Tillykke med fødselsdagen, kære Prinsesse Elisabeth!! Born 8 May 1935 to two royal parents (sorry Izzy!!), Her Highness was born with the glorious run-on name of Elisabeth Caroline-Mathilde Alexandrine Helena Olga Thyra Feodora Estrid Margrethe Désirée. Father Prince Knud (younger brother and only sibling to Derf's grandfather King Frederik IX) was the heir apparent to his brother who only had daughters. Women weren't allowed on the throne of Denmark. Then Ingrid came along. In 1953, she lobbied and fought for her oldest daughter, the gawky, pimply Margrethe, to be the future queen, denying Elisabeth's father and younger brother Ingolf the opportunity to reign over Denmark. Oh, what a future we could have avoided!
Elisabeth, you little devil. We know what you're about - and we WHOLEHEARTEDLY APPROVE. Never married, and therefore never having given Daisy or Frederik IX the chance to deny her the birthright of being a Princess of Denmark (brothers Ingolf and Christian had to renounce being princes and become Counts of Rosenborg upon their marriages to - gasp! - Danish women). Elisabeth remains Her Highness and a princess. She is invited to major state events and other family events wearing her Elephant Order. Without children, she will not have the indignity of seeing her children without royal titles or laying in waste without invitations to more private family events (like her poor Rosenborg nieces, Countesses Feodora, Josefine, and Camilla who were not invited to cousin Derf's wedding reception).
A cautionary tale for Team Schackenborg! Especially when Her Bogan Majesty Queen "Bloody" Mary comes to the throne to rule for her husband Frederik X who will spend most of his time in the palace garretts curled into the fetal position, being nursed by a round the clock team of large breasted nannies who are required to drink large quantities of Carlsberg to supplement their milk.
A close up of Princess Thyra's diamond and sapphire tiara, a gift to her niece Princess Caroline-Mathilde, Elisabeth's mother.
Wear that Elephant, girl!!
Love this! I'd like to learn more about her.
ReplyDeletepix, she's really the anti-Yrma, so of course it's hard not to like her. By the time the 1953 events transpired, conveniently when she was 18 and could read the writing on the wall, she just got on with it, but didn't seem at all willing to let go of her heritage. Nice balance.
ReplyDeleteElisabeth actually worked for a living (!) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for about 45 years until her retirement, so even if Daisy gives her no money, she's got a solid pension. She spent time at the Danish Embassy in DC and the consulate in Geneva (she and Marie must have nice conversations about that town). She had a long term relationship with a documentary director until he died in 1997.
She's sporadically featured in BB, so if you look through the archives, you'll find bits and pieces about her, like her attendance at her brother's 70th birthday, her being named godmother to one of the Rosenborg girls' babies, etc.