Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark throw a family lunch for his aunt Princess Benedikte’s 80th birthday – after being accused of photoshopping their first official royal portrait
Queen Mary and King Frederik posed for a photo with Princess Benedkeek on her 80th birthday at Frederick VIII’s palace in Amalienborg, a day after they were accused of photoshopping their first official royal portrait.
The Danish royal family shared the family portrait on their official Instagram page on Tuesday, showing Queen Margrethe, 84, alongside her two younger sisters, Princess Benedkeek, 80, and Queen Anne Marie of Greece, 77.
Mary, 52, and Frederik, 55, had invited Benedkeek and family to a birthday lunch at Frederick VIII’s palace, where she was born and raised.
However, today the palace is the residence of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Denmark, who took over the throne in January.
Benedikt, who sat between her two sisters, looked perfect in a cream blazer and pale pink skirt.
Queen Mary and King Frederik posed for a photo with Princess Benedkeek on her 80th birthday at Frederick VIII’s Palace, in Amalienborg (photo: front row L-R Queen Anne Marie of Greece, Princess Benedkeek, 80, Queen Margrethe, 84, back row L-R , Gustav Heinrich Richard, 14, Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, 49, Countess Ingrid von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, King Frederick, Queen Mary, Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, 59, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein- Berleburg, 53, and Count Richard von Pfeil and Klein-Ellguth)
Benedkeek’s daughter, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, 53, looked chic in a cream ensemble.
Alexandra stood next to her son Count Richard von Pfeil and Klein-Ellguth, who wore a smart navy suit, and her husband Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, 59.
Meanwhile, Princess Alexandra’s daughter, Countess Ingrid von Pfeil and Klein-Ellguth, looked stylish in a pink floral dress.
Elsewhere in the photo, Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, 49, the third child and youngest daughter of Princess Benedkeek, wore a colorful skirt which she paired with a cream-colored long-sleeved top.
She stood next to her son Gustav Heinrich Richard, 14, the godson of Princess Mary of Denmark and grandchild of Princess Benedkeek.
The wholesome family snap comes one day after royal watchers accused Queen Mary and King Frederick of photoshopping their first official royal portrait, weeks after their British counterparts were criticized for releasing a ‘fake’ Mother’s Day photo.
The official photo of the royal couple was released last week, showing the Australian-born queen standing next to the king.
Eagle-eyed fans claimed that: 1. The image of Queen Mary was a distinctive portrait. 2. Her hand placement over King Frederick’s proved this. 3. Frederik looked as if he had ‘rolled out of bed’, while his wife looked regal
Queen Mary of Denmark first wore the emerald decor of the Danish Palace in her royal debut as queen consort. The set is worn only by the Queen
Queen Mary wore a deep green velvet and lace dress along with the crown’s “most complete” heirloom jewelry set with matching emeralds.
Many praised the “beauty” of the photo, but also wondered whether it had been manipulated. Some claimed that the couple had ‘obviously’ taken their separate portraits and photoshopped them together.
“Beautiful photo, but another digitally enhanced royal photo,” a woman commented on the photo, receiving several likes.
‘Is this photoshopped? I mean, it looks like they were photographed separately and then put together? Maria looks beautiful and Frederik, well, the king looks like he just rolled out of bed,” one woman wrote.
‘Terrible translation. So stiff and clumsy. AI,” another wondered. Others pointed out the placement of Queen Mary’s hand in front of King Frederick’s, claiming it seemed out of place.
“It looks like Queen Mary was included in Fred’s photo. The hand position is identical,” said one fan.
The palace has confirmed that the photo is genuine, saying that ‘the official gala portrait of the Royal Household has not been manipulated’.
This photo released for the twins’ 13th birthday shows Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine standing together – but people don’t think it’s legit
Many argued that any form of photoshopping would make sense given the recent affair rumors that swirled after the then-prince was spotted hanging out with friend and socialite Genoveva Casanova in Spain last year.
‘She has so much tension! and whether they are in the room together, it’s like a montage,” said another.
‘Why did he cheat? I’m so mad at him,” said another. ‘Oh, she looks beautiful, but so tense! Something isn’t right,” another surmised.
Others continued to talk about the couple’s alleged indifference, without commenting on whether the photo could have been fabricated.
“That’s one cold looking Mary. I don’t think she’ll mind being so close to Freddy!’
The palace told the Daily Mail that they do not comment on rumors when asked about the alleged affair.
It is not the first time that royal watchers have questioned a photo of the Danish palace.
On January 8, they took a photo of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine for their 13th anniversary.
But the family’s fans claimed the children were posing exactly as they did in a group photo that appeared to have been taken on the same day.
This led to people wondering if the twins were edited together for the birthday tribute.
People have become less familiar with royal photos following the disastrous Mother’s Day photo release of Kate Middleton and her children on behalf of Kensington Palace.
Sixteen ‘errors’ were found in the portrait, which became the first official portrait of the royal family to be recalled by photo agencies.
Royal aides claimed the image of the Princess of Wales and the children was taken by Prince William.
Princess Charlotte’s hand against Kate’s zipper, Prince Louis’ sweater and Prince George’s arm were all noticeably ‘wrong’ in the photo.
Other issues involve Charlotte’s skirt and knee, Louis’ sweater and hand, Kate’s hair and George’s sleeve – as well as the border and step in the background.