Princess Mary sheds a tear as she leaves New Zealand with husband Frederik – following cryptic Christmas message about loneliness a month after ‘affair’ scandal

Crown Princess Mary appeared to shed a tear at Queenstown airport as she and her husband said goodbye to friends on the tarmac.

Princess Mary hugged a male friend, while her husband Prince Frederik hugged airport staff

It is the first time the couple has been photographed together since arriving in New Zealand

The children looked unenthusiastic as their parents said goodbye to their friends

Prince Frederik hugged the friends equally tightly

And every move they've made since has been the focus of speculation.

In the letter posted on the Maria Foundation website, the future queen reflected on the past year – and said she thought it was shorter than previous years.

“And at the same time, so much has happened that it's impossible to put it all into words,” she continued.

Princess Mary has shared a cryptic post about loneliness and the need for positive human connection ahead of Christmas

'We need each other if we want to succeed.' And that applies not only to the working world and to those of us working to combat social isolation,” it said.

'This applies to all of us. People need people.'

The post and powerful words were pictured alongside a beautiful photo of the royal family in the snow.

She wore a purple jacket under a warm woolen shawl and smiled softly at the camera.

Princess Mary and her twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent looked happily at the top of the bridge

'The Danish royal family is lucky to have you. I hope your husband realizes that he has embarrassed you and his children beyond measure. You will make a good queen,” one fan commented.

Another wrote: 'I think this is a sad year for Mary, her husband's (alleged) betrayal and it's public. What a courageous woman, she can handle anything. I adore her.'

Some came to the defense of the royal family and called on people to stop talking about the alleged affair.

But these people were often put down by others.

'Have you seen the film from that morning, in which he walks through the city with his suitcase and without a PET, while he is waiting at a public bus shed to be picked up. He has made a fool of himself, Mary and many others! It is naive to continue to believe he is completely innocent,” one woman wrote.

She said it didn't matter if there was an affair; the fact that he was in Spain with another woman was enough.

Others simply thanked her for her seasonal greeting.

Her trip came after rumors that the prince had an affair with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova rocked the Danish royal family

“You are so amazing, our beautiful Crown Princess,” one fan wrote – echoing the sentiment of dozens of others.

Princess Mary landed in New Zealand on December 18, where she was met by Prince Frederik and their eldest daughter Isabella.

The Crown Princess had arrived in Australia twelve days earlier with her twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.