Princess Mary returns to Australia for Christmas with twins Vincent and Josephine – but Prince Frederik is nowhere to be seen after THOSE pictures with glamorous Mexican socialite

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark is back in her native Australia 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 staff before what is believed to be 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 photos of his night out with reality star Genoveva Casanova, 47, in Madrid last month.

Before boarding her flight, Mary browsed a local newsagents and left with a copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life.

The best-selling 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 wore a pair of Adidas Originals sneakers, which cost about $150.

Her two well-behaved children walked dutifully beside her as best friend Petty smiled and showed the group the way.

Prince Frederik, 55, is currently attending the COP 28 climate conference in Dubai and will join his mother, Queen Margrethe, at the Council of State on December 12.

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.

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 to live. 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.

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 devotion 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.”