at what the girl will be named while Princess Marie is praised by doctors and midwives for her great talent for giving birth. Soon we will undoubtedly have a full day of television from the baptism of Prince Joachim's fourth child with four long royal names. Just as we have seen with all Crown Prince Frederik's four children.

It's wonderful to have children, and even mighty fashionable to have many of them. It signals disposable income and love. And it is also wonderfully easy to have many children when you do not really work and have a nanny to get up at night. When you do not even wash the this week's pile of stained, cloth nappies or vacuum up the biscuit crumbs around the clock.

It's also easy to get back into shape after a pregnancy when you have your own gym, a stylist and a personal trainer. Yet we continue to bow in prostrate admiration.

Maybe it's about time someone shouts: They don't have any clothes on!

Presenting La Petite Prinsesse de Schackenborg!

Sikke en sød lille guldklump! Quelle jolie minette! What a little beauty! This morning, a button-busting proud Joachim and a serene and extraordinarily beautiful Marie presented their daughter to the media assembled in the foyer of Rigshospitalet as they left to return home to Amalienborg. It was such a touching scene of blissful, happy parents and their new babe. Joachim was dressed in pastels and was incredibly sweet and chivalrous toward his wife who held the little princess. They presented the image of a very united and loving family, calmly and graciously answering questions and holding the baby for the cameras to see her face. What a sweetie. She was very calm, and is a tiny little thing with a dusting of light brown hair. Marie said that she's eating well and very, very sweet. How lovely that Marie and Joachim hugged and kissed the birthing team at their exit, it is clear that close bonds have been made in their relatively short stay. Even their staff (Britt Siesbye, LIW, and Kurt Bache, Private Secretary) standing behind the family were all smiles and very relaxed.

The whole event was a total, 180-degree contrast to the exit of the Crown Princely Couple and their twins just a year ago with Fred's goofy, detached behaviour that he uses as a coping mechanism against his tense, self-conscious and deeply unhappy wife and their yellow 'miracle' babies followed by a glum Tanya Doky and a control freak Lene Balleby. Bienvenue au monde, petite prinsesse! Watch out for your gargoyle cousins (except for Izzy, you'll like her!) and enjoy being loved and protected by your adorable, older brothers.

Berlingske slide show

Berlingske video