Tag Archives: Danish royal family

Headlines

Her Royal Highness Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway Receives Denmark’s Oldest Orders

On June 17, 2022, in a private ceremony at the Royal Palace in Oslo, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark presented the Order of the Elephant to Her Royal Highness Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway. The Crown Prince presented the Order on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark on the occasion of Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s 18th birthday.

Originating in the 15th century, the Order of the Elephant is the oldest and noblest Danish Order of Knights traditionally presented to royalty and Heads of State; moreover, the Order of the Elephant is only “on loan” to the recipient. Once an Elephant Knight passes away the Order must be returned to the Chapter of the Order; thus most of the Elephants have been in use several times.

The concrete Elephant has undergone a minor restoration for the occasion, where it has, among other things, been affixed to the Queen’s monogram, as an Elephant always wears the sitting monarch’s monogram when awarded.

Photos courtesy of the Danish royal court.

Headlines

TRHs Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark Release a New Statement Regarding Herlufsholm.

After the release of the controversial TV2 documentary, Herlufsholms Hemmeligheder (Herlufsholm’s Secrets) and the immediate fallout last month, Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark released another statement regarding their eldest son, His Royal Highness Prince Christian of Denmark, attendance at the prestigious boarding school. Here is what they had to say:

“As parents, we are at the moment facing some difficult considerations about our oldest children’s schooling. It is discussed in many places – also here on our own social media. It makes an impression on us. We have previously stated that we as a family are burdened by the unfortunate situation at Herlufsholm, and that we will follow the changes that are obviously necessary. Here we will try to share some of our thoughts and put more words into the considerations we make as a family.

Bullying, violence, and abuse are never acceptable. We must respond to the painful and devastating events by insisting on changes that ensure a safe environment for all. And we must also acknowledge the courage of those who have shared their violent experiences.

At the same time, we are the parents of a son who is very happy to go to the school. And a daughter who has long been looking forward to starting in the same place.

The question is whether the two sides can go hand in hand; whether we as parents can let our children go to Herlufsholm and at the same time react and insist on changes that benefit all students at the school. There will be divided opinions about that. But for us, the answer depends both on the investigations that have been initiated and on the effect of the initiatives that the school already has decided on. In addition, we will look at the school’s upcoming initiatives, but also at what we as parents can demand and contribute. The goal must be a future Herlufsholm, where all students – no matter who they are – thrive and can feel safe based on healthy values.

Finally, we will continue to talk with our children, show them confidence and listen to their wishes. Their perspective will also have to be taken into account when making our decision about their future schooling. Like all other parents, we want to do the best for our children. At the same time, we are aware of our special position as Crown Prince Couple. Here and now we do not know all the answers. As a family, we need more knowledge to be able to make the right decision for our children.

The Crown Prince Couple “

As a result of the fallout, the Herlufsholm announced that the school has created a “Well-Being Manager” on site at the elite boarding school beginning on August 1, 2022. Per a Herlufsholm press release:

“We have put in place an academic staff member whose position will be a Well-Being Manager. Herlufsholm School has for a number of years had a focus on student well-being. We will increase the efforts further with the desire to ensure a good environment and necessary cultural changes to create a nurturing, safe everyday life for all students at the school.”

Headlines

HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark Presents Awards During the Womenomics Nordic Business Conference.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 18, 2022, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark attended the 8th Edition of the Womenomics Nordic Business Conference held at the Villa Copenhagen in Copenhagen, Denmark.

According to a press release, the conference brings together a, “…number of leaders from Denmark and abroad as well as leading diversity experts and politicians who will meet to debate the latest statistics, trends, and solutions in the field of diversity and gender equality as well as specific cases from the business community.”

During today’s conference, Crown Princess Mary presented three awards to outstanding women for their leadership:

The Womenomics Arts Award went to Ms. Trine Dyrholm for her acclaimed career and choice of roles that show the diversity and complexity of womanhood and challenge established gender stereotypes.

The Womenomics Entrepreneurship Award went to Ms. Nima Tisdall and Ms. Christine Hebert the founders of Blue Lobster, who use technology to help create a more sustainable fishing industry.

The Womenomics Leadership Award went to Ms. Caroline Farberger, partner & chairwoman at Wellstreet, who is being honored as an accomplished CEO and transgender role model, using her platform and personal story to challenge corporate gender biases.

Headlines

HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark Returns to Germany.

On the morning of Tuesday, May 2022, Her Royal Highness Princess Benedikte of Denmark returned to Germany to attend the 100th-anniversary celebrations of the Duborg School in Flensburg.

Duborg School is part of the German school system for the Danish minority in South Schleswig and has a qualifying student exam for higher education in both Denmark and Germany.

During today’s event, there were musical performances, singing, and dancing according to the Danish royal court. After the celebrations, Princess Benedikte attended a luncheon at the Royal Danish Consulate General in Flensburg.

Photos courtesy of the Danish royal court

Danish Royals

Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark Celebrates the 300th Anniversary of Fredensborg Slot.

On Tuesday, May 17, 2022, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark along with hundreds of citizens from Fredensborg municipality celebrated the 300th anniversary of Fredensborg Slot.

According to the Danish royal court, during today’s celebrations “…hundreds of young people performed with the local orchestra, singing for Her Majesty in front of the castle’s main staircase…”

Photos courtesy of the Danish royal court

Danish Royals

HRH Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark Attends the 12th Annual School Olympics at Østerbro Stadion (Stadium).

On the morning of Wednesday, May 4, 2022, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark attended the 12th Annual School Olympics held at the Østerbro Stadion (Stadium) in Copenhagen.

The School Olympics is Denmark’s official Olympic sporting event for students from grades 4-8, and is a collaborative project between the Danish Sports Confederation (DIF) and the Danish Athletics (DAF). The School Olympics are organized according to the three Youth Olympic values: Community, Skill, and Fairplay.

Prior to the start of the School Olympics, Crown Prince Frederik gave a pep talk for almost 900 Copenhagen students; thereafter, the School Olympics began.

Headlines

HSH Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Will FINALLY Marry His Longtime Love, Miss Carina Axelsson!!

On Wednesday, April 27, 2022, the Danish royal court confirmed to the magazine, Billed Bladet, that His Serene Highness Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleberg will finally marry his longtime love, Miss Carina Lynn Axelsson! YAY!!

Prince Gustav and Miss Axelsson met at a dinner party in Paris in late 2003. In an interview with Billed Bladet, ten years ago, the prince — who is the only son of Her Royal Highness Princess Benedikte of Denmark and the late His Serene Highness Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg — recalled how he met Miss Axelsson:

“I had accepted an invitation to dinner by some friends in Paris. A couple of friends, one knew Carina and one knew me. It was a set-up. I had come to meet Carina and that second her mobile phone rang. All the mobile phones kept ringing throughout the dinner. After the dinner finished, Carina had turned on her phone again. I took her number and called her up from another part of the room and love began.”

Months later, Miss Axelsson moved into the stunning Schloss Berleburg in Bad Berleburg, Germany. Since then, Miss Axelsson has been warmly welcomed into the royal fold by the entire Danish royal family along with other reigning and non-reigning houses throughout Europe including the Swedish royal family and the Grand Ducal House of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha. In fact, Miss Axelsson is godmother to His Highness Prince Philipp Hubertus Andreas Christian of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha, son of another American princess, Her Highness Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha.

For years, royal watchers were wondering why Prince Gustav and Miss Axelsson haven’t married. Unfortunately, there was a clause in his late grandfather’s, Prince Gustav Albrecht, Will that stated that his heir, which he deliberately passed to Prince Gustav not Prince Richard, had to marry an Aryan woman of noble descent.

Nonetheless, Prince Gustav and Miss Axelsson continued to attend all the glittering royal events throughout Europe including the wedding of Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Mr. Daniel Westling in 2010 and the royal wedding between His Royal Highness Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Miss Tatiana Blatnik in 2010. The couple also attended baptisms, Danish royal family gatherings, birthday parties and much more.

On March 13, 2017, His Serene Highness Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg passed away at the age of 82. Everyone in the family were devasted by the loss of their beloved prince. Thereafter, Prince Gustav and Miss Axelsson were rarely seen in public together. As time went on, Miss Axelsson eventually moved to Dorset, England while Prince Gustav stayed at Schloss Berleburg in Germany to take care of the land and the house he inherited.

After the death of his father, Prince Gustav battled with his great-uncle, Prince Ludwig Ferdinand, in a German court regarding as to whom is the rightful heir to the estate of Schloss Berleburg and the private fortune worth 500 Million Euros ($527,795,000.00). On July 30, 2020, the German Higher Regional Court sided with Prince Gustav. Via a press release from the Higher Regional Court (translated):

“The inheritance dispute over the assets in the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg house has been decided: the Higher Regional Court (OLG) Hamm confirms the decision of the Bad Berleburg Agricultural Court from the first instance, so that Gustav Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg is the legal heir. The 10th Civil Senate – Senate for Agricultural Matters – of the Hamm Higher Regional Court rejected the appeal against the decision of the Bad Berleburg Agricultural Court of April 18, 2019. With its decision of July 23, the Senate confirmed the decision of the Bad Berleburg Agricultural Court, which was largely correct in terms of its reasoning, after a – by law – non-public hearing of the persons involved in the process on July 14, 2020.”

As a result of the ruling, the prince was officially recognized as the heir to the estate and its vast lands throughout Germany. Moreover, the ruling also paved the way for Prince Gustav to marry his love, Carina.

Meanwhile, in Dorset, England, Miss Axelsson continued to publish her popular Young Adult book series, Model Undercover and Royal Rebel. She also is a keen gardener, has several cute dogs, and has an absolutely amazing cottage in Dorset.

Earlier this month, Prince Gustav and Miss Axelsson were photographed alongside Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark as they walked to the 50th birthday party for Mrs. Birgitte Handwerk. Royal watchers were thrilled to see Prince Gustav and Miss Axelsson together again in public. Many were wondering if they were a couple again or simply friends.

So, after 19 years the circle is complete. The prince finally gets his princess. And, finally, after 19 years Miss Axelsson will officially become Her Serene Highness Princess Carina of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg! Congrats!

Now, the question is: When is the wedding? Where will it take place? More importantly, will Miss Axelsson receive a fabulous new tiara? Stay tuned for updates!

**UPDATE: The couple will marry on June 4, 2022.

***CORRECTION: The couple met at a dinner party in Paris in late 2003.

On a side note: On Friday, I’m going to upload a video biography of the couple on my YouTube channel since there’s so much more to their love story that I haven’t covered on my blog. So, stay tuned.