Denmark

[AmazonGrace]

41 minutes ago, tabitha2 said:

Claus took oft his tie though;)

 

https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/1998/12/12/buttoned-down-dutch-revel-in/51042871007/

Quote

"This isn't the end of the necktie," insisted Dutch fashion designer Alexander van Slobbe. "It's still a must for men. It's a form of security."

like a security blanket?

seems like you would be safer without a piece of fabric tied around your neck that might get caught somewhere  or provide a handle for an attacker or something.

[just_ordinary]

I read the pictures and video entirely differently. 🤷‍♀️

It was a highly formal event. Her signing her abdication, her son bowing to her for the last time and she overseeing how he took her seat. And then she left which I think is important to visible leave the reigns to the new monarch and not hover over his shoulder. She was clearly very moved but kept it together. And both smiled and she definitely looked as if she had tears in her eyes. Handing over the crown was probably a sad but also proud moment.

We also know that she was not the warmest and most involved mother so I don’t think it’s weird, if they acted a bit more distant and formal than other monarch/heir tandems.

[FluffySnowball]

14 hours ago, viii said:

That was an awkward ceremony. You’d hardly know Margarethe and Fred were mother and son. They were so cold towards each other. 

Apparently, they didn’t (and still don’t?) have a very close relationship.

That’s the thing with me and some royals btw. They are super popular among so many people but I just don’t really like them at all. Princess Anne of the UK, for instance, seems cold and arrogant to me and I simply don’t understand why many Brits say they wish she was their queen. And Margarethe of Denmark seems intriguing to me in the sense that she is artistic and doesn’t only conform to the narrow role of a queen, but as a person… nah, I don’t think I’d care to meet her for a chat as she, too, seems very cold. 

[just_ordinary]

I was surprised how moved Frederick was. He didn’t seem to expect to see so many people cheering for him.

[viii]

5 hours ago, FluffySnowball said:

Apparently, they didn’t (and still don’t?) have a very close relationship.

That’s the thing with me and some royals btw. They are super popular among so many people but I just don’t really like them at all. Princess Anne of the UK, for instance, seems cold and arrogant to me and I simply don’t understand why many Brits say they wish she was their queen. And Margarethe of Denmark seems intriguing to me in the sense that she is artistic and doesn’t only conform to the narrow role of a queen, but as a person… nah, I don’t think I’d care to meet her for a chat as she, too, seems very cold. 

Anne is a raging bitch and I really don't understand the love people have for her. She seems incredible out of touch to me. 

Agreed with Margarethe - she has her talents but as an overall person and mother, she is supremely lacking from what we have seen and heard. The way she handled her grandchildren titles to telling Fred 2-3 days before the rest of the world that he was about to become king.. she's always been very reserved and hands off. 

[prayawaythefundie]

The one positive thing I could say about Anne is that she isn‘t faking anything because usually people fake being friendly and she just isn‘t.

Margrethe does seem a little more non-emotional than really cold if that makes sense. Like she isn‘t even aware her actions could irritate her family most of the time. Anne, I think, knows it but doesn‘t care.

[tabitha2]

She readily admits it as well. In an interview she once said with an “it is what it is” shrug she is  not the warm grandmother her Own mother was. 
 

But what she is an extremely well educated extremely intelligent person and a great artist and designer and just as well respected. She saw her duty
 

[FluffySnowball]

2 hours ago, tabitha2 said:

She readily admits it as well. In an interview she once said with an “it is what it is” shrug she is  not the warm grandmother her Own mother was. 
 

But what she is an extremely well educated extremely intelligent person and a great artist and designer and just as well respected. She saw her duty
 

Admitting to it doesn’t make the shortcoming any better in my opinion. Not being sufficiently available for your family is a problem, regardless of whether one is of royal decent or not.

And I don’t know enough about what exactly constitutes as emotional intelligence (as in, I don’t know the actual definition of the term and being artistic requires access to one’s emotions I suppose) but it seems that both a Margarete and her husband failed their two sons as parents. Sure, both men grew up very privileged but even so, they were failed and that’s quite sad. 

ETA: and I didn’t continue with my thought about emotional intelligence but it seems Frederik’s parents seemed to have deficits. 

Edited January 15 by FluffySnowball

[tabitha2]

How did she fail them? Just because she was more reserved?  Current drama aside Frederick seems very happy, satisfied  and settled with his wife and children and is popular with the people.Joachim is seemingly like is father and was going to be dissatisfied with something in his life. That’s on him not her. But for lack of any other headlines he seems to be getting on with his new job quietly. 

[hoipolloi]

Joachim is a lazy grifter - always has been & still is. His older kids from his first marriage at least have jobs as male models. They are apparently very successful at it, so credit to them for getting the jobs & working at them. OTOH, neither of those boys ever did anything for the Danish monarchy so Margaretheʻs decision to remove their titles was entirely justified and probably made no difference in their daily lives apart from bruised egos.

Re: Frederik. He was moved to tears at their wedding in 2004 so it isnʻt surprising that he would be similarly affected by his accession to the throne, especially since it was essentially an unrehearsed, real time event. 

[tabitha2]

It’s just Joachim’s pride and sense of entitlement. His children will never suffer from having no title as They will still live plush moneyed lives in the European social set of minor royalty and obscure  nobility and elite commoners. If they do get down  they will have uncle Fred and his kids to take care of them. 

[FluffySnowball]

16 minutes ago, hoipolloi said:

Joachim is a lazy grifter - always has been & still is. His older kids from his first marriage at least have jobs as male models. They are apparently very successful at it, so credit to them for getting the jobs & working at them. OTOH, neither of those boys ever did anything for the Danish monarchy so Margaretheʻs decision to remove their titles was entirely justified and probably made no difference in their daily lives apart from bruised egos.

Re: Frederik. He was moved to tears at their wedding in 2004 so it isnʻt surprising that he would be similarly affected by his accession to the throne, especially since it was essentially an unrehearsed, real time event. 

That may very well all be true (I don’t follow the Danish royal family) aside from taking a little sneak peak during times like this (coronations and weddings).

The problem I see with taking the titles (and I’m anything but a monarchist in general) is that the kids of one child are treated very differently from the kids of another child (with both children being Frederick and Joachim). That comes with the territory, I suppose, and I can understand the reasoning behind the former queen’s decision. But even so, it contributes to a very unhealthy family dynamic.

We should also be aware that reasonable explanations only help to some extend. Family ties and relationships among siblings and cousins are not exclusively forged by means of reason and logic, emotions also play a role and that’s totally fine. We as humans aren’t robots. So while from the standpoint of a monarch, the decision to strip Joachim’s children of some of their titles might have been justified, from another standpoint it was wrong. 

[Jackie3]

21 hours ago, FluffySnowball said:

The problem I see with taking the titles (and I’m anything but a monarchist in general) is that the kids of one child are treated very differently from the kids of another child (with both children being Frederick and Joachim). That comes with the territory, I suppose, and I can understand the reasoning behind the former queen’s decision. But even so, it contributes to a very unhealthy family dynamic.

 

Of course it's unhealthy. Can you imagine doing something like this in your own family? It would create so much resentment and anger.

You can say that "It's tradition" or "we are streamlining the monarchy" but you can't talk Joachim's feelings away. Even he can't talk them away. They are what they are. And what about Frederick? Guilt is an uncomfortable feeling. Do you want to be close to someone you feel guilt towards? All in all, it is a system set up to create an unhappy family dynamic.

It isn't even about whether the titles have any worth. I don't think they do, particularly in the US. It's not like the four kids are addressed by their titles in their class or with their friends. It's about some pretty justifiable feelings of anger, particularly when your chldren are the one who are hurt. Are those cousins ever going to be friends? It seems unlikely. 

Edited January 16 by Jackie3