And the Hat Stayed on

Denmark’s future Crown Princess had her debut at a military parade along Copenhagen’s waterfront (Strandvejen). She appeared in the aristocratically accepted attire consisting of a tall, white pill-box hat accented with white rose. She wore a pale blue suit, most appropriate for the walking ceremony, and white high-heeled pumps .

The Crown Prince and Princess arrived in the royal yacht, "Dannebrog." In strict accordance with protocol, Prince Frederik preceded the Princess, accompanied at all times with one of the military commanders. The Prince saluted at appropriate intervals while Princess Mary paused near him, but behind him, holding her bouquet of white roses in front of her. She navigated graciously over the cobblestones in her high-heeled pumps without breaking stride, smiling occasionally and waving in unison with the Prince. The air force performed its air maneuvers overhead. Parachutes with both the Danish and Australian flags descended over the spectators, adding color to the festive occasion. Our hats were off to Princess Mary for a grand performance, whereas her hat stayed on.

Australia presented the couple with nine deciduous trees which the couple had selected on a recent visit to Tasmania. The Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, presented the couple with an Iranian carpet with more than 17 million knots, which eight people had worked on for two year. A gift from Parliament.

The couple was entertained that evening in Store Kro (Big Inn) which is near Fredensborg Castle, one of the couple’s residences. The Inn was built by Frederik IV to accommodate his many guests at the multitude of events held at the castle. The Inn appears to have been refurbished recently to compliment the style of the castle.

The Australian Governor General hosted a dinner at the Inn for a small, intimate group of 52 guests. The Governor General is a representative of Queen Elisabeth of Great Britain. For the occasion, an Australian Chef, Luke Mangan, was flown in from Sydney. Luke Mangan has three restaurants in Australia, primarily in Sydney, has published cookbooks, has a TV show and writes for the Sydney Morning Herald.

The menu for the first official dinner was:

First Starter: Coconut Soup with Shrimp

Second Starter: Fish Sushi

First Main Course: Baramundi with Tomato Sauce

Second Main Course: Lamb Fillet

Dessert: Licorice Parfait with Lime Syrup

400 Kg of raw food were flown in from Sydney for the dinner. Luke Mangan stood outside the Inn and waited for the delivery of the food. He stopped one lorry to ask the driver if he by any chance was delivering food from Australia. The lorry driver looked a little flustered but replied in his best English that he only had electrical equipment in his truck. Luke flustered the Inn’s personnel by requesting a particular type of pitcher from which to serve the soup, as he insisted that by pouring the soup from pitchers, the guests would enjoy more of the aroma as well as the soup.

Australia has a very relaxed food culture. Restaurants often advertise BYO (bring your own bottle).

People tend to eat out a lot, as restaurants are quite reasonable. Like Americans, the Australians enjoy a good Barbie (barbecue).

We have included the recipes from the first official dinner for your enjoyment. Unlike the menu for the wedding, Luke Mangan’s recipes can be created in your own kitchens with relative ease. We hope you will try some of the recipes and that you will enjoy them.

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