Winning his Queen back FRED & MARY’S TOUR OF LOVE
There’s a lot riding on the ronydal couple’s anniversary cruise
It’s not exactly the most romantic way to celebrate a milestone occasion. King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark will spend their 20th wedding anniversary on May 14 working, as their special day clashes with a state visit to Norway.
They’ll be staying on the Royal Yacht Dannebrog for the trip, so there might be the chance for a private dinner for two on the deck under the stars. But otherwise, for the couple whose relationship has until recently been the stuff of fairytales, it will be business as usual.
The story of how a dashing Danish prince fell for an Australian marketing executive, who initially had no idea who he was, has captured the hearts of romantics around the world since they met in a Sydney pub during the 2000 Olympics. Now parents to four teenagers – Crown Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 17, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 13 – the couple recently became king and queen after Frederik’s mother, Queen Margrethe, abdicated.
The pair are enormously popular and widely respected for their dedication to duty and downto-earth natures. However, things haven’t been all smooth sailing.
Their marriage has been under scrutiny since October last year when Frederik, 55, was spotted on a night out with socialite Genoveva Casanova. They attended a Pablo Picasso exhibition in Madrid, then after changing into evening wear at Genoveva’s apartment, went to dinner and watched a flamenco performance before leaving at 1am.
There has been no comment from Frederik or his representatives about the rumours that quickly began swirling of an affair with the divorcée, 47, but after photos of the two of them together were published, she released a statement saying any suggestion that she and the Danish royal are romantically involved is “untrue” and “malicious”. They have pals in common and are just friends, says Genoveva.
Mary, 52, has stayed silent on the topic and got on with her royal duties. However, she was said to seem tense when seen in private, including looking tearful on a family trip to Queenstown shortly before Christmas.
According to some royal commentators, Margrethe’s decision to announce her abdication during her New Year’s Eve speech was a bid to prevent Frederik and Mary’s marriage falling apart, and to safeguard the future of the monarchy by “preserving its greatest asset – Mary.”
British author Phil Dampier, an expert on European royals, says, “I think Margrethe may have worried their marriage was in trouble and felt she had to act. The Queen always thought Mary was a fantastic asset to the royal family and if she thought she might leave, it would have been a disaster.”
Frederik and Mary put on a strong united front when they were proclaimed king
‘The Queen always thought Mary was a fantastic asset’
and queen in January. They appeared very much in love as they kissed on the balcony of the Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen and Frederik referenced his “beloved wife” in his speech.
In the past, he hasn’t been shy about expressing his feelings for Tasmanian-born Mary. When they married in 2004, in a very moving speech he told her, “I love you, Mary. Come, let us go! Come, let us see! Through a thousand worlds, weightless love awaits.”
In his teens and early twenties, the crown prince found comfort in “fast cars and fast living”, according to reports at the time.
But he started to grow up after graduating from university. The first Danish royal to get a Master’s degree, his political science studies included a year at Harvard University. He went on to serve in the Danish army, air force and navy, but it was his time in the navy that was considered to be the making of him. He trained as a frogman in the elite special forces and was one of only four recruits to pass all the tests.
An avid sports fan and adrenaline junkie, Frederik took part in a fourmonth skiing trek across Greenland, ran several marathons and is the only royal to ever complete an Ironman event.
In his twenties, he dated a long list of glamorous women, including a lingerie model he allegedly wanted to marry until Queen Margrethe put her foot down. Mary Donaldson got the royal seal of approval however, and after a long-distance relationship conducted mostly in secret following that fateful meeting in Sydney, they got engaged in 2003.
Mary quickly endeared herself to the people of Denmark with her hard work and charitable endeavours – including setting up a foundation to tackle domestic violence, bullying and loneliness – and her determination to master the Danish language.
A royal insider says it’s hoped she and Frederik can weather any rocky times and celebrate many more milestone anniversaries in the years to come.