Queen Mary and King Frederik make controversial decision that sends a ‘clear signal’ to Danes about their reign: ‘They will undoubtedly be upset’
Queen Mary and King Frederick have likely angered thousands of Danes by sending a ‘clear message’ about their new government – after months of scrutiny surrounding their rumored marital problems.
The new King and Queen have decided to reduce the number of charities and community groups that can be supported by the Royal Family at any one time.
In addition, 118 groups have been removed from the official list of royal patronages, allowing 140 to be represented by the family.
“Through our royal patronages, we want to support efforts that promote Danish culture, science and entrepreneurship, protect our nature and give a voice to the marginalized and vulnerable in our society,” said a statement from the King and Queen.
‘This long tradition serves to bring us together in small and large communities.’
Queen Mary and King Frederik have likely angered thousands of Danes by sending a ‘clear message’ about their new government – after months of scrutiny surrounding their rumored marital problems
Copenhagen Zoo has been brutally removed from the list of patronages supported by Queen Mary, despite having an entire section named after her.
The Danish Golf Association, the Danish Swimming Association, the Odense Flower Festival, the Greenland Christmas Stamp Fund and the Hearing Association have also been canceled.
The royal family will also only register as patron for a specific group for a term of five years. Once that period has passed, the charity or organization will need to apply to be re-eligible.
“The time limit means there will be continued opportunities for the Royal Family to take on new patronages as society develops,” the royal couple said.
This marks the first time since taking the throne that a policy issue has trumped the couple’s alleged romantic differences.
Copenhagen Zoo is among the groups cut off from crown support – Queen Mary is pictured here after an Australian-themed garden was named after her
The Australian-born queen has adopted Danish hospital clowns as one of her new patrons
Royal expert and Danish historian Sebastian Olden-Jørgensen claims the uproar will upset many – and have a huge financial impact on the organizations that have been cut off.
However, he does think the new king and queen will opt for fewer patronages so they can put more effort into each of them – which he says is “exciting.”
‘Now they have to make this happen. The royal family must show that if you are a member of the Royal House, you actually participate in the protectorates. And the fact that they will be limited in time is another promise that there will be activity,” he shared BT
As Crown Princess, Mary had 36 patronages to her name. Now, as queen, she has just 23, some of which have never before been represented by the crown.
The Queen added the Danish Hospital Clowns, a group she previously posted about on Instagram, and WeShelter, which focuses on particularly disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in the country.
Queen Margrethe’s portfolio was reduced from 80 to just 21 – some of which went to the king and queen, but most were left behind.
The patronage of Queen Margrethe’s sister, Princess Benedkeek, was also curtailed
She has also chosen to represent the Independent Research Fund Denmark and continue to work for the UNEP Patron of Biodiversity and the Danish Nature Fund.
The Queen has received protection from the Royal Danish Music Academy, the Danish Cancer Society and from Diakonissestiftelsen, a health care organization founded by Queen Louise in 1863 from Queen Margrethe.
Only 16 groups from her previous portfolio survived the drastic changes.
King Frederick’s portfolio has also changed dramatically; he retained only eight of his old patronages, despite having only fallen from 32 to 27 in total.
The king has assumed fourteen patronages from his mother, including the American-Scandinavian Foundation, the Danish Bible Society, the Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF), the Greenlandic House and the Royal Danish Geographical Society.
He also chose to become ‘patron of North Atlantic House in Odense and Projekt Koltur in the Faroe Islands, both of which aim to promote knowledge of the culture and nature of the empire, as well as the Danish Architecture Centre, the Brain Prize and The Léonie Sonning Music Prize, each in their own way focusing on Danish design, science and culture in an international context.’
Prince Joachim lost some of his workload – going from 40 to 23 patronages – but his wife collected some – bringing her portfolio from 13 to 18 and making the workload more equal.
The King is expanding his involvement in the green agenda as patron of the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial.
His mother, Queen Margrethe, had to deal with a huge reduction in her portfolio: from 81 to 20 groups and organizations.
Prince Joachim will represent just 24 groups and organizations – down from 40. And Princess Benedkeek will also work on a slimmed-down portfolio from 44 to just 25.
Princess Marie, Joachim’s wife, will take on more responsibilities and has agreed to become patron of the Prince Henrik School and the organization Stop Wasting Food.
She will also take on King Frederick’s patronage of the Danish Dyslexia Association and Queen Mary of Hjernesagen’s patronage, an organization for people with brain injuries.
All patronages were suspended on January 14 when Queen Mary and King Frederick ascended the throne.
Since then, the royal family has been discussing how they should be divided and who they should work with.
King Frederick and Queen Mary want to make it clear that they will continue to do work outside their patronages – and that while each royal family’s list of patronages reflects their passions and interests, it is “far from a complete overview.”
The majority of the Royal House’s 4,500 annual official program components consist of visits to institutions, organizations, companies and governments that do not belong to the patronage portfolio.
