Muhler

Translation of interview in BT, 2009-09-13. Her er mit livs project – Here is the project of my life. Interviewed by Marianne Singer. She has sat face to face with women afflicted by violence, visited children in Greenlandic orphanages and held speeches for experts and professionals. The Crown Princess has for the past two years with a lot of energy thrown herself into the struggle against bullying and she has tried to help families and youths affected by violence with among other things economic aid-programmes, information campaigns and conferences via the Mary Foundation. Already while studying in Australia she started to get interested in the subjects and today she has a burning wish that her work will become a life-long project, which will also continue after her death. BT has had the opportunity to ask the Crown Princess a number of questions regarding her subject that is close to her heart. Q: What does it mean to you that the Mary Foundation is your very own project? - “The Mary Foundation has provided me with a platform to work from – an opportunity to follow me heart in the work for and with the socially exposed groups and people in the Danish society. It’s an exciting work. And it gives me a great satisfaction to be so involved in the areas of focus and projects, we have chosen to work with”. Q: How much of your time are you using on your work in the Foundation? - “As working chairman of the board I am very involved in what is going on in the Mary Foundation. It has from day one, been an exciting process, which it is still easy to spend a lot of time on. When that is said, there are many really good and competent resources present in the Mary Foundation, who all do a unique work”. Q: How much does it affect you to have met socially exposed people so close up? - “You can learn a lot by reading and listening. But the word that has been read or heard only becomes reality the moment you yourself face a person who has been through the situation and who can put words and images on that. That’s why it’s important for both me and the Mary Foundation, that we are in direct contact with the people we wish to help, because their experience and history is a part in increasing my knowledge of their situation – and thus the Mary Foundations ability to go in, where we believe, we can make a difference. Also from a purely human perspective I benefit from these meetings. I still learn a lot about courage and willpower. And I learn about how important a community/togetherness is. And how much a good start and a new chance mean to us people. There are meetings that a remains with me for a long time and which suddenly pops up later in a completely different context, which I remember and draw on as a part of my experience and knowledge. (*) The meeting with socially exposed people confirms for me that what we want to do is so important: Can we help just one child to understand that there is another way that bullying, we will have made a difference. And can we help just one fellow human being to take the bold step out of domestic violence, we will have come far”. Q: Is it true that you have previously written a treatise about domestic violence while you were studying? - “It’s true that I while studying wrote an analasys about a defence used in USA, which is known as “The Battered Wives Syndrome”, (**) and which was about how legitimate that defence was and what the possibilities were for reducing sentences. It’s long ago so it’s difficult to remember in details. But what I remember most clearly is how violent the spiral of violence is, in which women afflicted by domestic violence is in – and how hard it affect the reactional and behavioural pattern of the women. (***) My personal knowledge of bullying and domestic violence, primarily stems from my work as chairman of the Mary Foundation – and from the knowledge I have gained via my patronages in Denmark and abroad”. Q: Your foundation has for the past two years developed rapidly. Are you proud of what you have so far accomplished? - “We have only just started. But I think we have come far. I’m very pleased and proud of what the Mary Foundation is today. We have made a difference, because the issues we have touched have been seen and has created a debate. That is some of the essential: That we have accomplished to shed light on some problematic issues – and to put focus on people in dire straits. But what makes me the most glad and proud is to get positive feedback from those we have wished to help”. Q: What dreams and goals do you have for the Foundation in the future? - “My greatest wish for the Mary Foundation is that it will be a part in making an even bigger difference for people who are socially isolated and who needs the tolerance, understanding and openness of others. And as such I hope the Mary Foundation will always be an important part of my life and that it will hopefully live longer than I. So that it can be of benefit of really many people for very many years”. Q: Have you addressed the issue of bullying with your son, Prince Christian? - “As a mother I am naturally very preoccupied with bullying. I cannot bear the thought that my children will be exposed to bullying (****) or bully them selves. We all have a responsibility – both as parents, teachers and pedagogues – to teach our children basic values about how to associate one another and how to build up communities. That is something, we are very attentive about in the bringing up of our children”. Q: You have a commercial background in advertising and marketing. How can you use these experiences in your work? - “The Mary Foundation is a big and exciting part of my day to day and work life and I try to contribute in all aspects – at work – and in board meetings and in connection with the exchange of experiences from my travels and work with my patronages – where I believe it has relevans and can create something valuable. It’s completely natural that you use your background and all the things you have learned along the way in your life to contribute where you can. I’m very fortunate that my background in advertising provides me with an opportunity to contribute within both the strategic and marketing analytic and also within the visionary and creative fields. Just as natural is it that I draw on meetings I’ve had with interesting people and issues, when we are discussing prospects for the future and upcoming initiatives. So both my background and my work is of benefit to me in my position as chairman for the Mary Foundation”. (*****) - Apart from her involvement in an issue that is very commendable, I’m very impressed with her mastery of Danish. She is very articulated and she speaks a beautiful Danish, with a very varied choice of words. Her meaning comes across very clearly, which of course is a great help when translating. – Remembering that she has spend less than ten years immersed in a language, which is still quite different from English. (*) Flashbacks of faces and sentences? I know them so well. (**) Perhaps someone can elaborate? (***) The concept of women having their self esteem abused out of them? And/or the concept of such women finding a new partner who is also abusive? (***) Yes, but they don’t say it, if they are being bullied, which is why it is so important that we parents are vigilant. (*****) Including the old trick of keep repeating something, you want people to remember. In this case the name of the Mary Foundation.

Well spotted, Mitchell. I'll buy BT tomorrow and see what she has to say.

Thanks Cph. The purpose of Soldaterlegatet (soldier bursary) is to hand out grants to soldiers and relatives of soldiers who have been killed. Civillians, like nurses, doctors and other relief workers on international missions are also included. (Civillians like truck drivers working for relief organisations in former Jugoslavia were very much at risk there, several being killed or wounded). The amounts will typically be 50.000-200.000 DKK. Since the beginning of the wars in ex-Jugoslavia in the early 1990's more than 40.000 Danish soldiers have been on international missions, many several times. More than 40 have so far died and about 100 have been seriously wounded. That means more or less invalided. Supporting this are a number of companies and veteran organisations.

Summary of note on Billedbladet.dk, requested by Alisa http://www.billedbladet.dk/default.asp?Act...s&Item=7141 The stamp depicted here was issued by Post Danmark (equivalent to Royal Mail in UK) in 2007 as a charity stamp. To the normal price of 4.75 DKK was added an addittional 0.50 DKK, which went to charity. In this case to the Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary Foundation, which purpose is to support various charities. In this case the surplus for the sale of the stamp during last year, a little more than two million DKK, was donated to Børnepsykiatri Fonden = The Foundation for Mentally Ill Children. The stamp is based on a photograph from August 2006. Links: http://www.psykiatrifonden.dk/ - http://www.psykiatrifonden.dk/Borneprojekt/Baggrund.html

In the Q&A in Billed Bladet #2, 2008 there is a question from Lise Lotte Larsen from Copenhagen, who would like to know why Queen Margrethe always ends her New Year speeches with the words: "God save Denmark. And as it isn't her proverb, what is her proverb? Poul Jørgensen replies: He guess she says it simply because she means it. (She is a devout christian). Her father, Frederik IX, and grandfather, Christian X, also ended their New Year address this way. So it's become tradition. Queen Margrethe's proverb is: "Guds hjælp, folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke = (With) the aid of God, the love of the people, Denmark's strenght". Frederik IX's proverb: "Med Gud for Danmark - With God for Denmark". Frederik XII proverb was: "Folkets kærlighed, min styrke - The love of the people, my strenght". The present constitution was written during his reign. In 1849. Which ended the period of absolutism. And while we are at the Q&A's: Cornelia Vestergaard ask why Queen Margrethe is titled Queen of Denmark on the DRF webpage. (The reply here is based on the reply by Poul Jørgensen). Queen of Denmark is indeed incorrect, it is simply a title that has been in daily use for so long that it has become accepted. Someone in the line to the throne is always to Denmark. In the same way someone is heir to say, a manor. All members of the DRF who are not direct descendants of Christian X cannot be in line to the throne. - That however is not 100 % correct. If the unimaginable thing should happen that all descendants of Christian X should die. Then the parliament can appoint and approve any elligeble Danish citizen adhering to the Lutheran faith as regent. That was actually the case before the introduction of absolutism in the latter half of the 1600's. One of the first thing a newly crowned king had to do was to travel around the various parts of the kingdom and be acknowledged (hyldet) by the local free men. He had to travel anyway as there was no formal capital before then, even though Copenhagen had become the de facto capital by the 1500's. The king was the capital and the government and the high court travelled with him. Before the introduction of absolutism any free man could in theory be crowned as king of Denmark. In reality the king always came from within various branches of the same extended family. That meant that when the king got his first son, he would as soon as possible ensure that the son would be acknowledged as the heir to the throne. If these laws were still valid, that would mean that when Frederik become king, he would be crowned and anointed at a religious ceremony. Hold a procession. Then he would travel around to the various parts of the country with Mary by his side in order to be acknowleged as legitimate king with Mary as queen. He would also have to travel to Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Once back, he would ensure that Christian would be acknowleged as his legitimate heir. Nowadays Frederik will become king the second Queen Margrethe is declared dead and the government informed of that. Thus ensuring that the country is never without a regent.

A summary of Queen Margrethe's New Year address in English, from Jyllands Posten: http://jp.dk/uknews/article1217536.ece

http://www.dmif.dk/ Yes, here is the link to the organisation. Dansk Militært Idrætsforbund - Danish Military Sports Association is the umbrella organisation for the various sports clubs and teams in the armed forces. Its purpose is to aid and promote sports activities witin the military, including the Home Guard. Dansk Militært Idrætsforbund itself belongs to Dansk Idrætsforbund - Danish Sports Association, which is the national sports association, under which most athletics clubs worth mentioning belongs.

Når vi ønsker godt nytår er det gammel skik også at sige tak for det gamle år, og vi i min familie har meget at sige tak for. Atter i år har min familie og jeg mødt en varm medleven i al vor færden både ved store begivenheder og i vor hverdag. Jeg tænker her ikke mindst på Prins Christians barnedåb for snart et år siden, og på den sympati, som jeg personlig har mødt i forbindelse med mit, stort set, udmærkede helbred. When we wish a happy New Year it's old costum also to say thanks for the old year, and we in my family have a lot to say thank you for. This year too, my family and I have been met with a warm interest in our doings, both at major events and in our day to day lives. Here I think not least on the christening of Prince Christian almost a year ago, and on the sympathy I personally have met in connection with my, generally, excellent health. EDIT: Oh, here it is. I couldn't find my post. Anyway, I will not translate more from the speech as Pogo99 does that admirably :@: