This is the Message Centre for Pierre de la Mer ~ sometimes slightly worried but never panicking ~
As a Danish citizen
You can call me TC Started conversation May 25, 2010
... I would like to ask you a couple of things about the Danish Royal Family. I'm not a Royal-stalker or anything, but I think it's about time someone put together an entry on the Royal Families of Europe. Sho and I were talking about Victoria's Wedding and met with blank looks in Mannheim. (Yes - I know that's Sweden). I bet 95% of the British population don't even know which countries still have a monarchy. It's time we put them in the picture.
So, for the section on Denmark:
I know that Margaret smokes a lot, and that she caused a little controversy a few weeks ago (some right-wing comments or something?). She speaks excellent English and is an energetic and attractive woman for her age. More than that I don't really know. I can find out more details about the family, but could you tell me
1. what the general Danish public thinks of her and the rest of the Royals and
2. how are they treated by the Danish Yellow Press?
Thanks ever so much if you can help - I only want to write a short paragraph on each country, so you don't have to think too hard or write too much. I shall be contacting Titania and Milla for Sweden and Hapi for Holland. Unfortunately we don't have any researchers in Monaco!
for your help.
As a Danish citizen
Pierre de la Mer ~ sometimes slightly worried but never panicking ~ Posted May 26, 2010
To begin with the Danish royal family is not just a Danish but actually a multinational organisation
This because 1. Denmark is the oldest monarchy in the world, founded by Gorm the Old over a 1.000 years ago, and 2. Up until only a generation ago royalty usually only married royalty, and finally 3. They had more children back in the old days
This is how it came to be that Margrethe's great-great-grandfather Christian 9th became known as "Europe's father-in-law". This is what happened to his six children:
Frederik 8th became king of Denmark
Alexandra became queen of England (married King Edward 7th)
Vilhelm became king of Greece under the name George 1st
Dagmar became tsarina of Russia under the name Maria Feodorovna
Thyra married duke Ernst August of Cumberland
Valdemar married Marie of Orleans. He could have been king of Bulgaria, but turned down the offer out of fear of having to fight his own brother in a war with Greece.
But I digress
I believe most danes have a love/hate-relationship with the royals. For instance while we believe Margrethe sets a bad example by smoking like a chimney (btw: she smokes the greek Karelia-cigarettes who are extremely high on tar and nicotine) we at the same time adore her for her anti-pc-attitude
We also admire or at least respect her for her intelligence and many skills. She speaks both Danish, English, French, German and Swedish (plus some Faroese and Greenlandic, I believe), has designed stuff like robes for several bishops, paints, illustrates books ("The Lord of the Rings"), designs theater costumes etc.
If it were a natural law that we should have monarchy I believe she would be the best fitted for the job. However I am not a monarchist myself
But I think there are far more and graver problems to face than abolishing the monarchy and I believe most danes agree. If we were to vote about it I think quite a lot of us would stay at home, the majority of the rest would probably vote for our queen
The Danish yellow press (two tabloids and a handful of magazines) lives on the royal family and - I think it is fair to say so - vice versa. Except for the divorce of her youngest son Joachim from Alexandra there hasn't been anything scandalous to report from the royal danish household. One of the magazines calls itself "Denmark's royal weekly"
PS: Did you ask other danes as well? If not I would recommend Ottox, Santragenius and Tartaronne to name a few
As a Danish citizen
You can call me TC Posted May 26, 2010
Thank you for that. Do you mind if I invite the others to this thread?
As a Danish citizen
Pierre de la Mer ~ sometimes slightly worried but never panicking ~ Posted May 26, 2010
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As a Danish citizen
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