Two years ago, when Queen Mary of Denmark celebrated her 50th birthday, she attended the unveiling of her new official portrait with her husband and children.
Mary’s husband Frederic gasped when the blue cloth was peeled away to reveal a beautiful painting by Spanish-born artist Jesús Herrera.
“It’s amazing,” he said as he admired artwork depicting the then-princess looking serene and dignified in front of a eucalyptus tree. This is a botanical representation of her native Australia. But that was probably another element that caught her husband’s attention. Mary decided to wear an aquamarine cocktail ring, said to have been given to her by Frederick to commemorate her engagement.
Two years later, the image Mary chose to commemorate her 52nd birthday shows no symbols of love or signs of marital harmony.
Instead, Mary, who is celebrating her first birthday as Denmark’s new queen, posted a photo of herself with her father John, disparaging her husband. The image of the Queen with her hair braided and sunglasses on her head was taken by her second son Prince Vincent.
Three months ago, Frédéric was photographed leaving the Madrid apartment of Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in the early hours of the morning, but he was not featured in the image or the caption and was never seen. is nowhere to be found.
“For this occasion, the Queen selected photos of special moments with her father from her recent visit to Australia in December,” the royal family’s official website said.
Although Mary’s 82-year-old father was unable to attend the proclamation ceremony in Copenhagen last month due to ill health, the new queen is aware that her image choices will spark speculation. She is a sophisticated and intuitive woman who fully understands the message that her photographs convey.
Of course, her choice can also be read as that of a devoted daughter who lives an ocean away and shares a cherished image of her much-missed father. Or that, following a statement last month in which observers noted Mary and Frederick sharing an awkward kiss, a deeply hurt woman cuddled up to the people she truly trusted: the father who took the photo and his 13-year-old son. It could also be interpreted.
The palace has not commented on King Frederik’s alleged affair. But photos of her walking in a park and going out to dinner with Casanova, published in the Spanish magazine Lecturas last October, caused distress and embarrassment for Mary, who will celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary in May. It would be.
Mr Casanova issued a statement denying any romantic relationship between himself and the then-crown prince, but Queen Margrethe’s shocking decision to abdicate in January meant that the couple’s accession to the throne could be hastened and their son’s marriage delayed. There is a growing view that the government wants to ensure that
Beloved in Australia, where she’s equally at ease wearing a crown or her favorite pair of Birkenstocks, Mary is equally loved in her home country where she speaks fluent Danish and champions modern and meaningful causes. .
If Australians see the Tasmanian-born former real estate agent and advertising executive as a shining example of antipodal spirit and resourcefulness, Danes see the mother of four as a once-reluctant I highly value him for guiding the prince brightly and more surely towards his own destiny.
Five years ago, when she gave a 13-minute speech to a distinguished European royal family to mark her husband’s 50th birthday, partygoers admired her wit, warmth, and confident delivery. I was surprised – especially since she was speaking in my second language. . She mocked her husband as a MAMIL (middle-aged man in lycra) and cheekily pointed out that her children thought her husband was a loser.
But what was most obvious was how deeply she loved and adored her husband. “I’m so glad you dumped me and we took the plunge and fell in love with each other, not just for a moment but for a lifetime,” she said.
She told guests how, on her first visit to Denmark, early in their relationship, her boyfriend told her he had to attend a state dinner. She couldn’t believe her eyes when her casual, sports-loving boyfriend came back dressed like a prince. “If I had known Danish at the time, I probably would have thought, ‘aij, hvor har jeg squaret over evne,'” she told the audience. What do popular idioms mean? “Wow, I really outscored my league.”
But that was a long time ago. A fun-loving Australian girl who met a boy in a bar during the Sydney Olympics has become queen with all the self-possession power that her title brings. On her 52nd birthday, Mary specifically chose to celebrate being her daughter rather than her wife. Whether it’s pointed out or not, one thing is clear: the new queen has her own agenda. Her errant husband had better be careful.