Latest news with #Kongehuset
News.com.au
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Bizarre detail in new royal portrait of Queen Mary's daughter Princess Isabella
If ever anyone was going to assemble a handy list of pejoratives likely used by the royal family, 'bicycling monarchy' — like 'vegetarian', 'Corbyn', and 'drip dry' — is up there. The term's history: the Netherlands' late Queen Julianna used to be relatively anonymous peddling her way around Amsterdam and the term emerged as a particularly British put-down of the Scandi monarchies' decidedly homespun approach. Those over the North Sea and herring-adjacent have always done things differently – and this week they took it even further. Denmark's King Frederik and Queen Mary's eldest daughter (and second child) Princess Isabella has just turned 18 years old and, therefore, it was time to signal her notional entrance into adulthood by forcing her into a ceremonial sash and a ball gown for the royal right of passage, the stilted official portrait. Already, Isabella's choice of a deep amber, off-the-shoulder number, suitable for Cinderella's lesser-known, saucier, funner, non-ugly sister, was a departure from the solidly predictable staple of deep blues, greens, reds and the occasional white. However it's what's in her hands in one of the shots posted to Instagram that is really a turn up for the dusty, dates-back-to-Canute books — her phone. Forget bicycling put-downs — Denmark has just given us the first mobile monarchy. It's not hard to work out why. Since Fred ascended to the throne in January 2024, with craft and Marlboro-loving Queen Margrethe abdicating to spend more time with her favourite solid gold Zippo lighter and the nubbins of her Caran D'Ache sketching set, he and Mary have been busy doing things differently. The King and Queen have truly embraced another word that would have sent a cold shiver down Prince Phirlpi's ramrod, straight, steely spine — modernising. In the last 15 months they have been ushering a program of progressive, get-with-the-times changes such as ditching the protocol that dictated she was meant to walk two steps behind her husband, the pair always seen side-by-side, phasing out the royal warrant system that dates back to 1840, making public a list of gifts the monarchy was prepared to accept, debuting mini Insta docs about them meeting Danes, and bringing in a new lord chamberlain and a nearly completely new staff. Mary even had her own minimalist and contemporary tiara, if that is not too much of an anachronism, refashioned out of a waist chain of gobstopper sized diamonds. The goal of all this revamping and new-brooming: To prove to Danes that the Kongehuset, which if your Danish is not up to snuff means 'royal house', is not made up of a collection of ossified courtiers fretting about the best epergnes for state dinners but that it's fresh and dynamic outfit eager to meet the challenge of the 21st century. Thus, the Isabella portrait features Apple's best and only royal promo to date. I know, I know, it's meant to be relatable and to make the princess look like a very normal young woman who is not served boiled quail's eggs and soldiers of a morning or takes a footman to Sephora to stock up on Drunk Elephant products. Yes, it's easy to see why the Danish royal family has gone down this portrait route, but far be it from me to not be just a bit censorious. The average human being in 2025 looks at their phone 144 times a day and Isabella's cohort, Gen Z, spends upwards of six hours a day on their phones, depending on what survey you read. It's not just the yoof. We are all well and truly hooked on our devices, junkies of the first order and who among us, of the world's 4.8 billion smartphone owners, really wants to get the ball rolling and put their hand up to admit we celery have a serious problem on – or in – our hands? There is a fast growing awareness of the harm that our phones are doing to our brains, mental wellbeing, neuron pathways and ability to even sustain a basic conversation without giving in to the itch to compulsively refresh our feeds like gagging Pavlovian pooches. We have all become chronically, inescapably addicted to the dopamine that devices give us. There endeth the Debbie Downer lecture, but you take my point. Phones might be as ubiquitous as oxygen and tap water but are they innocuous? No siree. Just because it's easy to see why the Kongehuset released this Isabella photo doesn't mean it was the right thing for them to do either. This palace phone shot also raises a particularly thorny predicament, that for the first time in history, royal parents face. HRHs are not just like us. Also in the same boat as Fred and Mary, are Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales, King Williem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain and the Crown prince and princess of Norway, Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg, all of whom have children under the age 18-years-old. These young princes and princesses are the first royal kids to grow up in a world saturated by social media, which throws up questions that Europe's palaces are still troubling over. From a crown's perspective, there is now an unspoken public pressure if not downright demand for royal parents to share regular and at-home shots of their kids, an expectation that did not exist only 15 years ago. How does anyone even begin to juggle and meet both the responsibilities of royalling and parenthood? We are watching HRHs walk this tightrope in real time, most notably for us William and Kate who take and post snaps of their three kids semi-regularly, a conscious breaching of the line between their public and private lives. Layer on top of that the question of how the Williams and Kates of Europe are and will manage letting their children personally access social media. Can or will they let Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, when they are in their adolescent years, stay in step with their peer group and have accounts? (Let's be honest here, it's only so long before some enterprising 16-year-old claims their parents denying them access to Tik Tok contravenes their basic human rights.) No matter how many lectures William might one day give an 18-year-old George about not boozily taking selfies slamming back sambuca shots with the lads, teens are going to teen. And how long until such normal, but still not a great look, images find their way into the public domain? Factor in too that social media accounts and even phones are emantenly hackable. The potential for extreme embarrassment and 99 crises is immense. The phone aside, the Isabella portraits also revealed another coming-of-age moment, her first official outing in a tiara. The diamond and turquoise bandeau, which was originally part of the Swedish royal family's collection, was a gift from Queen Margrethe. It'll be perfect to pair with a White Fox hoodie to wear to Sephora.
Daily Telegraph
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Telegraph
Princess Isabella portrait taken by her mum Queen Mary stirs debate
Don't miss out on the headlines from Royals. Followed categories will be added to My News. An official gala portrait of Princess Isabella of Denmark taken to mark her 18th birthday has caused quiet a stir because of the inclusion of an unexpected item. Her Royal Highness is photographed in the Knight's Hall of Frederick VIII's Palace in Amalienborg wearing a bright orange ball gown and sparkling tiara with the Order of the Elephant with a star chest, a turquoise and diamond diadem and a miniature order portrait of her father, King Frederik. But it's the break with royal protocol which has stunned royal watchers, with the smiling royal apperaring in one photo taken by her Australian mother Queen Mary holding her iPhone. 'Thank you so much to everyone who helped me celebrate my 18th birthday,' the princess, who is second in line to the throne after her brother Crown Prince Christian, said in the photo's caption. 'So many people have spent their time, thought and effort to make my day so special. This means a lot to me.' Princess Isabella of Denmark holds her iPhone in on of the official gala portraits to mark her 18th birthday. Picture: Steen Evald, Kongehuset Reaction to the portrait has been mixed.. One commentator said: 'Love everything about it. The big, beautiful smile, the fantastic dress and all the jewellery – and then a typical teenager's indispensable companion: an iPhone.' Another social media user agreed: 'Such a good picture, a princess and ordinary teenager with the mobile in hand, real smile and so much the eyes shine in a mega beautiful and dazzling dress.' But not everyone was impressed with some labelling the picture 'depressing'. 'This is bizarre …. Can't decide if it's pro or anti modern phone addiction. Is this 'the ultimate modern princess' (Isabella of Denmark) or a depressing indictment on modern culture…?, said an X user. Princess Isabella wears the Order of the Elephant with a star chest. Picture: Steen Evald, Kongehuset Isabella is second in line to the throne. Picture: Steen Evald, Kongehuset A royal commentator posted on X: 'Some have hailed the photo of #PrincessIsabella of #Denmark posing with her #smartphone #mobile #mobile phone #cellphone as a modern touch but I couldn't disagree more.' In another interesting new detail for royal watchers, the Danish Royal House later issued a statement confirming that former monarch Queen Margrethe II gifted her granddaughter the turquoise daisy bandeau diadem as an 18th birthday gift. Queen Margrethe II gifted her granddaughter the turquoise daisy bandeau diadem as an 18th birthday gift. Picture: Steen Evald, Kongehuset The statement from the royal household explained: 'The tiara is a so-called 'bandeau', a headband in French, as the relatively narrow tiara is intended to be worn almost horizontally as a hair band.' The floral headpiece is made of gold and adorned with 11 rosettes of 'daisy-like flowers' that decrease in size.
New York Post
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Princess Isabella of Denmark stuns in first official gala portraits to mark her 18th birthday
Princess Isabella of Denmark has marked her 18th birthday with a series of official portraits — and she's wearing her first tiara. The eldest daughter of King Frederik X and Queen Mary posed for several photographs at Knight's Hall at Amalienborg Palace — the Danish royal family's main residence located in the capital city of Copenhagen. On Monday, the Danish Royal House released Isabella's first official gala portraits, just one day after her milestone birthday. 7 Princess Isabella of Denmark has marked her 18th birthday by releasing a series of official portraits in which she wears her first tiara. Steen Evald, Kongehuset The palace captioned the images, '18 years ago today Her Royal Highness Princess Isabella was born. The birthday itself is marked with the publication of the Princess's first official gala portraits. 'The princess is photographed in the Knight's Hall of Frederick VIII's Palace in Amalienborg, and on the portraits Her Royal Highness wears the Order of the Elephant with a star chest… and a miniature Order portrait of her father, His Majesty the King.' In the images, the princess can be seen wearing a satin orange off-the-shoulder ballgown paired with a blue Order of the Elephant sash and regalia. She topped off her regal look with a sentimental nod to her father by wearing a miniature portrait of him on her sash. 7 The princess posed for several photographs at Knight's Hall at Amalienborg Palace. Steen Evald, Kongehuset 7 On Monday, the Danish Royal House released Isabella's first official gala portraits, just one day after her milestone birthday. H.M. Dronningen Isabella, who is second in line to the throne after her brother Crown Prince Christian, 19, accessorized with a pair of diamond turquoise earrings. Arguably the most eye-catching element of Isabella's look was her diamond tiara, which had been gifted to her by her grandmother, Queen Margrethe, who abdicated the throne in January 2024. The Danish Royal House confirmed that the queen, 85, gave Isabella the floral diadem, which features 11 rosettes of 'daisy-like flowers' in a sweet nod to Margrethe, who is lovingly nicknamed Daisy by her loved ones. 7 In the images, the princess can be seen wearing a satin orange off-the-shoulder ballgown paired with a blue Order of the Elephant sash and regalia. Steen Evald, Kongehuset 7 Isabella is the eldest daughter of King Frederik X and Queen Mary. Getty Images 'The tiara is a so-called 'bandeau,' a headband in French, as the relatively narrow tiara is intended to be worn almost horizontally as a hair band,' the palace said in a statement. 'The tiara was made in the late 19th century and belonged to Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden. After her untimely death in 1920, her daughter, Princess Ingrid, received the tiara as a confirmation gift and brought it to Denmark upon her marriage to the later Frederik IX.' 'Like many other pieces of the Royal House's jewelry, the tiara has multiple functions, as it can be disassembled and used as a bracelet,' the statement concluded. One day before her birthday, the royals shared a look at some scrapbook images of their family images. 7 In a series of scrapbook images released by the palace, Queen Margrethe can be seen holding baby Isabella in a throwback snap. @detdanskekongehus/Instagram 7 Prince Vincent, Princess Josephine, Queen Mary, Princess Isabella, and King Frederik X at Aarhus City Hall on Friday, April 11, 2025. In one snap, Queen Margrethe can be seen holding baby Isabella shortly after she was born in 2007. 'Little glimpses from childhood to 18 years old,' the Danish royals wrote on Instagram. 'On the occasion of Her Royal Highness Princess Isabella's 18th birthday on Monday, Their Majesties the King and Queen share here a selection of memories.'
