The Crown Prince Couple’s Passage to India

Mary and Frederik wow on their first joint visit to the “magnificent” nation.

“It has been almost exactly 20 years since my last visit to this beautiful country. Last time, I visited alone. This time, I am accompanied by my wonderful wife, The Crown Princess,” said a clearly very proud Crown Prince Frederik in a confident keynote speech during the Danish royals’ four-day tour to India. Only a few days before in Copenhagen Crown Prince Frederik had been appointed Regent, standing in for his mother Queen Margrethe II while she underwent extensive back surgery – a role he continues to hold while Her Majesty recuperates at home as

The Weekly goes to press.

While there has been no suggestion of abdication from the

Danish Palace, the announcement did add an extra regal shine to Frederik and Mary’s Indian tour. Here we saw Denmark’s future King and Queen consort on the world stage. They were ostensibly in India to promote Danish businesses, but also to establish the values and ambitions of this small powerhouse nation which in Crown Prince Frederik’s words is, “driving towards a greener and more just future”.

The couple kicked off their tour at India’s most famous monument to love, the white marble Taj Mahal (left). Many royals have posed outside the mausoleum, most famously a sad and solo Princess Diana 31 years ago, but the smiling Mary and Frederik struck a very different chord.

“Like my mother in 1963, The Crown Princess and I had the opportunity to visit the Taj Mahal yesterday. What a magnificent monument and symbol of India, I hope one day I will be able to show to our children,” said the Crown Prince.

Now that would make a fabulous family photo.

Above: Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princes Mary meet with Indian President Droupadi Murmu. Left: Stylish at a gala dinner, Crown Princess Mary in a gown by Søren Le Schmidt, offset with a floral arrangement in her hair.

Clockwise from top: Crown Princess Mary opens an exhibition at the National Museum in New Delhi; the Crown Prince Couple poses outside the Presidential Palace on the third day of their tour; Mary visiting a new mother at the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), in her role as patron of the Maternity Foundation.

The Crown Prince Couple visited Agra Fort, a stone’s throw from the Taj Mahal, for a private tour of the area whose history goes back 1000 years. For the occasion, Mary paired her crisp white shirt with a flowing silk maxi skirt.