RIP: Tina Jørgensen, Yrma's Lady's Maid, Dead at 53

Mirroring Mary's own mother's early death, her lady's maid Tina Jørgensen died unexpectedly Monday at age 53. Tina has been with Yrma Vep since the latter officially snagged the ruby ring at Copenhagen Cathedral in 2004. Her former jobs have included being a theatre dresser and working at Daisy and Henrik's beloved Cirkusrevyen (starring Ulf Pilgaard who dresses in character as Daisy for shows). Through her theatre work, she was friends with Ellen Hillingsø and Preben Kristensen, the partner of Mary's hair-fail guru Søren Hedegaard (see article below with an interview with him). She's been in the backgroud on several photos taken of the royals throughout the years. To bad her humility and kindness didn't rub off on her mistress. I hope Madam attends Tina's funeral. [Update - Tina's funeral is scheduled to be held on 8 November.]

She also seems to have been responsible for a lot more than Madam's ugly wardrobe. She has walked the dog (on a lead - the only one to do so with Ziggy!) around the castle grounds, been responsible for the children's care, and generally been the sort of underpaid general go-to person that many wealthy people take for granted. Job description creep is in no way the official cause of death, but it's always a good reminder never to allow for such either for yourself as an employee or as a boss toward an employee. There is a power dynamic that should never be exploited between a lady's maid (lowly title if ever there was one) and an employer. It is a very different relationship that Tina had to Mary as Mary has to Tanja or Lene, for example, who seem to be able to call some shots and are granted express permission (nay, a requirement by Daisy?) to follow Madam around in public. Tina was relegated to behind the scenes with many of the clean-up, make-presentable duties inherent.

On another note, there is now a job opening for anyone willing to penetrate the walls of Boganborg and report back!

Article: TV2

Crown Princess Mary's maid for eight years, Tina Jørgensen, is suddenly dead, only 53 years old.

"Everyone at court is deeply concerned, not least Crown Princess Mary. Tina Jørgensen has been a great support for the Crown Princess for many years," says the royal family Communications Lene Balleby to tv2.dk.

"Tina Jørgensen was a dear colleague with a good sense of humour, which we all appreciated," says Lene Balleby.

As the maid, Tina Jørgensen was responsible for the Crown Princess's wardrobe. In particular when traveling, where it was her responsibility that the Crown Princess had everything that she could need.

According to Ekstra Bladet, Tina Jorgensen worked as a dresser at the Royal Theatre, the Circus Revue and at Linie 3, before she came to court in 2004.

Article: BT

Shaken by Death: Mary's Maid Was Extremely Well-Liked

Søren Hedegaard, hairdresser for Crown Princess Mary, is appalled by the loss of his friend and close colleague. "She was like a mother to us all," he says.For more than ten years, Søren Hedegaard knew Tina Jørgensen, who until her sudden death Monday, was maid to the royal family. Before that she was a dresser in the theatre and in cabaret productions such as Circus Revue, where she worked closely with, among others, Lisbeth Dahl and Ulf Pilgaard.As late as Sunday, the 53-year-old maid was at work for Princess Mary, and it was the same day that she spoke for the last time with Søren Hedegaard.

"I find myself in a state of mental hangover where it has not really dawned on me that Tina is not here anymore. It is a great shock to me as well as everyone else who stood near Tina. Both people in the royal family and outside, not least," says Søren Hedegaard.For several years he has worked as a hairdresser, and she as maid, to the Crown Princess and have traveled the globe together with her. She shined with her knowledge, her ear for language and her warmth wherever they ended up.

"There are many abroad also who will remember her. She was very popular in the Scandinavian royal houses. It was not just us in Denmark, though she was there, she was also the helping hand when we were visited by our colleagues from the Nordic countries. She possessed the discretion and loyalty that her job required," says Søren Hedegaard, adding in the same breath:"And humility! Tina did not care for the rank of people, she did not get her job because she strove for it, but because she was who she was, and because she was very good at her job. She never distinguished between high and low, and it helped to make her so popular."

He has difficulty off the cuff to find adjectives that completely describe her best. But warm, spacious, generous and conscientious goes most of the way."She was like a mother to us all. An octopus with very long arms, which were for everyone, including the royal family, their bodyguards, in short all. She ran from pillar to post, so she removed just one spot there, so she gave just an extra hand here. It was her unique personality that made her the Crown Princess' maid."

More in the circle close to Tina Jørgensen still expect answers to what was the actual cause of her death. On Sunday, she was as usual in the palace of the Crown Princess following an event at the Royal Theatre. Monday she did not show up for work, and the same day she was found dead at her home in Copenhagen.

She leaves no children or husband, but her mother, her sister and a couple of nieces and nephews. The funeral will take place next Thursday.