New Thomas Kluge Portrait of Danish Royal Family: "Celebrating" 150 Years Today of the Glucksborg Dynasty: Boganborg Kids Are Gargoyles, Schackenborg Gets Off Easy, All Are Oblivious to the Destruction of Civilisation Behind Them (and Because of Them?): Symbolism, Ho!

Presented without commentary, although it should be noted that even The Fug Girls couldn't let this one pass. Commemorative book can be purchased here: Saxo


The Laurits Tuxen painting that inspired the new portrait, that of the family of King Christian IX at Fredensborg, with all children and grandchildren:

Bien Jouée!: Gentle Princess Marie, the Children's Princess, Visits Hospital to Promote Clown Programme That Helps Little Patients Cope

 

 

Meanwhile, back at Ranch Denmark, the real Children's Princess visited a hospital in Sonderborg to launch the programme for clowns to work with sick children. Sonderborg is near Graasten, down the road from Møgeltønder, in the far corner of the Jutland region of Denmark. What better patronage for Marie than to spend time with children in hospital. This is a delicate kind of event, what with all these young people dealing with terminal or horrible illnesses and conditions. It demands someone of compassion and sweetness who understands the sensitive nature of the situation and respects the feelings of all parties involved. No wonder no one ever asked Mary to do this. She repels children! And would never set foot in the provinces unarmed or in the company of spontaneous little people thinggies. Mary makes children wrap her present in front of her, then serves them cake with a knife in hand!

 

Marie has had practice with this clown group in hospital before and she seemed to have passed any unintentional test with flying colours. Marie, you are a star!

 

Bien Jouée!: Princess Marie Speaks in Front of UNESCO Assembly in Paris While Rest of Family Attends Daisy's Annual Fredensborg Concert

Grander audience than Madam La Sauvatrice du Monde!

 

 

So, the Danish princess who is least likely to embarrass herself and most likely to rise to the occasion was sent to Paris with her patronage UNESCO to give a speech on global sustainability. Madam Mazza, who tried SO HARD to impress herself upon the New York celebrity stage recently by dressing "cool" (ahem) and being hip and off the cuff ("yeah!") and dragging poor pregnant Princess Madeleine around to be her celebrity/royal intro to meet assholes like Bono, instead of working hard with her patronages or MEMEMEMEME Foundation and learning about the rotten issues in the world and using her influence to make positive changes. Didn't work. Yeah.

 

But Marie seems to be in control of both her subject knowledge and - inadvertently, which makes it more charming - her brand. Sister is not back in Paris to rub her former countrymens' noses into her marital success on an ill-fated Regardez-Moi! Tour. She quietly returned to her birthplace as a professional from her new nation, speaking on a subject that needs gracious, royal attention. She put her hair up, put on a pretty pants/blazer combo (someone get her a clothing budget!) and calmly and seriously, got on with business, not with posing for cameras.

 

Meanwhile, Daisy's annual concert at Fredensborg in which she typically signals all sorts of familial imbalances, was held without Marie in attendance, though Joachim made a dashing appearance in a velvet evening jacket, a dandy like his father. Daisy was all sorts of discombobulated with her belle-fille bien aimée not present - and it showed. Mary took note of the absense, as well, swanning her way into the palace in her silly sparkly dirndal skirt and recent Aussie top. Separates just make you look like a secretary on a night out, Mary. Pick out something more sophisticated, already. Fred looked like his usual bedraggled and bedrugged self, barely putting up with Mary and the requirement to attend one of his mother's cultured functions. At least Joachim was there looking relaxed and alive, representing Schackenborg, the preferred branch of Daisy's family tree.

 

Video: YouTube

 

 

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Bien Jouée!: Princess Marie at the Relaunch of the EMU Schools Portal with the Minister of Education: The Children's Princess Is a Hit Despite Obvious Fatigue

Weird. Mary never gets this kind of reception!

 

 

The Schackenborg Princess is certainly on the right track, concentrating her efforts on the domestic front with a steady regularity. She's finding a strong niche in issues that deal with children, women and education. Perfect. Those are issues that always need attention no matter the country or how strong a social welfare or employment state there might be. Plus, she's a natural with kids. It has surely been gently noticed that Madam La Boganista isn't exactly up to par for children's activities, and Marie has discreetly been replacing MoreMore in many such formal ventures. Too bad Marie can't be the one to take Mary's two eldest to the theatre where she surely would have not allowed Xian and Izzy to stand on their chairs. Mary knows Marie's on to her, what with that gentle chiding Marie gave to Xian to settle down when the whole family was together not that long ago. Mary was the one who ruined the day by getting huffy, taking all the kids back home and not joining the group later. Tant pis for you, Yrma!

 

Poor Marie was never a fashionista, no problem; it's a good thing she doesn't make the association between pricey labels and self-worth or social position. But as clear as it is that she's been recently given a little infusion of cash to buy clothes (the jacket and shoes this day, and her outfit at the Mothers meeting the other day are all new), she clearly doesn't have a stylist or a hairdresser on call. Her new cut is really cute - when styled. That's the difficulty of getting a new hairstyle that has a specific shape to it - it really requires styling and that's not always easy to do oneself. Also, our girl looks tired beyond belief. And puffy. Love the Schackenborgs, and they have and raise lovely children, but hopefully Marie is not pregnant. Looks it, but sometimes so does the flu. Let's just wish Marie well, be grateful that she showed up without cancelling in favour of eating biscuits in bed, and enjoy how she raises her own, and the royal, profile in service to wonderful causes, like here in Hellerup (the Copenhagen suburb where Xian and Izzy go to school) at the relaunch of the EMU website that is designed to be a very helpful portal for schools all across the country. 

 

Photos: Hola Mexico

Très Bien Jouée!: Marie Charms Mothers Organisation: The Warm Princess Spends the Afternoon With Minority Women, Listening to Them, Dancing With Them: YES

Celebrate, Marie! You're a star for Denmark!

 

 

Words are not sufficient to express how bloody fantastic this is! Her Royal Highness Princess Marie on Sunday, 6 October, attended a meeting of the National Organisation of Neighbourhood Mothers in Vejle. What a perfect royal presence at a much needed organisation, and one that focuses not only on the important needs of mothers, but on the needs of ethnic minorities, too often a group not given particular importance in Denmark. Marie is not only a charm ambassador of the highest calibar, but this is a very needy topic for her to give royal attention to. Fantastisk, as Madam, la Comtesse de Sydney Photo Opps would say.

 

Marie is totally upping her game these days: she's got a more professional wardrobe and hairstyle, she's totally integrating herself into Danish culture, and she's pursuing important and not always spotlighted concerns that affect the daily life of Danes, in particular new Danes, or those who are on the margins of society. In other words, she is giving herself to her new country in the most royal manner possible, with no Regardez Moi! tours of France or Switzerland, no cutesy-poo games with the camera (or even looking directly at it), no flirting with governmental ministers on costly junkets to foreign nations with no real agenda except to look good for the cameras. Marie is the real deal. She's been properly instructed by her husband on her responsibilities and duties, the pitfalls and preferences of a life of public representation. Brava, Marie!

 

 

 

Photos: Gert Blume; personal photos

Parliament Opening: Something Is Up: Has Mary Finally Played Her Last Hand?

"I think she'll be quite surprised with what we're cooking up, Mor!"

 

 

Something weird is in the air in Copenhagen for the opening of Parliament this year. Very weird indeed. Daisy looks to be in severe pain, perhaps because of her knees and arthritis, still? Derfie's resting face makes him look like he's seen a ghost - or has become one himself. How is it that an athletic man who trains to push himself in bike marathons and Ironman competitions still looks like death warmed over? Mary looks - dare we say!? - as if she KNOWS she's on her way out, fake smiles and scared resting faces, all. Perhaps that's wishful thinking and she just realises that she BOMBED in New York. (No Danish media outlets are posting ANY video of The Mess in Central Park!) Even gracious Henrik looks fed up with Madam. Joachim, Marie and Benedikte, being further away from the Boganborg mess, are able to keep up their game faces and smile through the disaster. But there is somthing rumbling underneath the surface, and it touches, but directly avoids the Schackenborgs. Even members of Parliament seem to take a special interest in the royal occupants of the balcony this year. And not just in the usual, 'who will fall asleep first?' way. Hmmm.

 

Have fun with the video of the royals' arrival, posted below. MoreMore is the only one in the family who neither gives nor receives the traditional (and quite French) double cheek kiss. It is NOT because of her hat. These royal ladies always cheek kiss with their grand, brimmed chapeaux. How bizarre that 10 years later, she remains either clueless enough to not pick up on it, or she remains as stubborn as can be about non-French traditions. Who cares where it came from, this is how this family greets each other - learn it! It shows respect! But Australians don't usually double cheek kiss, so there's Madam's rationale most likely. Australia over respect for others. Joizus, she's an ugly one! And not just because she's wearing that hideous witchy-poo hat with the magenta suit from the Luxembourg wedding (peplums are over, Mary) with the lace Nanny Bobo top from Charles' 60th birthday party.

 

Has anyone contacted Katja yet, to put out feelers on whether or not she would entertain a new round of courting from her Derfie so she can make him into a proper future King Frederik X? Courtesy would require contacting her with a sincere offer of familial inclusion, with guarantees of full integration à la Marius in Norway for her adorable Vitus. As an art restorer, she could have fun curating and leading the conservation efforts for all royal portraiture! To be fully accurate, if any Mary portraits remain, Katja could paint accurate presque-zizi's and moustaches and sweat stains and she and Fred could chuckle until they fall into each other's arms!

 

Video: TV2 

 

Longer Video: DR - wow, what a contrast between the three "lower ranking" royals (Joachim, Benedikte and Marie) who are very warm to each other and moderately tolerant of the proceedings, with the clown prince couple although Fred is adorable with Marie giving her a little arm rub when they embrace.

 

"Zoinks! I really blew it in NYC."

 

"That French one's nice, isn't she? What a good bet she turned out to be!"

Photos: Martin Høien, Billed Bladet; Søren Bidstrup, Scanpix; Bekia