A Copenhagen enthusiast and Royal Danish Guards miniature collector.
Good morning Fred,
First of all, thank you so much for your kind support. Going back to January 2022, your first order of our Royal Danish guards ( manufactured by King & Country Ltd.) came in from Charlotte, North Carolina one morning. We were so excited that our small operation was recognized by you, I quickly boxed up your order and sent it off right away. The second order came in not long after and a few others ... We have been amazed by your love and dedication.
You have created an absolutely spectacular diorama.
It has grown bigger every time I see the photos sent by you and it is still growing.
We hope you do not mind telling us about your miniature-collecting journey and a few other things.
Q1 …Why Copenhagen is your favourite city?
I was blessed with a career that involved international travel. My travels provided an opportunity for me to spend extended time and live in a variety of cities around the world. Some of the more interesting places were Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Tripoli, Accra, London and of course Copenhagen. Unfortunately, not all my overseas assignments included my family. My first six months in Copenhagen I was on “single status”. I spent my free time learning about the city. The more I saw, the more fascinating the city became. It was a combination of history and culture that endeared me to the city. Once my wife joined me and we secured a flat overlooking the Kongens Have (King’s Garden) at Rosenborg Palace, I realized this was a once in a lifetime situation. We knew we needed to treasure every opportunity we had because it would end before we wanted it to. Copenhagen became a fantasy land for us.
Q2…What inspired you to start collecting the Royal Danish Guard?
My first day in Copenhagen, I was sitting down to lunch with several of my co-workers and I heard a drum and bugle corps in the street. I rushed to the window and saw a small military unit marching down the street. I was surprised no one else seemed to be interested. Once the unit passed, I returned to the table and inquired about the lack of interest. I was told it was a common occurrence. I went to a military college in the US, and we had full dress parades every Friday after classes. Any military activity was of interest to me, regardless of how often it occurred. I then found out that there were multiple “changing of the guards” ceremonies at Amalienborg Palace. On the weekends I would go early in the morning before the crowds came to take pictures of the soldiers. Many times, I was the only spectator and was able to take pictures from unique positions. Besides the activity at Amalienborg, there were review parades at the military grounds adjacent to Rosenborg Palace that I could watch from my flat. I became enamored with the uniforms and the ceremonies.
When I left Copenhagen, all I had was pictures as mementos of those good times. When I saw the ceremonial collection on King & Country, I was driven to secure whatever could to replicate those moments I experienced in Copenhagen.
Q3…How many types of Royal Danish guards you have collected and how many pieces altogether?
To date (24 July 2023) I have the following Danish Guards:
120 Blue Tunic Guards at Attention (target 150)
8 Blue Tunic NCO Flag Bearer Standing
151 Blue Tunic Guards Marching (target 200)
10 Blue Tunic NCO w/ Sword Marching
15 Blue Tunic Marching Drummer
15 Blue Tunic Marching Fifer
10 Blue Tunic Marching Flag Bearer
75 Red Tunic Marching
104 Red Tunic at Parade Rest
Currently, in my Copenhagen diorama, I have 1106 figures. I have utilized Coldstream Guards, Lifeguards (mounted & on foot), and the new Blue & Royal Guards to enhance the formations and the parade. There are also 86 miscellaneous figures as parade spectators.
Q4…Between the red tunic and the blue tunic, which one is your favourite and why?
I am partial toward the red tunic because it is for “special” occasions. I had a wonderful time contacting all the King & Country dealers looking for Red Tunic figures. However, with all the new Blue Tunic figures I have more realistic situations I can develop in my dioramas.
Q5…From your unique perspective, tell us what makes Royal Danish Guard different from the King guards at Buckingham Palace.
As I mentioned previously, I have a more “personal” attachment to the Royal Danish guards. I lived in London for a period of a year and spent significant amounts of time viewing military ceremonies. I was in London during Prince William’s wedding and watched several of the “practice” drills for the parades. They were spectacular; however, I never developed a personal connection that I did in Copenhagen.
Q6…Apart from the immense pleasure you get out of collecting figurines and building diorama is there any other aspects of this hobby that you might want to share with others?
I love military history. I find the dioramas provide me with another aspect to study and develop a better understanding of events and situations. Things go from 2-dimensional imagination to 3-dimensional reality.
Q7…What questions did your grandson, Jackson, ask when he saw you move around or add more figurines to your collection?
As with any high-energy young boy, he wanted to examine every piece “up close and personal”. I explained to him the figures were easy to break and I wanted to save them for him and his brother when they got older. I told him the Copenhagen diorama was a place where I and his grandmother lived when we were in Denmark. I showed him the other dioramas and explained they were events that happened in the past that I wanted to remember. His favorite was the Nativity scene because of the mother and baby and all the animals (particularly the camels). After showing him all the dioramas and reminding him to please not touch anything, I presented him with a set of plastic medieval knights and wooden castle blocks. We then proceeded to build a “diorama” for him to touch.
Q8…Do you secretly hope that your 2 grandsons might be inspired and become a collector one day?
Absolutely. My intent is to have them see all the dioramas each time they visit. As they get older, have them help arrange smaller scenes. When the time comes when it is no longer practical for me to have the dioramas, I have taken care to: inventory all the pieces, store the original boxes according to the diorama, and have detailed pictures of each diorama. I have also purchased several sets of smaller high-gloss figures that I will give the boys as they get older. Like the kind I had when I was a child.
Q9…. Apart from Amalienborg Palace. What are your other favourite places in Copenhagen?
My favorite place in Copenhagen is Kongens Have (King’s Garden) at Rosenborg Palace. Because we lived across the street from the park, we spent a lot of time there both on weekends and in the evenings after I got home from work. We would do picnic dinners after work during the summer – I did not get dark until after 10 pm.
Two of the other places I enjoyed were the Kastelle (the star-shaped fort which guarded the harbor entrance to Copenhagen) and the Military Museum near Christiansborg Slot.
For food items, Torvehallerne was at the top of my list.
Q10 … Are there any other miniature figurines/accessories that you would like to see that are not yet manufactured?
In the Ceremonial category, I would like to see Danish officer ranks in both stationary and marching figures. Because I have only recently started collecting, I have missed the opportunity to purchase items from previous time periods. Ancient Greece and the American Revolution are two categories I would be interested in.
Thank you very much Fred for your participation.
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