Tea at Trianon: The New King and Queen of Denmark

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

The New King and Queen of Denmark

From Hello!:

Wiping away tears as the crowd cheered, Frederik delivered his first address as King, saying: "My mother, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II has ruled Denmark for 52 years. For half a century, she has kept track of the times with our shared heritage as an outlet. She will forever be remembered as a regent beyond the ordinary. My mother has managed to walk in one with her kingdom.

"Today the throne goes on. My hope is to become a unifying king of tomorrow. It’s a task I’ve been approaching my whole life. It's a responsibility I take on with respect, pride and great joy. It's a deed I will do my best and carry through the confidence I encounter. I'm going to need all the support I can get from my beloved wife, from my family, from you and from that which is bigger than us. I face the future with the knowledge that I am not standing alone. United, bound, to the Kingdom of Denmark."

Queen Mary then joined her husband on the balcony, where the couple also shared a sweet kiss. According to Copenhagen magazine Billed Bladet, Mary chose to wear a dress designed by Soeren Le Schmidt and sewn by Birgit Hallstein. (Read more.)