World Cup: Princess Mary is absent as Danish princes show support ahead of Australia game

Danish royals Prince Frederik and his sons got in the mood for their country’s huge World Cup clash with Australia after being snapped enjoying a kickabout ahead of the big game, but there was no sign of his Australian-born wife.

Denmark take on the Socceroos in a winner-takes-all match in Al-Wakrah, Qatar, with both nations vying for a place in the last-16 of the 2022 World Cup.

While the nations don’t share a rich history, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark may be torn as the country of her birth takes on the nation she will one day rule as Queen.

The royal – formerly known as Mary Donaldson – grew up in Tasmania and spent 28 years of her life in Australia before she moved to the Scandinavian nation and married Frederik at Copenhagen Cathedral in 2004. 

More than two decades later, the couple, who share four children, are living proof that fairytales can come true. 

During the 2016 Olympics, Princess Mary insisted: ‘I’ll absolutely support Australians… so long as they’re not competing against a Dane.’

And despite seemingly backing the Denmark team, she was a noticeable absentee as Prince Frederik and his sons Prince Christian and Prince Vincent enjoyed a kickabout on the front lawn of Amalienborg Palace. 

The trio wore Denmark national football team shirts while enjoying a friendly runaround on the grass.  

Frederik was 32 when he met Mary at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, when he was in Australia to support Denmark’s Olympic sailing team. He 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 meeting the heir to the Danish throne.  

They maintained a long-distance relationship for a year, with Frederik making secret trips Down Under before Mary moved to Denmark to study Danish language at Copenhagen’s Studieskolen in 2001.

In early 2003, Frederik’s mother Queen Margrethe publicly acknowledged the relationship and the couple announced their engagement at Amalienborg Castle later that year on October 8. 

‘From today, Mary is mine and I am hers,’ the prince said on their wedding day. ‘I love her and I will protect her with all my love.’ 

Mary opted for a beautiful gown by Danish designer Uffer Frank and a veil first used by Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden in 1905, however, in a nod to her heritage, she carried a bouquet of Australian snow gum eucalyptus interspersed with blooms from the Palace garden.

Her family has returned to Mary’s native Australia on many occasions, visiting famous landmarks in Sydney, Canberra and the Northern Territory and even spending Christmas Down Under in 2015.

With her title of a crowned Princess of Denmark, Mary has sworn allegiance to the Scandinavian country.  

On occasion, the princess is known to pay a secret tribute to the country of her birth. In June 2021, she stepped out in an Australian-designed dress when she attended the ‘Mind of Music’ concert in Odense, 167km south of the capital, Copenhagen. 

Earlier this year, she donated $50,000 to an Australian charity fighting childhood bullying after celebrating her 50th birthday. 

More to follow.