Queen Mary shared a sweet moment with her 13-year-old twin daughter, Princess Josephine, as they made funny faces at each other during the annual Royal Run in Denmark.
The Queen, 52, looked cool with sunglasses to shield her eyes at the event as she and her youngest daughter waited for King Frederik, 55, to cross the finish line of the 10km race in Copenhagen.
The mother and daughter looked like a perfect pair in their purple running jerseys and showed deep affection for each other as Mary turned on her daughter’s collar and Josephine stuck her tongue out in response.
Elsewhere, Josephine and her older sister, 15-year-old Princess Isabella, walked around near the finish line and were pictured laughing together.
While the queen opened up and showed warmth and laughter, her demeanor contrasted with several icy performances during the summer holiday she recently took with King Frederick to Sweden and Norway, months after rumors of an “affair” rocked the Danish monarchy.
Queen Mary of Denmark, 52, shared a sweet moment with her youngest daughter Princess Josephine, 13, during the Royal Run on Monday
The royal mother of four, who takes part in the Royal Run every year with her husband, was pictured sharing a tender moment with her daughter Josephine as they played for a short time as spectators – before Mary herself joined the runners.
It was a rare outing for the entire family of the King and Queen; the youngest siblings are often not seen in public while they complete their school studies.
However, the show of family unity comes after a difficult few months for the Danish royal family, following rumors of an affair after King Frederik was spotted on a night out in Madrid with Genoveva Casanova, a Mexican socialite living in the Spanish capital.
The mother and daughter shared an intimate moment as Josephine stuck her tongue out at Queen Mary as they stood on the sidelines of the event
The Queen is ready for action! Queen Mary, 52, donned her cap and joined the other participants in the race
Elsewhere, Princesses Josephine and Isabella burst into laughter as they walked around the event
Pictured: Queen Mary with Princess Josephine and her eldest daughter, Princess Isabella, during the Royal Run in Copenhagen
At the start of the event, the queen lovingly brushed her daughter’s hair from her face
Spanish magazine Lecturas published photos of the pair in the city at the end of October and reported that they had visited an old flamenco restaurant where they dined together until the early hours. After the photos were published, Genoveva vehemently denied that they were having an affair.
Since then, King Frederick and Queen Mary have sent mixed signals with their body language during public appearances, including several icy performances.
The couple showed distance in their body language during summer vacation on the Daneborg ship they sailed to Sweden and Norway (which also happened to coincide with their twentieth wedding anniversary).
During this trip, the couple showed signs of icy body language at times with each other; although such signs seemed to thaw as they greeted their hosts in each country.
Twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent, 13, and their older sister Princess Isabella, 15, hold up their medals at the end of the Royal Run
The three youngest royal siblings looked primed and ready to go as they prepared to take on the race
A wave to the fans! The Queen beamed as she greeted royal spectators and racing spectators upon arrival
Mary beamed behind sunglasses as she prepared to compete, wearing a number 2 bib with her name on it
Mary waved to royal fans ahead of the race
Upon arriving in Norway last week, the couple looked stern before docking to meet their hosts, King Harald and Queen Sonja.
Body language expert Judi James told FEMAIL: ‘Arriving on a boat in Oslo we see Mary again with her rather cooler facial expression, her eyes staring off into the distance rather than returning her husband’s gaze.
“He looks forlorn, with one brow curled up and the other frowning down, while his eye expression seems dejected and his lips barely form a regal smile.”
Judi added: ‘Mary’s authentic smile and more tactile behavior during the meeting with the Norwegian royals only seemed to add to the idea that she looked cooler again with her husband.’
The couple’s candid body language in private moments was in stark contrast to the image the Danish palace projected to the world on social media to mark the couple’s 20th wedding anniversary.
A photo taken of Queen Mary and King Frederick aboard the Dannebrog showed the couple in a relaxed pose, beaming with their arms around each other while dressed in matching waistcoats.
Judi told FEMAIL: ‘To celebrate their wedding anniversary [the couple] it seems they have created an attitude that is deliberately reminiscent of the way they behaved before the scandal.”
She added: ‘Their torsos in this anniversary photo are pressed together, albeit with a layer of puffer vest acting like a small airbag, and their mutual smiles suggest they are enjoying each other’s company again.
“Frederik has one hand on his hip to suggest a happy holiday moment and with his other hand he is gripping his wife by the neck in what appears to be quite a firm grip.”
However, the expert drew attention to the fact that Mary was wearing her sunglasses in the photo, meaning that “her eye expression is hidden from the public’s view and examination.”
Despite this, Danish royal expert Kenth Madsen has revealed that people in Denmark have ‘forgotten’ Frederik’s night out in Madrid with Genoveva and are cheering about having a new king on the throne.
Meanwhile, Danish media reports seem to paint a picture of a happy couple for their readers.
A report from Her & Now, published earlier this month, described how the couple were ‘practically beaming with love for each other’ as they boarded the Dannebrog ahead of their wedding anniversary.
Although the report mentioned King Frederick’s night out with Genoveva, it emphasized that the father of four had ‘buried’ any suggestion of an affair as he stood next to his wife on the balcony of Christiansborg on the day he became king was proclaimed.
The report also noted a declaration of love for Queen Mary that the king made in his book Kongeord, which was published three days after he took the throne.
The quote read: ‘I love marriage, my wife, our children and the very happy foundation that is created for the people who manage to stay together and persevere.’
The King and Queen of Denmark persevered when Frederick ascended the throne early this year, following the shock abdication of his mother, Queen Margrethe, on New Year’s Eve 2023.
The surprise announcement came two months after King Frederick was spotted dining with Mexican socialite Genoveva, who lives in Madrid.
Spanish magazine Lecturas published photos of the pair together as they headed to a traditional restaurant in the city, where they reportedly watched flamenco performances and stayed until the early hours of the morning.
After the photos were published, Genoveva issued a statement through her lawyers vehemently denying any suggestion of an affair with the Danish royal family, while the palace declined to comment.