Danish royals' fate 'rests with Mary'

The fate of Europe's oldest monarchy is resting in the hands of former Tasmanian commoner Princess Mary, the author of a controversial book on the Danish royals has claimed.

Veteran Danish royal reporter Trine Villemann says that unless Mary can make a king out of her reluctant husband Crown Prince Frederik, the Danish royal family will not reign beyond this generation.

Speaking to Nine's A Current Affair in an interview timed to coincide with the release of the English version of her book — 1015 Copenhagen K — Villemann offers a harsh critique of Mary's performance so far.

The fairytale princess had failed to instill tranquility in Frederik's life, Villemann said, adding that the prince was still "extremely nervous and uncomfortable" about becoming king.

"Being a crown princess means you have to make a king out of your husband and that will be Mary's primary function…if she cannot pick up the shattered pieces of her husband and make him a king, her son will never be king of Denmark," Villemann told A Current Affair.

She said Mary was not only doing a bad job of guiding her husband but she has also failed to win the respect of the Danish public.

"What has happened is that Mary is working so hard to become the perfect princess that she can't touch people, she doesn't communicate with us Danes ... Mary dares not or will not leave her comfort zone,” Villemann said.

"Today's monarchy is not just about showing up and looking good, today monarchy is about earning the respect of the people you represent."

Grueling palace life had caused Mary to lose her old Aussie spark, something Villemann said she desperately needs in order to succeed in her role.

"All it takes is for Mary to remember that she was once an Aussie girl, find back to her true self — Mary Donaldson — and not be afraid to use it,” she said.

"All of us Danes, we are desperate for her to succeed — we do want her to do good and do well, because we understand that the monarchy is at stake here."

ninemsn 29 Jul 2008

The statement former Tasmanian commoner is actually false. She is from the "free settlers" and has a royal background. This background was checked before her marriage to the Prince.

The fairy tale story that you can meet a Prince in a pub, has been conjured up by the mainstream media.

It is a deliberate concealment of the truth from the public.

Girl, 12, 'left to die without food'

A 12-year-old girl was left without food or water to die in the backyard of her foster home, delirious with pain and unable to move, a court has heard.

Crown Prosecutor Richard Coates said doctors at Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) uncovered a "massive 1.5 litres of pus" in the child's leg, caused by a fracture to her left thigh.

Sisters Toni Melville, 43, and Denise Reynolds, 42, have been charged with the manslaughter of the girl, who first started to limp following a school sports day.

Three weeks later, on July 12 last year, she died from a blood and bone infection.

Mr Coates said osteomyelitis was a condition common in children that doctors would have had "no difficulty diagnosing".

"With medical treatment she could have made a full recovery," he said on the first day of a Northern Territory Supreme Court trial in Darwin.

"Even if medical treatment had been sought on the last day ... when her heart stopped beating, she would have still had a fighting chance of survival."

Mr Coates said Reynolds was a "stubborn" woman who insisted the child had sustained a sports injury which would improve with exercise.

When the girl refused, Reynolds would "smack her leg with a stick".

"(The child) was unable to stand unassisted and when she was forced to she would just fall to the ground," Mr Coates said during opening submissions.

"When assistance was not forthcoming to help her to the toilet she would urinate and defecate in her clothes where she lay."

Mr Coates said social workers who visited the three-bedroom Palmerston home - which housed 17 people - the day before the death found the child lying on the kitchen floor crying. (The child was found in a CRITICAL situation, but the government failed to act.)

When she was told to have a shower she struggled to walk and had to use the walls for support.

Mr Coates said the jury would also hear evidence that, hours before her death, the girl was "punished" for soiling her clothes and taken out to the backyard.

"The children were told they were not allowed to help her get food or drink," he said.

"You will hear evidence from children who were out playing in the yard that later in the day (the girl) began to talk about fairies and witches and she said a limousine was coming to pick her up ...

"(The girl) said yeh, I can see the light now, and she just stopped breathing."

Melville told police she called Triple 0 but Mr Coates said records showed the first call she made was to her sister.

The child was pronounced dead at RDH later that evening.

Mr Coates said the jury might find both women were "genuinely distressed" by the death, but the standard of care they offered her had "grievously fallen short" of what would be expected of a reasonable person.

The trial before Justice Trevor Riley continues.

aap 28 Jul 2008

One of the largest problems that society faces, is that some people are just not fit to have children, irrespective of whether it is your right as a human to breed.

Not one government can genuinely state that it has YOUR children's BEST interest. This can be clearly supported by the laws that it provides.

The most tragic part of this story is that the government inspected the circumstances, and FAILED to act, resulting in a death of a child.

At the end of the day NO ONE cares about YOUR children.

The following court case will be nothing more than a charade, taking away ANY responsibility from the supervising authorities.

The government creates laws that support the break up of the family unit, as a result many sectors reaping the rewards.