Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark pens tribute to wife Princess Mary

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark has written a rare gushing tribute to his wife Princess Mary online.

The heir to the throne, 54, shared a photo of his Australian wife enjoying an ice cream on his official Instagram page yesterday.

He wrote, “My wife and I have our anniversary today. A very special day for both of us, as we like to celebrate – also with our four children.’

Elsewhere, Crown Prince Frederik also acknowledged that it was Mother’s Day, writing: ‘This year the day coincides with Mother’s Day. Therefore special love for you, Maria, as a wife and as a mother.’

Perhaps distressingly, he did not name his own mother, Queen Margarethe, or his sister-in-law in the post.

Instead, he wrote, “At the same time, I want to wish all mothers across the country a happy Mother’s Day.”

It came after a difficult period for Frederik and Mary, during which the couple became publicly involved with Frederik’s brother Prince Joachim.

The Danish royal family put up a united front last month to mark the 83rd birthday of Queen Margrethe – who underwent back surgery in March – at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen.

It was a tumultuous end to 2022 for the Danish royal family after the monarch stripped Prince Joachim’s four children of their prince and princess titles – a shocking move he publicly spoke out against.

She has said the decision was intended to allow Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20 – born of Joachim’s first marriage – and Henrik and Athena to live normal lives without royal obligations.

Instead of being princes and princesses, they are earls and countess and are referred to as their excellencies – a change now reflected on the household’s website.

At the time, Joachim publicly spoke out against his mother’s decision – claiming that his children had been ‘harmed’ in the process.

Later this year, the 53-year-old royal, who is sixth in line to the Danish throne, will move with his family to Washington DC to become a defense industry attache at the Embassy of Denmark.

It came after a difficult period for Frederik and Mary, during which the couple was involved in a public quarrel with Frederik’s brother Prince Joachim.

Queen Margrethe (centre) pictured with her sons Prince Frederik (left) and Prince Joachim (right) and their children

In 2022, a rift arose between Joachim and the Danish royal family when Queen Margrethe decided that his four children should lose their titles as prince and princess.

In 2022, a rift arose between Joachim and the Danish royal family when Queen Margrethe decided that his four children should lose their titles as prince and princess.

Denmark’s popular, long-serving monarch later apologized for upsetting members of her family with the decision – with Joachim publicly expressing his frustration, but she has refused to change her mind.

The official reason was to help the children live more normal lives, and follows similar moves by other royal families in Europe, including the Windsors, to slim down their monarchies, the palace said.

But Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg, Joachim’s first wife and mother of his two older children, said at the time: ‘We are all confused by the decision.

“We are saddened and in shock. This comes like a bolt from the blue. The children feel left out.

“They can’t understand why their identity is being taken from them.”

And Joachim himself added in an interview with the Danish news outlet Ekstra Bladet: ‘We are all very sad. It is never fun to see your children harmed. They’ve been put in a situation they don’t understand.’