However and like in June 1967, the wedding celebrations went along as planned, and the glitter of the diamonds and the gathering of the very best of European royalty managed to bring some light to the darkness of the news that were broadcast to the World about the war. The public events surrounding the wedding began with the welcoming of the bridegroom and his mother, HSH Princess Marguerite, as they arrived from Germany. It was Princess Benedikte who welcomed them at the airport and accompanied them to Fredensborg Palace. Another most special guest arrived home those days and it was a moved King Frederik who welcomed her at the airport: political chaos having prevented her from attending the wedding of her eldest sister the year before, HM The Queen of the Hellenes, born Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, was now back in her country to see her elder sister, Princess Benedikte, get married.
Two days later, the setting was the Town Hall of Copenhagen, where a reception was held in honour of the royal couple. Again, this event was marked by a grander arrival than in the case of Princess Margrethe’s reception. As there would be no carriage procession through Copenhagen on the wedding day, the royal couple drove in a closed state carriage with cavalry escort from Amalienborg Palace to the Town Hall, where they were received by the Mayor of the city. Before the reception, attended by the members of the Danish Royal Family as well as Prince Richard’s family, the royal couple appeared on the balcony of the Town Hall, to be greeted by several hundred people who waited in Town Hall Square.
A rather more private event was organized by Princess Benedikte’s friends, 25 km of Copenhagen, at the Eremitage Hunting Lodge, one of the residences available to the Royal Family and owned by the State. HRH Princess Benedikte and HSH Prince Richard arrived in an open landau and were cheered by some hundreds of people waiting to see them. In honour of the Princess’ love for horses, an equestrian display was organized in the lawns in front of the small, compact but elegant palace, dozens of horses taking place. The younger members of the Royal Family, including the bridal couple, HM The Queen of The Hellenes and HRH Prince Henrik, watched the display from the balcony.
Much quieter than on the occasion of the wedding of 1967, the celebrations went on with the arrival of the foreign guests to Copenhagen. On the 1st February 1968, King Frederik IX welcomed his father-in-law, HM King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden and HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother of the United Kingdom. Expectation was at the highest when King Frederik returned to the airport with his daughter, Queen Anne-Marie, to welcome HM The King of The Hellenes. As King Constantine left the plane, his wife tenderly embraced him, after which the King delicately kissed her hand, before embracing his father-in-law, King Frederik. An arrival full of emotion.
In the evening, a dinner followed by a ball was offered by TM The King and Queen of Denmark in the Langelinie Pavillion, near the Harbour of Copenhagen. The King and Queen welcomed their guests, many of the ladies wearing fur to protect them from the bitter cold. The evening was marked by the absence of HRH Princess Margrethe, who decided not to attend because of her pregnancy. The following day, the eve of the wedding, included a private visit to the most superb Frederiksborg Palace, perhaps the most amazing of all Danish royal palaces, in Hillerød. In the evening, another private banquet and ball was offered by Their Majesties at Fredensborg Palace, although not a full gala banquet.
See pictures of the Dinner at the Langelinie Pavillion
On the morning of the wedding, the royal guests left Fredensborg and headed towards the most historical Kronborg Castle, the most famous Danish castle, known throughout the World from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. A gun salute was fired as the Danish sovereigns entered the fortress. After touring the magnificent castle, the guests were offered a luncheon in the medieval rooms, a rather medieval luncheon, imagined by HM Queen Ingrid. No electricity, only candles let the room in which the guests had lunch, which included a 17h century menu, served by costumed staff, the costumes having been hired from the Royal Theatre. A magnificent prelude to the wedding that was about to take place, in the intimacy of Fredensborg Palace, to which all the guests returned only three hours before the ceremony was scheduled to take place.
See pictures of the Luncheon at the Kronborg Palace
