Much of the success of the Danish Royal Family lays in the simple fact that as a whole, its members have never let the �royal� get in the way of the �family�.  Certainly the three daughters of King Frederik and Queen Ingrid can be thankful they grew up in a family that while royal, was also very much a family. 

Most of us are familiar with the eldest daughter, Margrethe -  the highly intelligent, statuesque, cigarette loving monarch who while utterly captivating on film, I fear might be rather daunting to meet!  Then there is the youngest of the three princesses, Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes. Rather beautiful, Anne-Marie�s heart was claimed at a very young age by King Constantine of Greece.  The two enjoyed what can only be called a very brief and tumultuous reign over Greeks before being ousted when the Colonels came to power and have since lived in exile.

The middle child of Denmark�s previous monarchs is Princess Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid.  Outside Denmark, the Princess is less well known than her sisters are, however her dedication to duty and passion for Denmark has been the foundation from which she has built her life.  She has acted as Regent for her sister and continues to play a very active role in the Danish Royal Family despite living much of the time at Berleburg Castle in Germany. 

She is said to be the quietest of the three sisters.  I�ve heard people say that she is very aloof, however others that know her say that unlike her two sisters she is more guarded and deliberate in her manner and hard to get to know but a true and faithful friend once she trusts someone. 

Denmark was under German occupation when the Princess was born on the 29^th of April, 1944 and the news that the Queen had given birth to a princess was seen as a joyous respite in dark and dismal times.  The Danish Resistance obviously thought so, as they used their own version of a royal salute and blew up 21 blank bombs in Copenhagen to mark Princess Benedikte's birth! 

Benedikte may have begun life in a very uncertain time but her parents made sure that their three daughters enjoyed a happy childhood.  That is not to say that the sisters were spoiled, if anything their lives were kept very low-key.  They were always dressed similarly (if not identically) and were made to walk the long journey to school everyday from Amalienborg Palace, when none of the other students did and even in winter. 

The reason for this was the King and Queen were adamant that the girls would not become show ponies and believed the best way to achieve this was not to pamper or indulge them materially but make sure they knew they were loved.  The King and Queen were strict about this but at the same time the family enjoyed simple and fulfilling outdoor activities and family �togetherness�, which more than made up for over the top clothes and trinkets. 

All of the sisters have spoken about their family environment and the loving marriage they observed between their parents.  Indeed given their looks, wealth and position, it is almost remarkable that none of them ever went through a wild or rebellious phase.  Benedikte has said that they were always aware of who they were and what responsibilities they had to the Danish people for the privileges they enjoyed.  Despite having to endure a more regimented and less carefree life than other children, Benedikte thoroughly enjoyed her childhood as �one of the three princesses�.   

The Princess was the last of the three sisters to marry.  Her choice of husband, the German Prince Richard zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg initially raised eyebrows, as Denmark's memories of years under German Occupation were still fresh but the Prince quickly won over the population with his charm.  Perhaps his strong Swedish roots also quelled some of the tension.  In Prince Richard's family, there are more recent blood ties to Sweden than his native Germany and he spent much of his youth in that country.  Benedikte's mother, Queen Ingrid, was, in fact, his Godmother. 

The Danish Royal Family's idyllic life came to an abrupt end in 1972 when King Frederik died suddenly.  Queen Margrethe became sovereign and as her children were only young boys and because Anne-Marie had given up her rights to the Danish throne when she married the Greek King, Benedikte was increasingly called upon to assist her elder sister in her new role.  Though she was then, through her marriage, the chatelaine of Berleburg castle, Prince Richard had to share his wife with Denmark and the demands were far from being an occasional trip to Denmark to carry out a public engagement. Benedikte travelled the world widely representing Denmark and also acted as Regent when the Queen was out of the country. 

In amongst her work for Denmark and helping to run the enormous Berleburg Castle the Princess had three children: Prince Gustav and Princesses Alexandra and Nathalie.  Not surprisingly perhaps, Benedikte and Richard brought their children up in an environment that was not dissimilar to that of Benedikte's childhood and like their mother, many of their fond memories go back to Denmark.  

One particular annual event was their annual holiday at their grandmother's palace at Graasten in southern Denmark where all of their cousins, Princes Frederik and Joachim and their Greek cousins would gather, playing in the same playhouses as their mothers did at the same ages.  All still reminisce about these holidays at the house that is now Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary's summer retreat.   

Now that generation has come of age, one could assume that Princess Benedikte might be able to lessen her workload in Denmark but the Princess certainly appears to have has no intention of slowing down.  She has said herself that she was not brought up to think like that and she has a lifelong responsibility to Denmark.  Now in her early sixties, Benedikte still divides her time between her homeland and Germany - her husband of almost forty years undoubtedly resolved to the fact that he will forever have to share his wife with an entire country! 

The Danish Royal Family's official bio on HRH Princess Benedikte:    

http://tinyurl.com/afuhs  

- Gioffredo