Queen Mary goes Disney princess in her latest move

 

The thing about royals having their own social media is that they get to control the narrative. Yes, you have to be on it and make sure the story you're telling is worth hearing and that can be hard. But it also provides open goals and if you're smart, like Queen Mary of Denmark, you take them. Hence Mary's Disney Princess phase.

Denmark's Princess Isabella shows she was, quite literally, born to wear a tiara

 

She was the first princess in the direct line of succession to the Danish throne for decades and now, as she turns 18, she gets a tiara of her own. As Princess Isabella of Denmark reaches this milestone birthday, she's been given a gem that links her to two queens and a very famous Crown Princess. Quite in keeping with her own place in modern royal history.

The heirs of 1914: Denmark

The heir to the throne of Denmark in 1914 was one of the newest Crown Princes on the continent.  Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg, known as Frederik, had become heir to the throne in 1912 and now, aged fifteen, was enjoying an education that would make him one of the most modern kings his country had known.

Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, photographed in 1914

As king of Denmark, a role he assumed on the death of his father, Christian X, in 1947 he would oversee changes to the constitution which would allow women to inherit the throne for the first time and pave the way for his daughter, Margrethe, to become queen and changes to the way his country was run which included a brand new welfare state and better working rights for women.  The seeds of that modernity were sewn in his childhood when Frederik became the first heir to his country's throne to embark on a naval, rather than army, career.  The little boy who had stood at the feet of the legendary Christian IX, the father in law of Europe, turned his monarchy into one of the most modern on the continent.  And perhaps of all the heirs of 1914, his future was the clearest then.  The boy who would be Christian X never made any secret of his desire to move with the times, not even as a teenage Crown Prince.

The future Frederik X stands on a chair to the side of the then King of Denmark, Christian IX, with another king Christian and king Frederik with them.  This historic photo of four kings together was taken in 1903 when the youngest Fred was just four

The Dutch tour of Europe

The new Dutch king and queen have finished their tour of European royal courts where they've been introducing themselves as monarchs for the first time.  The tour has been dotted amongst their other engagements over the last few months and started back in June before coming to an end on October 14th 2013.  They kept things simple at every turn with a spot of lunch with the royals before an afternoon chat with leading politicians.  Here's a look back at how the new Dutch monarchs said hello to some familiar faces.

 

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands on their first introductory tour - Luxembourg.  They met the Grand Duke, Henri, and the Grand Duchess, Maria Teresa, on May 24th 2013 at the Grand Ducal Palace. 

 

 

The next stop was Denmark on June 25th 2013 where they had lunch with Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik at the Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen

 

The visit to the UK was slightly shorter with a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle on July 10th 2013

 

 

The first visit after the summer break was to Spain on September 18th 2013 where the royal couple had lunch with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid

 

 

King Harald and Queen Sonja welcomed Willem-Alexander and Maxima to the Royal Palace in Oslo on October 2nd 2013

 

 

The last stop on their tour was Sweden where they spent the day on October 14th 2013, starting with lunch with King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at the Royal Palace in Stockholm

 

Earlier in the summer, the Dutch Royal House said it would announce a visit to Belgium after the long holiday.  But with their fellow new king and queen on the block in the middle of their Joyeuses Entrees around their own country, it might be some time before these good neighbours and friends get to say hello to one another officially for the first time since their respective successions.

A decade of Mary and Letizia

This month marks ten years since those heady few weeks back in 2003 when Europe went royal wedding crazy.  After the excitement of Haakon and Mette-Marit's do in Oslo in August 2001 and the splendor of Willem-Alexander's wedding to Maxima just six months later in February 2002, Europe's heirs had gone a bit quiet on the marriage front.  And then suddenly there were diamonds, rubies and photocalls as far as they eye could see.

 

They even saved the date of the engagement - Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Mary Donaldson on October 8th 2003 following the official announcement they were to marry

In just a few days' time, Mary and Frederik will find themselves exactly ten years on from the official announcement of their engagement.  The news was widely expected after a courtship of around three years.  Even the date of the official proclamation was known in advance as at the end of September 2003, Queen Margrethe II let it be known that on October 8th 2003 she would give the royal approval needed for her heir to marry his Mary.

 

 

A queen consort in waiting begins her journey towards the throne. Mary Donaldson during her first interview after it was confirmed she would marry the future king of Denmark

 

And just as all the excitement of the first royal wedding in Europe for over a year was being absorbed, we got two of a king as Prince Felipe stunned everyone by announcing his engagement to Letizia Ortiz Rocosolano without anyone really realizing they had been seeing one another.

Prince Felipe of Spain, future king, presents his future queen to the media a few days after the surprise announcement of their engagement on November 1st 2003

 

For several years afterwards, the couples' lives seemed to jog along in tandem with weddings and babies happening literally within days of one another.  But the decade has treated both pairs quite differently and over the next few weeks I'm going to be marking that mad marriage month of 2003 by looking back at the beginnings of two of Europe's most famous royal romances and charting how they, and the people involved in them, have fared on the road to becoming modern monarchs.  There will be plenty of polls about it too, changing through the month.  Ten years on, how has life treated these two very different queens in waiting?

Royals on tour

The Queen of Denmark has begun her annual trip around her coastline on the royal yacht.  Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik spend part of every September visiting different parts of Denmark to get a bit closer to their fellow citizens.  This year's trip started in Skagen with some spectacular views of the royal yacht and the royal couple.

 

There's no mistaking it's Denmark - flags a plenty and even more red and white greet Queen Margrethe and her Prince Consort at the start of their September tour

 

Over the next four days the royal couple will visit Læsø, Vordingborg and Møn and meet as many people as possible.  Royal home tours are all the rage at the moment.  Today, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia continue their whizz around Sweden which is a large part of the 40th jubilee celebrations although there might be a few congratulations for other news as they've just announced that their youngest daughter, Madeleine, is to make them grandparents for the second time in the new year.

 

 



King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia arriving in Östergötland in the south east of Sweden this morning on another of their visits to mark the king's 40 years on the throne.  Just after their arrival, the royal household announced that Princess Madeleine is expecting a baby

 

In a few days time, the new king and queen of the Belgians will start their series of visits to different parts of their country to meet people there for the first time as monarchs.  Philippe and Mathilde start in Louvain on September 6th and make their way to various parts of Belgium before ending in Bruges on October 25th.  Earlier this year, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima did a similar home tour to mark their accession to the throne, spending several months visiting different parts of the Netherlands as part of their introductory tour.

 



 

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Maxima visit Gelderland as part of their introductory tour on May 30th 2013, exactly one month on from taking the throne

 

The tours have all run alongside other royal duties but have been designed to maximize the contact that the royals in each country have with their fellow citizens.  And in an age dominated by communications, getting out there and being seen and heard is one way to make sure that the monarchies stay current.





How to make a royal granny feel old...

The first born grandchild of Margrethe II of Denmark turns 14 today and some new photos have appeared on the Danish royal household's website to mark the occasion.  And very grown up he looks too.  If becoming a grandparent marks a new phase in life then seeing that little baby looking like a young man must mark another.  Suddenly that little baby that left the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen in his mother's arms fourteen years ago looks like a young man. 

 

Prince Nikolai of Denmark who turns fourteen today

(photo Steen Brogaard)

 

Nikolai is also shown with little brother, Felix, who at 11 looks very far from little.  Both boys no split their time between the new homes of their parents, Joachim and Alexandra, who divorced in 2005 after a short separation. 

 



 

Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix of Denmark in another photo to mark big brother's fourteenth birthday

(photo Steen Brogaard)

 

It's ben a big year for the eldest of the queen's grandchildren with his confirmation earlier in the summer.  And he's continuing with another royal tradition by attending Krebs School in Copenhagen - just like his father and his uncle, Crown Prince Frederik.

 

 

The first glimpse of the first grandchild of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark - Nikolai leaves hospital in mum Alexandra's arms in 1999

 



Europe's royals out of synch on summer holidays

Just as the Scandinavian royals are getting back to work, Queen Elizabeth II is starting her break in Scotland.  The Queen has been out and about inspecting Scottish soldiers as she settles into a long break at Balmoral.  And very pleased she looked too - she is said to love her Highland retreat above all her other castles and palaces.  And as she settles into comfy clothes and picnics on tartan rugs, she has a lot to be pleased about.  Another successful 60th celebration, this year for the Coronation, plus a line of succession more secure than at any time since the Victorian era.  Prince Philip is on the mend and about to start royal engagements again.  And another grandchild, Zara, is on the path to motherhood and a happy family of her own.  That's the way to start a holiday.

 

All smiles as the Queen begins her annual Scottish holiday in August 2013

 

But some of her Scandinavian cousins are back to work after their summer hols.  King Harald of Norway is due to preside over the Council of State at his Royal Palace today while Princess Mary of Denmark was first off the blocks with an official engagement at the Danish fashion week starting off her new school year of activities.

 

 

 No summertime blues for Mary - a navy print dress with white trims was her first back to school outfit of 2013

 

Princess Isabella is back to school for real next week and from that point the Danish royals will be out of holiday mode for good for another year.