Post by PeterB on Oct 16, 2005 21:21:55 GMT -4
For those unaware, there’s royal baby fever in Australia at the moment, thanks to the birth of a son to the heir to the throne of Denmark.
What interest would Aussies have in a grandson to the Danish monarch? The woman who gave birth, the Crown Princess of Denmark, is an Australian woman.
The story of how plain old Mary Donaldson became Princess Mary of Denmark is a lovely one (I’m sure Gethen would love it, anyway). During the Sydney Olympics back in 2000, Mary happened to attend a party at a pub in Sydney City, where she met Crown Prince Frederik. They got on well, and started to see each other on a regular basis. Once she accepted his proposal, she undertook more than a year of intensive study into the language and history of Denmark. They got married mid-2004 in a ceremony which was carried live on most TV networks in Australia, and since then Princess Mary has been a regular on the covers of the women’s magazines. When Mary and Frederik visited Australia early this year, they got more coverage and public interest than Prince Charles, who was visiting Australia at the same time.
Apparently 65% of gamblers thought Mary would have a daughter, and the Danish constitution was altered to make the oldest child the heir to the throne, regardless of gender, in the expectation of a girl. But Mary has produced a son, who will apparently most likely be named Christian, after Frederik’s father.
And, one might hope, it might make a few more Australians learn where Denmark is on the map.
What interest would Aussies have in a grandson to the Danish monarch? The woman who gave birth, the Crown Princess of Denmark, is an Australian woman.
The story of how plain old Mary Donaldson became Princess Mary of Denmark is a lovely one (I’m sure Gethen would love it, anyway). During the Sydney Olympics back in 2000, Mary happened to attend a party at a pub in Sydney City, where she met Crown Prince Frederik. They got on well, and started to see each other on a regular basis. Once she accepted his proposal, she undertook more than a year of intensive study into the language and history of Denmark. They got married mid-2004 in a ceremony which was carried live on most TV networks in Australia, and since then Princess Mary has been a regular on the covers of the women’s magazines. When Mary and Frederik visited Australia early this year, they got more coverage and public interest than Prince Charles, who was visiting Australia at the same time.
Apparently 65% of gamblers thought Mary would have a daughter, and the Danish constitution was altered to make the oldest child the heir to the throne, regardless of gender, in the expectation of a girl. But Mary has produced a son, who will apparently most likely be named Christian, after Frederik’s father.
And, one might hope, it might make a few more Australians learn where Denmark is on the map.
