Queen Mary of Denmark has stuck to plenty of royal traditions over her twenty plus years at the heart of the oldest reigning family in Europe but she’s also keen on mixing things up and that’s never more evident than at Christmas.
Along with King Frederik and their four children, she’s just decorated the Christmas tree at the family home in Amalienborg and while there are plenty of traditional red, green and gold trimmings, there’s also a rather modern twist on the regal Christmas.
For Queen Mary, who comes from Tasmania, has added a sparkling version of the Sydney Opera House to the royal Christmas tree this year.
(Det Danske Kongehus Instagram still/ fair use)
Mary is building a reputation for making her mark on the royal Christmas since the start of her husband’s reign. Last year, the family added a sparkling version of David Bowie to their tree. While they might well be a fan of the star singer, it’s thought that decoration was a nod to the family dog, Ziggy, who had recently died.
The silver Sydney Opera House was spotted as King Frederik and Queen Mary shared their photo album from the family decorations. The most prized baubles were four bearing the name of their children – Christian, Isabella, Vincent and Josephine.
(Det Danske Kongehus Instagram still/ fair use)
Earlier, the Danish royals also added a video of their decorating session to their social media but the scene was stolen in that by 18 year old Princess Isabella who decided to dance her way through the afternoon.
Crown Prince Christian, 20, was clearly enjoying being back with his family as he took a break from his military training to join the Christmas prepartions.
Twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 14, were reunited after choosing different schools for this academic year. Josephine, who has shown a flair for the arts inherited from her grandmother, Queen Margrethe, is now at boarding school while her brother remains closer to home.
(Det Danske Kongehus)
King Frederik and Queen Mary have already announced their Christmas plans. They will be spending the festive season at the Amalenborg Palace in Copenhagen with their four children and Queen Margrethe.
Prince Joachim, younger brother of King Frederik, and his wife, Princess Marie, are celebrating Christmas in Washington D.C. where they now live. They will be with their children.
The Danish royals have a much busier calendar than other reigning families over the holidays. The festive speech will be given by King Frederik on New Year’s Eve and on New Year’s Day he’ll be joined by Queen Mary for the traditional gala that is held to mark the start of the year.
