Crown Princess Mary is usually the woman of the moment when she returns to her beloved native Australia, but the royal family appears to have kept a low profile since her arrival last week.
The future Queen of Denmark, 51, has not been spotted since landing at the airport last week, prompting speculation that she may be laying low following the fallout from her husband, Crown Prince Frederik,'s night out with a Mexican socialite in Madrid last month.
Royal mother of four Mary caught a flight to Sydney without her husband Prince Frederik on December 6. The prince is said to have joined her in Australia this week.
The family Christmas outing will be a much-needed reprieve for the Danish royal family, who were rocked by photos published in October showing Frederik enjoying an evening in Madrid with 47-year-old socialite Genoveva Casanova.
Like Spanish magazine Lectures After publishing the photos and claiming the pair had spent the evening at a bodega in the Spanish capital, where they watched flamenco dancing and dined until the early hours, Genoveva hit back at 'malicious' rumors she was in a relationship with the heir to the Danish throne.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has not been seen in public since landing in her native Australia last week
Rumors are swirling that the mother of four would be keeping a low profile after the couple was rocked by news of Prince Frederik's alleged affair in November this year (Photo: Crown Princess Mary and Prince Frederik in Denmark on November 8)
Since the photos emerged, Mary has remained tight-lipped about her husband's dinner with the socialite, and the pair have made public appearances together.
However, Mary's quiet visit to her native Australia could indicate that she would like a quiet visit following the fallout from the allegations.
Last week the Prince, 55, appeared at the COP 28 climate conference in Dubai, before joining his mother, Queen Margrethe, at the Council of State on December 12.
It's now been a full week since Mary was last photographed – the obscure move is a far cry from the public display of festive spirit she shared during a holiday in her home country of Tasmania this time last year.
In December 2022, The Royal appeared in the happiest of moods in a sweet family photo shared on Instagram.
The Danish royal family beamed as they posed for a Christmas photo after arriving in Australia for the first time in five years to celebrate the holidays.
The princess sat next to her husband Prince Frederik, and their children Christian and Isabella, and twins Vincent and Josephine, as they sat in front of an incredible view of Hobart.
“Merry Christmas from 'Down Under' – where we celebrate Christmas in Tasmania,” the message read.
'Here it is not freezing and not just trees, but summer and warm weather.'
The family of six were spotted walking around Bondi, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, where they caught up with close friend and bridesmaid Amber Petty.
Just last month, the heir to the Danish throne was at the center of furious speculation that he was dating Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova, 47 (pictured)
Crown Princess Mary enjoyed shopping at Sydney's Palm Beach during her Christmas holiday in 2022
The future Queen of Denmark and her family then enjoyed a dip in Palm Beach, on the city's northern beaches.
This year, the royal family is visiting Mary's relatives in Australia and it is not yet known whether they will make any formal commitments.
Mary and Frederik's 16-year-old Princess Isabella will travel to Australia later in December once her school studies are completed. However, 18-year-old Prince Christian cannot participate because he has important exams to take.
Mary's father, Professor John Dalgleish Donaldson, and three siblings, Jane, Patricia and John, live in Australia, so it is likely that she will spend most of her time with them.
Following royal tradition, the family is expected to return to Aarhus in Denmark to celebrate Christmas Eve at Marselisborg Palace with Queen Margrethe.
Mary last visited her home country in April, when she took part in a cycle tour of Sydney and led a Danish delegation for discussions on Australia's transition to renewable energy.
The royal – formerly known as Mary Donaldson – grew up in Tasmania and spent 28 years of her life in Australia before moving to the Scandinavian country and marrying Frederik in Copenhagen Cathedral in 2004.
She famously met her husband, Crown Prince Frederik, at a Sydney bar called The Slip Inn during the 2000 Olympics.
The Danish royal family shared a snapshot from Tasmania in 2022 and wished followers a Merry Christmas
Their 23-year romance has been called a 'real fairytale', but Princess Mary and Prince Frederik's relationship has made headlines in recent weeks for less positive reasons.
Frederik, the heir to the Danish throne, was photographed with reality star Genoveva Casanova, 47, in Madrid, where they attended an exhibition of Pablo Picasso's works, without his wife of 19 years.
The publication of the photos in Spanish magazine Lecturas prompted the divorced Mexican socialite to issue a statement “categorically” denying any suggestion that the pair were in a romantic relationship, which according to Hola! called 'evil' and untrue.
The news emerged amid a busy schedule of events for the royal couple during the state visit of King Felipe of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia, and will no doubt have been seen as an unwanted distraction by Mary, who has hardly put a foot wrong in her life. almost twenty years as a working royal family.
Mary Donaldson was a 28-year-old advertising executive when she first met Frederik 23 years ago in a packed city pub, the Slip Inn, in Sydney.
It's now been a full week since Mary was last photographed – this dark move is a far cry from the public display of festive spirit she shared during a holiday in her homeland of Tasmania, this time last year (photo: Princess Mary and Prince Frederik attend the Joaquín Sorolla exhibition – Light in Motion (Luz and Movimiento) and a dinner at the Glyptoteket Museum in Copenhagen on November 7)
She had no idea that the handsome European tourist she had been chatting with for hours was actually Crown Prince Frederik, the future King of Denmark.
Now married for 19 years and proud parents of four children, Mary is poised to become the world's first Australian-born queen. She won over her adopted country through her dedication to royal duty and her command of the language.
After meeting in the pub, then 32-year-old Fred – who was in Australia to support the Danish 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 the meeting with the heir to the Danish throne.
They maintained a long-distance relationship for a year, with Frederik taking secret trips Down Under before Mary moved to Denmark in 2001 to study the Danish language at Studieskolen in Copenhagen.
In early 2003, Frederick'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 dress 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 Australian snow gum eucalyptus, interspersed with flowers 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.”