Jewel in the crown

Princess Mary’s loving tribute to Frederik

As senior members of Danish royalty, a large dollop of stately reserve is expected of Crown Prince Frederik and his Aussie wife Crown Princess Mary. The handsome couple have won hearts by applying a hard-working yet kindhearted approach to their roles within the monarchy, but behind palace doors, details about their lives have remained largely unknown.

However, those doors were suddenly flung open last week when Mary gave an intimate, heartfelt and at-times hilarious speech in honour of her husband’s 50th birthday at Copenhagen’s Christiansborg Palace.

And in doing so, the Tasmanian-born beauty – a mother to Prince Christian, 12, Princess Isabella, 11, and seven-year-old twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent – revealed just how in love she still is with the “mystery man” she met in a Sydney bar 18 years ago.

“It’s in our family moments that I feel most grateful, most united, most in love,” Mary, 46, told Frederik at his birthday bash. “Sometimes we hit the target without even aiming. That’s how I think of our first meeting. A stroke of good luck that then became a choice.

“On our wedding day, you invited me to come and to see what awaited us in love, and I have loved every step and every view.”

But the princess didn’t shy away from poking a bit of fun at her husband either, grinning as she said, “You’re not stingy with your laughter or your jokes – and often the two come together. You always laugh a lot at your own jokes.

“I’ve lost count of the times I had to hear you tell the same jokes over and over again. It’s as if you’re trying to continuously perfect how they are delivered.

“Those who have had the pleasure of eating out with you will know that if a waiter asks, ‘Are you finished?’ you will answer, ‘No, I’m Danish,’ every time – and laugh every time.”

Mary continued, “But life with you is never boring. We never know if you’ll come through the door dressed in uniform, a business suit, a wetsuit or as a Mamil [middleaged man in Lycra]. Opinions differ as to whether Lycra and men 40-plus are a good combination. But darling, you still look rather sharp in Lycra.”

The princess was working as a real estate agent when she met a man named “Fred” at Sydney’s Slip Inn bar during the 2000 Olympic Games. She had no idea who he was at first, but they quickly fell in love and conducted a longdistance relationship, flying between Australia and Denmark until Frederik popped the question in 2003.

Mary recalls, “I got to know you in shorts and T-shirt, and I remember very clearly the first time you changed from casual to gala dress, during my first visit to Denmark where we had celebrated our first New Years together.

“You said that you should