Saturday 8 January 2011

A prince and a princess for Denmark

Amalienborg has announced (external link) that Crown Princess Mary has given birth to twins at the National Hospital in Copenhagen today. A prince, who is fourth in line to the throne, was born at 10.30 a.m, while a princess, fifth in line to the throne, was born at 10.56.
The boy weighs 2,674 grams and is 47 centimetres long; the girl weighs 2,554 grams and measures 46 centimetres.
According to Danish royal tradition the names of royal babies are kept secret until their christening.
While a royal birth is traditionally marked by a 21-gun salute from Kronborg Castle and from the Sixtus battery at Holmen in Copenhagen, this time there was two 21-gun salutes - one for each baby.
It is the first time since 1519 - when King Christian II and Queen Elisabeth became the parents of Maximilian and Philip - that twins are born in the Danish royal house (although former Princes Christian and Flemming both fathered twins after they had lost their succession rights and Christian IV had twins by his morganatic wife Kirsten Munk in 1626).
The Prince Consort has already paid a visit to his sixth and seventh grandchildren at the hospital.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments are welcome, but should be signed - preferably by a name, but an initial or a nick will also be accepted. Advertisements are not allowed. COMMENTS WHICH DO NOT COMPLY WITH THESE RULES WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED.