Crown Princess Mary of Denmark is back in her native for the Christmas holidays with her family.
Mary, 51, was spotted catching a flight at Sydney Airport on Saturday with her 12-year-old twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, and her best friend Amber Petty.
She was flanked by a small entourage of minders and security personnel before what was presumably a quick flight to her home state of Tasmania, where she spent the holidays last year.
The Danish Palace confirmed the family will be joined by Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, next week – as they continue to deal with the fallout from pictures of his night out with reality star Genoveva Casanova, 47, in Madrid last month.
Before boarding her flight, Mary browsed a local newsagent and left with a copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark was spotted catching a flight at Sydney Airport with her family on Saturday
Mary, 51, was accompanied by her 12-year-old twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, and her best friend Amber Petty
The bestselling book is a mix of memoir and self-help, offering Schwarzenegger’s advice on how to overcome adversity and achieve goals.
As always, Mary was the epitome of style and grace as she made her way through the terminal in a chic beige blazer and brown trousers.
She also sported a pair of Adidas Originals sneakers, which retail for about $150.
Her two well-behaved children dutifully strolled beside her as best pal Petty smiled and directed the group where to go.
Prince Frederik, 55, is currently attending the climate conference, COP 28, in Dubai, and will participate in the Council of State with his mother, Queen Margrethe, on 12 December.
The Danish also appeared to be flanked by a small entourage of minders and security personnel
As always, Mary was the epitome of style and grace as she made her way through the terminal in a chic beige blazer and brown trousers
Her two well-behaved children dutifully strolled beside her as best pal Petty smiled and directed the group where to go
Mary and her children all appeared to fascinated by something in the distance
The royal family are visiting Mary’s relatives in and it is not yet known whether they will undertake any formal engagements.
Mary and Frederik’s daughter, Princess Isabella, 16, is set to travel to later in December when her school studies have finished. However, Prince Christian, 18, is unable to join them as he has important exams to study for.
Mary’s father, Professor John Dalgleish Donaldson, and three siblings, Jane, Patricia and John, reside in , so it is likely she will spend the majority of her time with them.
Following royal tradition, it is thought the family will head back to Aarhus in Denmark to celebrate Christmas Eve at Marselisborg Palace with Queen Margrethe.
The 51-year-old nervously bit her nails as she waited to board her flight
Before boarding her flight, Mary browsed a local newsagent and left with a copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life
Mary last visited her homeland in April, when she took part in a bike ride through Sydney and led a Danish delegation for discussions about ‘s transition to renewable energy.
The royal – formerly known as Mary Donaldson – grew up in Tasmania and spent 28 years of her life in before she moved to the Scandinavian nation and married Frederik at Copenhagen Cathedral in 2004.
She famously met her husband, Crown Prince Frederik, at a Sydney bar, called The Slip Inn, during the 2000 Olympic Games.
Their 23-year romance has been dubbed a ‘real-life fairytale’ – yet Princess Mary and Prince Frederik’s relationship has made headlines over recent weeks for less glowing reasons.
The group stuck close together as they made their way through the terminal
Mary sported a pair of white shoes for comfort instead of opting for glamorous high heels
Frederik, the heir to the Danish throne, was photographed with reality star Genoveva Casanova, 47, in Madrid where they attended an exhibition of the works of Pablo Picasso, without his wife of 19 years.
Publication of the pictures in Spanish magazine Lecturas led the divorced Mexican socialite to issue a statement ‘categorically’ denying any suggestion the pair are romantically involved, branding it ‘malicious’ and untrue, according to Hola!.
The news broke amid a packed schedule of events for the royal couple during the state visit King Felipe of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia, and will no doubt have been viewed as an unwelcome distraction by Mary, who has scarcely put a foot wrong in her almost two decades as a working royal.
Mary Donaldson, was a 28-year-old advertising executive when she first met Frederik in a packed city pub, the Slip Inn, in Sydney 23 years ago.
She had no idea the handsome European tourist she had been chatting to for hours was actually Crown Prince Frederik, future king of Denmark.
The Danish Palace confirmed that the family will be joined by Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark next week
Now, married for 19 years and proud parents to four children, Mary is poised to become the world’s first n-born queen and has won her adopted country over by her dedication to royal duty and her fluency in the language.
After the pub encounter, then 32-year-old Fred – who was in to support Denmark’s sailing team at the 2000 Olympics – asked Mary for her phone number and a romance blossomed.
‘The first time we met we shook hands. I didn’t know he was the prince of Denmark. Half an hour later someone came up to me and said, “Do you know who these people are”?’ Mary revealed in an interview about meeting the heir to the Danish throne.
They maintained a long-distance relationship for a year, with Frederik making secret trips Down Under before Mary moved to Denmark to study Danish language at Copenhagen’s Studieskolen in 2001.
In early 2003, Frederik’s mother Queen Margrethe publicly acknowledged the relationship and the couple announced their engagement at Amalienborg Castle later that year on October 8.
Frederik and Mary married on May 14, 2004 at Copenhagen Cathedral, with the newly minted Crown Princess opting for a beautiful gown by Danish designer Uffer Frank and a veil first used by Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden in 1905.
In a nod to her heritage, Mary carried a bouquet of n snow gum eucalyptus interspersed with blooms from the Palace garden.
At the altar, Frederik announced: ‘From today, Mary is mine and I am hers. I love her, and I will protect her with all my love.’
READ MORE: Danish royal family breaks their silence on Prince Frederik’s ‘affair’ scandal – as the palace is slammed by furious ‘fans’
Glamorous Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova is pictured in May, 2023