Crown Princess Mary of Denmark is preparing for her role as queen after her mother-in-law shocked the nation when she announced her abdication in a recent speech.
Queen Margrethe announced on New Year's Eve that she would step down as monarch after 52 years. She will be succeeded on January 14 by her son, Crown Prince Frederik, and his wife, Crown Princess Mary, 51.
But how life will change for the royal family – which is originally from Australia but popular with the Danish people – is still unknown.
Following affair rumors recently circulating around 55-year-old Frederik after photos emerged of him enjoying a night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in Madrid in October, body language expert Judi James described the abdication as “a powerful gift” for the Crown Princess.
She told FEMAIL: 'Queen Margrethe's decision to abdicate in the midst of what appeared to be a potential crisis in the marriage of her son and heir and his wife may seem bizarre and risky, but it has given the very popular Crown Princess Mary a given a chance. powerful gift in terms of her body language and her personal impact and branding going forward.”
Crown Princess Mary was seen appearing to shed tears with friends as they left Queenstown, New Zealand for Australia in December
And the expert explained that while 'the rumors were flying, the world was looking to Mary for a non-verbal response' – and that her behavior to date had caused her to appear unusually frosty towards her husband.
Judi said: 'Even their most recent photographs which showed some hand holding, when viewed in detail, showed that it was Frederick holding his wife's fingers, and not a mutual grasp indicating mutual affection or even a mutual desire would have suggested action. signals of mutual affection.'
However, eagle-eyed royal watchers noticed that Mary appeared to be emotional earlier this month
The royal was caught appearing to cry at Queenstown airport as she and her husband said goodbye to friends on the tarmac.
Some have speculated that the emotion was due to Queen Margrethe's upcoming announcement, while others wondered if it had to do with the rumors surrounding her wedding.
The holidays had begun for Mary and the twins who arrived in Australia on December 6 to see family and even climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
They then crossed the ditch on a private plane, where they were reunited with the Crown Prince and Princess Isabella for a much-needed escape from the spotlight.
The prince and his Australian princess have been rocked by rumors of infidelity since November, putting their 'fairytale romance' under scrutiny.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark at yesterday's event at Amalienborg Palace – viewers noticed the usually affectionate couple were not holding hands
And every move they've made since has been the focus of speculation.
Judi has speculated that promoting the couple to king and queen means they can be believed in a formal way without being questioned – before they were known for being quite affectionate in public.
According to Judi, 'The upgrade to Queen, however, allows Mary to adopt a more royal formality without raising her eyebrows.
'As we have seen in Britain, the higher the rank of royal wives, the more independent their body language can be from their husbands, in keeping with their status.'
Comparing the Danish couple to the Prince and Princess of Wales, she said: 'Kate is now a real royal star in her own right, rather than just her husband's supporting partner.
'William now often seems happy with status/support and watches with pride as Kate shapes her own leadership role in the family and country.'
She added: Even the rather reserved Camilla is now seen in her own role as queen, rather than just Charles' faithful companion.'
When Mary then appeared at the New Year's banquet, she was very much the royal star in her own right and with her own role. The couple walked side by side with Mary, very slightly behind, but the formality of their outfits made it unnecessary to hold hands or engage in PDA.
This royal couple has previously had a habit of being more visually affectionate and tactile in public than our own royals, making any slight dip or cooldown in that behavior seem dramatic. However, Mary's body language here indicates complete confidence and there is a gleam in her eyes that seems to be missing lately. As we saw with Diana, 'Princess' isn't always a job for life, but 'Queen' probably has to be.
*As Mary walks into the room, she has her small clutch tucked under her arm and her arms and hands can swing freely at her sides. She clearly has no intention of holding the bag as a barrier or being hindered by it as she performs her greeting ritual. This indicates a high level of confidence and enthusiasm to continue with the work. Her fingers look relaxed and are slightly cupped to suggest a lack of inner tension.
* The muscles and veins visible in Mary's neck show her holding her head high despite what appears to be a heavy tiara, sending signals of pride and status.
*Her smile in the eyes and the way she turns to raise a hand to greet the crowd resembles the chef's kiss. Her eyes literally shine here and the wave seems to acknowledge her personal popularity with the people of Denmark.
* Her smile looks like a 'royal smile', but there is still some rounding of the cheeks and a slight wrinkle in the center of the lips, indicating modesty mixed with pride.