Queen Mary of Denmark raised eyebrows on Sunday evening as she attended the European Handball Championships without her husband, the King.
King Frederik is affectionately known for his love of sports, making his wife’s solo performance in the stands even more striking.
But according to experts from Danish publication BT, the royal family is trying to ‘normalize’ the idea of a modern monarchy, shaking up gender roles and old societal expectations.
King Frederick’s mother, Queen Margrethe, was known for her support of the arts while her son attended national sporting events.
In a speech in 2022, he already discussed the division of tasks when he said: ‘You paint, I play sports.’
Queen Mary of Denmark raised eyebrows on Sunday evening as she attended the European Handball Championships without her husband, the King
Referring to his mother’s representation of culture and that of sports.
The former queen had begun to bring the monarch into the modern age by downsizing him and taking royal titles from the wife and children of her second-born Prince Joachim.
The new king and queen both appeared for the screening of the theater performance ‘Indenfor moray eel’ on the old stage of the Royal Theater, making the newspaper’s theory of a revolutionary monarchy seem plausible.
The match was held in Cologne, Germany, which could also be the reason the king didn’t show up, as he leaves for Poland on Tuesday for his first official international appearance.
Queen Mary posted a photo on the palace’s social media showing her in the stadium during half-time. She said the match was “exciting and nerve-wracking to watch.”
Queen Mary said it was a nerve-wracking match and thanked the Danish team for fighting hard against the French champions
She also shared this photo of herself looking hopeful during halftime
She congratulated her team for fighting hard. She also congratulated them on winning the silver medal, which she said was “honored.”
The public solo appearance comes after a whirlwind few months for the Australian-born queen, whose relationship was thrust into the spotlight in October 2023.
Her husband, then the Crown Prince, was photographed enjoying a night out in Spain with his friend Genoveva Casanova.
Ms Casanova, a divorced socialite, vehemently denied rumors that the two were having an affair and has kept a low profile since.
The new queen, who was still only the crown princess, has fueled speculation by taking a solo trip to Australia with her 13-year-old twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent.
The royal couple have been in the spotlight since October – with some royal experts claiming Queen Margrethe abdicated the throne to ‘save their marriage’ after affair rumors
Mary and her twins seemed to make the most of their trip, with the youngsters invited to take part in the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb, one of their mother’s favorite activities.
The family then flew to New Zealand, where they met Princess Isabella and then-Crown Prince Frederik, silencing further rumors of a troubled relationship.
They arrived home to Denmark and as the world celebrated the arrival of the new year, King Frederick’s mother, the former queen, Margrethe, announced her plan to abdicate.
Other royal experts claim Queen Mary and King Frederick want to be the face of a modern monarchy – that’s why she went to the major sporting event
She announced that she would hand over her duties to her son and his wife after 52 years as the country’s queen.
Rumors began to swirl again, with some people claiming she did this to take the spotlight off her son’s relationship with Mary, but the palace insisted they were not concerned about rumors.