Prince Frederik & Princess Mary's Official Visit to Australia: Feb. 27-March 11, 2005

[Monalisa]

kids welcoming royals !I like the little girl in the pink dress wearing alraedy heels to be like her princess

 

[agisele]

As much as i love seeing what new wonderful creations Mary has on at every event. i think it's a bit ridiculous that she sports a new outfit at every single event. Compared to Letizia, who has been a part of royal life for the same amount of time as Mary. She's worn recycled many of her outfits over. Whereas Mary has continiously had new outfits for almost every event she attends.

If I was a Danish taxpayer, i'd probably be worrying if I was paying a tad bit too much to keep my royal family fashionable.

 

[micas]

Yes, in did. But see that Mary don't have so much work like Letizia. Letizia have to do something every day since the wedding. Mary is stop for so long time. And i belive that she probably gona stop for a time again. And she just show that she is caple to recicle clothes to. And she have a quanti of many for spend like all royal ladys. She can spend less, but she can not spend more.
I imagine that we gona see this dress more time to.

 

[Monalisa]

As much as i love seeing what new wonderful creations Mary has on at every event. i think it's a bit ridiculous that she sports a new outfit at every single event. Compared to Letizia, who has been a part of royal life for the same amount of time as Mary. She's worn recycled many of her outfits over. Whereas Mary has continiously had new outfits for almost every event she attends.

If I was a Danish taxpayer, i'd probably be worrying if I was paying a tad bit too much to keep my royal family fashionable.

I don't think that mary have to be embarassed by wearing everyday a new outfit for each new event,she got civil lists for representing Denmark and she's free to spend them however she wants in order to represent danish,she doesn't steal anything from anybody to buy her outfits or to look more elegant or more beautiful as it's used to be in the bananian repubics and monarchies !

Otherwise,she could be less elegant and beautiful getting the same amount of civil lists from danish taxpayers,but she's not,because she has simply good taste !

 

[tiff_tiff_tiff2000]

As much as i love seeing what new wonderful creations Mary has on at every event. i think it's a bit ridiculous that she sports a new outfit at every single event. Compared to Letizia, who has been a part of royal life for the same amount of time as Mary. She's worn recycled many of her outfits over. Whereas Mary has continiously had new outfits for almost every event she attends.

If I was a Danish taxpayer, i'd probably be worrying if I was paying a tad bit too much to keep my royal family fashionable.

What do you mean? She just recycled the dress she wore today. I think if Letizia mixed and matched half as much as Mary does, you will see just as many wonderful creations. I'll give that Letizia has done a fair bit more than what Mary has done, but I really do think Mary recycles just as much as Letizia does. She just mixes and matches all her clothes. I like that about Mary (as many would realize by now! )

 

[EmmieLou]

I don't really look at Letizia pictures as they bore me, if I am being honest. Yes it is good to wear something more than once but after a while the same brown suit becomes boring.

As a royal fan, and a Mary fan I am very pleased with her outfits on this tour. At the endof the day she is paid X amount of money and if she chooses to spend all of it on clothes than that it up to her.

She is out there representing (very well) Denmark and I think Danish taxpayers should be proud.

Maybe she has been given free items, I think she should do as I am sure if she wears a dress or something it sells well.

Mary is the only crown princess I actually get excited about what she will wear. I love Maxima, Mette-Marit etc but their outfits are not my style.

It is kinda like the Princess Diana interest, people loved to see what she was going to wear. She was so stylish in her later years and that drew interest to her charity as people wanted to see what she was wearing to which event.

 

[Josefine]

to bad we did not see any events with them and victoria
victoria has just started her Australien visit (see photos at the swedish forum) and they are about to end it
but i do think we will se photos of frederik and mary on thier holliday i do not think they will be left alone

 

[Fashionista100]

Mary actually recycles a lot of her clothes. She just mixes and matches. If you look at the crown princess mary message board it is a whole topic of conversation looking for things she has worn before. She does it very well. Does she have new things? Yes, but she has just become Crown Princess and this is her first major overseas official tour, and it's to her homeland. So the outfits will be slightly newer and different. It's all part of the PR and what the people want to see. As for Mary not doing as much as letzia who cares? She still has two days of Danish lessons a week. Plus she is patron of 8 charities. I hope that she slowly eases into royal life and does not get burned like many royal ladies. She also spends a lot of time in meetings with court. Plus I am sure the court is giving her and Fred time to build a solid marriage foundation. Which is important. they don't want another divorce.

 

[ceci]

As much as i love seeing what new wonderful creations Mary has on at every event. i think it's a bit ridiculous that she sports a new outfit at every single event. Compared to Letizia, who has been a part of royal life for the same amount of time as Mary. She's worn recycled many of her outfits over. Whereas Mary has continiously had new outfits for almost every event she attends.

If I was a Danish taxpayer, i'd probably be worrying if I was paying a tad bit too much to keep my royal family fashionable.

In fact Mary recycles as much as Letizia does, but she has more creativity than Letizia who just wear the same outfits over and over again. Mary likes to mix clothes she wore before even when she was single. And by the way, Letizia had bought a new wardrobe when she moved to live in the Palace with Felipe before the wedding and she has never worn the clothes she had before him.

Mary looks stunning and as a real princess and Letizia just looks clean and tidy but boring

 

[Dennism]

Here is a poster from the Herald Sun of their visit to Melbourne. You can pick up a real copy in a Herald Sun:

 

[Dennism]

The Australian

Aron Paul: Captivating marriage of magic and mores

March 11, 2005

ROYAL marriage, wrote 19th-century political journalist Walter Bagehot, is "a celebration of a universal fact". Bagehot believed the monarchy's magic was based in its reflection of everyday life. "A family on the throne is a lovely idea," he declared. In the 21st century, as in the 19th, the idea continues to captivate millions.

Yet the family has not been static. Frederik and Mary of Denmark's visit to Australia displays not only the enduring appeal of royalty to Australians; it also illustrates the change in our ideal of the family.

In previous tours to Australia, British royals successfully embodied the idealised family of the time. During the 1901 royal tour by the duke and duchess of Cornwall and York – later George V and Queen Mary – the duchess combined airy femininity with steely self-sacrifice. Her message was that "life is made up of loyalty", and in the official 1901 portrait she appeared as a diminutive woman with a rose and fan, seated beside the stern standing figure of her husband.

Man and woman were thus displayed as mutually reinforcing opposites, each constraining the other. Outward emotion was frowned on. Later, as queen dowager, Mary became famous for her stoicism, cutting off her son Edward VIII for his dereliction of duty during the abdication crisis and showing no emotion at the wedding of her granddaughter Princess Elizabeth.

As a young couple touring Australia in 1954, the Queen and Prince Phillip increased the royal stake in the cult of domesticity. Their ideal, however, was not only of public duty and loyalty but also of a heightened bond of intimacy between the members of a nuclear family. If the duke and duchess of Cornwall and York came celebrating the state in 1901, in 1954 the Queen and her consort came celebrating the home.

Diana, princess of Wales, continued to develop the appeal of royalty to changing ideals of love and family. Despite her aristocratic background, her story was cast as a rags-to-riches tale commensurate with the ambitious 1980s. She was a shy and innocent kindergarten teacher plucked from obscurity by a prince. Later in her life she became a "personality princess", displaying her emotions openly, representing the frustration of a changed society with the stoicism of older generations of royalty.

In all these instances, the popular royal figure took the prevalent values of the time and proclaimed them in public as ruling values. The rituals and status of royalty connected thereby with the dreams of the people and gave those dreams the dignity they demanded. This role of royalty was more important than any formal constitutional role, and republicans and monarchists alike would do well to learn from it. The monarchy may be beyond politics, but as such it expresses the most unchallenged ideologies of the time.

It is easy to forget that the single greatest ideological shift during the past century has been in the meaning and make-up of the family, particularly of gender relations within it. Denmark's Mary and Frederik are the perfect example of this shift and, as such, the popularity of their visit to Australia should come as no surprise. The Danish royal family has offered Australians a dignity to their values that the British royal family has yet to re-create.

Mary's story in 2005 is of a public transformation of a career woman. Frederik and Mary met in a pub during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. They compete on equal terms in yacht races, such as that on Sydney Harbour at the beginning of their tour. As a sport-loving and down-to-earth Tasmanian, Mary brings to her royal status a background unlike the innocence and subservience demanded of British royal brides, one of independence and a deep love obvious to everyone.

The old notion of family had its beginnings in innocence and duty, but this relationship has been cast as one of knowledge and love. Australians have been captivated by this glimpse into another royal family. They have learned of Mary and Frederik's modern romance, of Queen Margarethe's artistic and intellectual abilities, of Mary and Margarethe's similarly down-to-earth ways and easy manner with the people.

There is also a cross-cultural dimension, not only in Frederik and Mary's relationship but also in that of Frederik's brother Joachim and Alexandra, whose marriage was the first European royal marriage outside of Europe.

There is often talk of ideological shifts to the Left or Right, but the most inexorable movement during the past century has instead been one centred on the family and family life. This has been the gradual triumph of a love based on knowledge and experience (rather than innocence and duty) as the most central social value.

Love, after all, is beyond politics and as such may be the driving ideology of our time against which other doctrines will ultimately be tested. Many monarchists and republicans may be uncomfortable with the fact, but royalty has embodied once again the changing ideal of the modern family and gender relations.

Aron Paul is a writing a book on Australia's love affair with royalty.

 

[pdas1201]

Prince Frederik and Princess Mary at a Gala Dinner in the Government House in Hobart, Tasmania.

 

[Dennism]

The Mercury

Mary's home: Smitten by princess charm
By HEATHER LOW CHOY
11mar05

An ordinary Tasmanian returned home a princess yesterday and charmed the crowds that flooded into Hobart's city streets to show their support.<

Thousands of people, many bearing flowers or waving Danish flags, turned out to welcome Crown Princess Mary of Denmark - the former Taroona schoolgirl.

She has not been home since her fairytale wedding last May to the heir to the Danish crown, Prince Frederik.

While the royal couple's first official visit to Tasmania will conclude tonight, they are staying on in the state for another week.

Many of those who took to the streets yesterday said they were not there just to catch a glimpse of a public figure.

Rather, they wanted to show their support for a hometown hero - an ordinary girl thrust into an extraordinary role and coping admirably.

Fewer than five years have passed since self-conscious marketing professional Mary Donaldson started her fairytale romance with the heir to Europe's oldest kingdom in a Sydney pub.

Her 4pm arrival at Hobart Airport yesterday showed very clearly just how much her life has changed.

The stiletto-stepping princess confidently disembarked from a Royal Australian Airforce jet, trailing a travelling sideshow of some 30 minders, primpers and government officials in her wake.

There was perhaps no greater symbol of her radically altered lifestyle than her ever-present lady-in-waiting.

Countess Victoria Bernstorff-Gyldensteen, wearing an antiquated white sun bonnet, followed Princess Mary around the tarmac, her hands clasped and her head bowed deferentially.

There was something about her manner that harked back to the days when European royals had servants executed on a whim.

Meanwhile, Princess Mary worked the tarmac like it was a catwalk.

She wore a cream-coloured brocade coat over a vibrant green dress and one of her trademark picture hats, complete with a feathery garnish for which some hapless exotic bird probably gave up its life.

After accepting flowers from a school group at the airport, the Danish royals were chauffeured straight to an engagement at a gallery on Hobart's waterfront.

Princess Mary's response to the enthusiastic crowd's warm reception seemed heartfelt.

Ignoring her meticulously planned schedule, she spent 10 minutes outside the University of Tasmania's School of Art on Hunter St greeting her many loyal supporters.

She accepted armfuls of flowers, warmly reached for outstretched hands and made every effort to acknowledge as many people as possible.

Tasmania's own princess drew a diverse crowd.

People packed the street outside the art school and formed an unbroken chain along the royals' motorcade route, which took in the waterfront and city.

There were, as one would expect, little girls and elderly women aplenty.

Tiny Patricia McGovern, 3, of Blackmans Bay may well have been Princess Mary's most admiring fan.

Parents Brendan and Megan said Patricia insisted on wearing her princess dress and tiara in honour of Princess Mary's arrival.

"The tiara's new," Mr McGovern said.

"We had to buy it for her at Chickenfeed today to replace the other one she had.

"She was scrubbing it so hard to make it sparke that she broke it."

But "Mary mania" has spread far beyond aspiring princesses and lifelong royal watchers.

Good Aussie blokes packed the al fresco drinking area outside Knopwoods on Salamanca Place.

A young man wearing a red flower behind his ear "in Mary's honour" said he and his mates did not usually frequent the hotel on Thursday nights.

"I'm supposed to be at uni, actually," he said. "But we've come down here because we just reckon Mary's a legend."

Even teenage boys waited patiently on Salamanca Place for Princess Mary to wave demurely from her chauffeured car.

"I'm here because she's hot," said Evan, 15.

When the motorcade passed the hotel shortly after 5.30pm, a group of drinkers shouted: "Don't forget your Taroona roots, Mary."

If the princess heard, she did not let it affect her regal poise. She continued to smile, wave and turn her head from side to side as though watching the tennis.

Although she did her best to connect with people on both sides of the street as her motorcade passed by, some were left disappointed.

A little girl cried in her mother's arms as Princess Mary's car slid away down Salamanca Place.

"She's upset because she only saw the back of Mary's hat," said Sandy Robinson, of Battery Point.

Her five-year-old daughter Adelaide looked crushed.

"I wish Mary didn't wear her hat," she said.

After passing through the city, the royal couple's motorcade concluded at Government House, where the royals are staying during their official visit.

They dined in last night at a state dinner held in their honour.

Guests granted the unrestricted access to the royals that the dinner offered included Premier Paul Lennon and Opposition Leader Rene Hidding.

The Tasmanian Greens did not get a guernsey.

Princess Mary descended the grand staircase from the royal suite, which former governor Richard Butler comandeered as his own, shortly before 7.45pm.

She shone in a floor-length pale mauve gown, cut low to reveal amped-up cleavage.

Rather risque compared to her usual attire, the frock had the mostly male photographers' pack salivating as Princess Mary bent over to sign the Government House visitors' book.

The couple's official visit continues today with an early morning press conference at Government House, followed by a tree-planting in the stately mansion's grounds.

They will then visit the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery before travelling by helicopter to the Port Arthur Historic Site.

After returning to Hobart by road, they will attend two events at Wrest Point, a state reception for 1200 guests and a charity ball.

 

[Dennism]

Cover of the Hobart Mercury and an article from the Launceston Examiner

Children cheer royal arrival
By MICHAEL STEDMAN , Friday, 11 March 2005

It was the excitement on the children's faces that told the story of Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary's homecoming yesterday.

About 40 schoolchildren cheered for "their" Mary over the sound of jet engines, as the plane carrying Tasmania's own princess taxied across the tarmac.

While the other dignitaries who were privileged with first welcoming the couple stood still and proper, the children from Cambridge Primary offered a rousing welcome in a flurry of Danish flags.

The cheers only intensified as Princess Mary stepped off the plane to the sounds of the Derwent Valley Concert Band.

It was a scene that has been replicated in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne this week but for the kids, it was an occasion they were not likely to forget.

"I think everyone is going to remember them for a long time," said Jonno Ainslie, 11, who joined fellow Cambridge Primary pupil Louisa Polglase in presenting flowers to the royal couple.

Mary and Frederik spent about two minutes talking to the pair.

And what does one talk about with a prince and princess?

"We talked about their flight, Louisa asked her what it was like to become a princess, because Mary has gone from one world to another really," Jonno said.

"It was really good, they seem very down to earth and very friendly."

The excitement on Louisa's face, having just met her first princess, epitomised the magic that the Frederik and Mary story has woven for so many.

"They asked me a few questions and I just said welcome home to Tassie.

"It is really exciting, I have been excited all day and I didn't get much sleep last night," an overwhelmed Louisa said.

If Princess Mary was the fairytale, in her emerald gown and ivory coat, her prince appeared happy to be a footnote, letting his wife revel in the homecoming.

Ever the gentleman, he shook hands firmly with Governor William Cox and Premier Paul Lennon, offering a short conversation.

With greetings aside the couple gave a wave to the masses gathered and were ushered into a limousine in the middle of the 12-strong royal motorcade.

The gathered children created a corridor as the convoy got underway.

 

[Dennism]

The Age


Mary raises fashion stakes
By Janice Breen Burns
Fashion editor
March 11, 2005

For regal occasions, HRH Crown Princess Mary appears fond of classic racewear. It's safe, it's elegant, it's essentially sexless. It's a royal thing; and very Mary.

Yesterday, her pale, fingertip spring coat over pea-green satin knee-length frock, and wide-brim hat, tilted over one eye, was a look equally suited to a flutter at Flemington as official photographs at Government House.

Except for the spiky, dagger-toe stilettos. (Perhaps the real Mary is personified in those?)

Sexy, statement-making royals tend to invite media judgement and - remember Diana? - even the odd frenzy. Mary's wardrobe is modest, keyed to fashion, but mostly unremarkable.

"She is clearly a very beautiful girl with such an appropriate sense of occasion whenever we see her," said Colette Garnsey, head of David Jones fashion, and in town yesterday to launch the store's winter season shows. "I suppose I'd like to see her in some more of our Australian designers though - some Jayson Brunsdon, something beautiful from Easton Pearson, or some Collette Dinnigan at night time."

Mary is travelling with a personal stylist, Anja Neitzel, though just how steely is the Danish fashion protocol expert's grip on the royal wardrobe is hard to say. Earlier this week when Mary and her former bridesmaid Amber Petty slipped into Mr Brunsdon's Sydney studio (with a discreet eight bodyguards) to flick through some frocks, Ms Neitzel wasn't with them. She arrived several days later.

"She came to look at the collection, and picked out a dress for herself," Mr Brunsdon said of Ms Neitzel. Did she inspect Mary's choices (to be delivered later), too? "Yes, she had a look at those." Presumably, they passed muster. Or perhaps, Mary is simply a co-operative pupil of royal protocol and Danish conservatism.

Mr Brunsdon described his collection as rich, romantic and inspired by the English and Siamese costumes in The King and I. It didn't sound very Mary: "It has lots of volume; pouf skirts, and bubble skirts and big volume coats."

Mary's strongest fashion look, however, is elegant understatement. Her favourite labels appear to include Prada - very high fashion but low visual impact - and a handful of Danish designers known for modern classics with meticulous details, not striking fashion looks.

Mary is a patron and active supporter of the Danish fashion industry and, with her new, dieted, size eight frame, a perfect model for their clothes. "Yes, she does tend to prefer leaner lines," Mr Brunsdon said. "But I did interest her in some gorgeous silk georgette blouses with that volume in the sleeves."

It's a fair example of how clever Mary's fashion compromises can be. Only twice has HRH veered dangerously close to looking mumsy and even then, those killer stilettos saved her.

 

[Dennism]

The Age

Move over Charles, there's nothing like a Dane
March 11, 2005


This was all so very different. When Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark arrived at Federation Square yesterday morning at the start of their five-hour Melbourne tour, there was a huge crowd to greet them. A happy - some might say ecstatic - and mostly young crowd, flapping Danish and Australian flags and making a good deal of noise.

Compare this with last week's prince: same time, same place, different crowd. When the Prince of Wales walked through the farmers' market at Federation Square, the most exciting thing was him asking for an olive without chilli.

The word "organic" does not exactly draw capacity houses, and Charles and his over-protective entourage provided a carefully stage-managed stroll in front of a smaller, mainly senior, audience.

From last week to this week was like shifting from the vicar's garden fete to a carnival. The bright red-and-white national flags (some painted on faces) helped. So, too, did the occasional red-and-white costumes, and two small children - one a miniature Hamlet in a red crown, the other a putative Viking in a horned helmet.

"We want to see what Mary looks like," said a schoolgirl with flags in hand.

Did she come last week to see the heir to the British throne? "Nah. Don't like him. He's greedy."

The squeals and cheers started well before the official white car arrived from its first call, Government House, at just after 11.

"Yer two minutes late!" yelled a man with "Glenda" tattooed on the side of his neck.

"Mair-REE! Mair-REE!" chanted a group of schoolgirls.

"Over here, Mary!" shrieked a woman with a digital camera.

The princess obliged. As did the prince.

This was the younger, more human and, I must say, acceptable face of royalty.

Even the security was less intense, perhaps in acknowledgement of the affection of the crowd and that the republican cause was set back for at least a few hours as Melbourne became an outpost of Copenhagen.

The royal couple leisurely made their way to the stage, meeting and greeting in at least two languages, as if they had all the time in the world instead of being on a tight timetable on a day visit to a city sandwiched between Canberra and Hobart.

Finally to the stage, where they were introduced by Premier Steve Bracks.

The applause intensity was measured by our special clap-o-meter: Frederik 9.5, Mary 10, Danish culture minister 6, Lord Mayor John So 2.

The couple were there to launch Square 2 Square - a continuous video-conference link between Federation Square and Copenhagen's Town Hall Square, Radhuspladsen.

"Crown Prince Mary is launching the project," announced the Premier, which must have been sensational news to Crown Princess Frederik, let alone King Margrethe back home.

"Thanks to everyone for coming out today," began Mary.

"We love you!" came a solo soprano from the crowd.

Laughter, cheers. The princess continued, saying nice things about Melbourne, where she lived and worked in the late 1990s, and the glories of modern technology.

"I should be pressing a button or something," she said, finishing the launch to great acclaim.

Afterwards, Cr So presented the couple with a leather-bound

book of congratulatory messages on their wedding, and the official party walked down to the Yarra and were taken by boat to their next appointment - a Government reception in the Sumac building at South Wharf. This one-time shed, jammed with invitees from politics, the judiciary, radio, television and philanthropy, looked like Ellis Island on the day three boats came in. This time, crowds were kept at bay. Unless you were a guest or a frogman, there was no chance.

The royals were again introduced by the Premier, who, avoiding gender this time, said: "Tillykke!"

The prince translated, saying it meant "congratulations".

He continued, in his quiet humorous way, by describing their short visit as "a pit stop".

After the national anthems and royal toasts, the couple circulated for a good hour, chatting to many of the guests. At 2pm, it was back into the white car and the motorcade swept away to Melbourne Airport.

An hour later, Frederik and Mary flew to Hobart, where the official part of their tour ends today. They will stay in Tasmania for a week before heading home.

 

[pdas1201]

Closer look at Mary from the Gala Dinner at the Government House in Hobart, Tasmania.

GORGEOUS dress!!! Absolutely love it. My number one dress from the whole trip. I don't know if I should say that, seeing that she's going to wear another smashing dress tomorrow at the Chocolate Lover's Ball. Let's wait and see, and then I'll give my preferences.

 

[bolla]

As much as i love seeing what new wonderful creations Mary has on at every event. i think it's a bit ridiculous that she sports a new outfit at every single event. Compared to Letizia, who has been a part of royal life for the same amount of time as Mary. She's worn recycled many of her outfits over. Whereas Mary has continiously had new outfits for almost every event she attends.

If I was a Danish taxpayer, i'd probably be worrying if I was paying a tad bit too much to keep my royal family fashionable.

I totally agree with you! Yes she does mix and match but come on, almost every single dress and coat she has been wearing during the trip and just in her first year as a CP has been brand new. And it is the dresses and coats that are really exprensive compared to skirts and blouses.
Compared to any of the other CP's she has the most extenxive wardrobe, compared to how long she has actaully has been a CP. There is nothing wrong in her loving fashion and beautiful clothes, it just seems a bit to much some times.

 

[Elsa M.]

Lovely dress and coat, but unflattering hairdo, in my opinion...

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=106549

 

[Julia]

The gown (it looks like the gown is two-piece) and wrap are quite lovely but Mary's hair is pulled too tightly back and too much to one-side. Other than that she does look very pretty and elegant. The color suits her very nicely as well...

I do hope we see all four of the gowns we've seen on this trip quite frequently in the future. It would be a shame not to recycle them...

 

[Anna_R]

The dress is indeed very pretty, but my favorite is still the red one - although I found it a little bit too "figure-hugging", I also think that Mary looked splendid in it.

Can't wait for the "Chocolate Ball" to see what she'll wear

 

[pdas1201]

Fred received a beer bottle from a spectator during a tour of the National Museum in Canberra. He didn't know what to do with it. So, he gave it Mary's Lady-in-waiting Victoria Bernstorff-Gyldensteen, who put it in her bag.

 

[Alisa]

Hehe..That's too cute. What an uncomfortable situation, but alas the lovely Countess saves the day. I love Frederik's big smile in that last picture.

 

[Dennism]

Nice little photo of Mary that Polfoto had on their homepage today.

 

[Dennism]

The Herald Sun

Fairytale comes true for Princess Mary

11mar05

"ONCE upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she would have to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one . . ." -- (The Princess and the Pea, Hans Christian Andersen, 1835).

Once upon a time there was a handsome prince who found his real princess in Australia -- and yesterday he brought her back to Melbourne.

For a few hours, the fairy story came true along the banks of the Yarra.

There were flags and flowers, cut-out hearts and single red roses, cheering and laughter, small children wearing crowns and coronets, and above all the magical sprinkle and sparkle of royalty mixed with pixie dust in the air.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark moved through an adoring crowd who gave them presents, from bouquets to Easter eggs -- and even a Sherrin football to kick around when they get back to one of their palaces.

Fred and Mary -- two young people very much in love.

Touching hands, his arm often protectively around her, guiding her sweetly through the thousands who gathered to make them welcome.

The contrast between the scene at Federation Square at 11am yesterday and the visit to the same location by Prince Charles a week earlier could not have been greater.

Prince Charles had been surrounded by a posse of grim-faced security men, with a doctor carrying emergency resuscitation equipment constantly by his side.

The middle-aged man had wandered abstractly through the stalls of a farmer's market to be greeted politely by a thin, curious and mostly elderly crowd.

Yesterday the security was low-key and relaxed. Even the police were grinning.

Here were a young couple in love, working a loving crowd with smiles and handshakes.

And it was kids, kids, kids all the way, looking up adoringly at a real princess. And starstruck teenage girls, many in school uniform, who looked swooningly at Mary in her jaunty hat with its curly feathers, her gorgeous patterned coat over the green silk dress, her dangling jewel earrings and her dazzling smile.

Other girls, other Marys, dreaming of a time when their prince would come looking for them.

And find a real princess.

There were several thousand people waiting for the couple when they arrived at Federation Square to be greeted by the Premier and Mrs Bracks.

Here was a block of red and white Danish colours, worn by the mums and their kids from the Danish School Down Under.

There are about 900 in the Danish community in Melbourne and, in Scandinavian fellowship, once a week the kids have Danish lessons in the Swedish Church in Toorak.

Krista Evans was in Federation Square with her son Samuel, aged 17 months. He wore a homemade red and white crown and a red prince's cape over his white jump suit.

"Velkommen Mary and Frederik," chanted the mums, and "Godt Gaet" which means, loosely, "Good on you!"

The couple paused on a small square of red carpet to gaze intently at a small television screen.

They talked through a live video link to people gathered in Copenhagen's Town Hall Square, the Radhuspladsen, where it was 1am and freezing.

The royals plunged on up Federation Square, walking along a pathway through the crowd as the flowers and presents from the kids kept on coming by the armful.

They sat on two gilt thrones under a red and white awning supported by columns covered in sheaves of gum leaves and Australian wildflowers.

Premier Steve Bracks said: "What a pleasure, what a thrill it is to have you here" -- but then something went wrong with the script when he asked Crown Prince Frederik to officially open the new link to Copenhagen.

Instead, the Crown Prince waved Princess Mary forward to make a charming speech.

"Thank you everyone for coming out here today and welcoming us with warm hearts," she said, before reminding the crowd that Melbourne had been her first "home away from home" after she left her native Tasmania.

Speaking of the new video link between Copenhagen and Melbourne she said, with a knowing smile: "Who knows what relationships can be established."

The crowd loved it.

Then the young couple walked down again through the crowd to board the old blue royal motor barge Elizabeth Anne, built in 1946, with its teak planks, frosted glass coat of arms and chromed railings that once carried our young Queen down the river with her young prince.

Now it was the turn of a girl from Hobart and a boy from Copenhagen.

Dreams sometimes do come true.

"So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew he had a real princess," wrote Hans Christian Andersen 170 years ago in The Princess and the Pea. "There, that is a true story."

 

[Dennism]

AAP

Tassie tugs at Mary's heartstrings
March 11, 2005

Denmark's Crown Princess Mary has spoken of the strong emotion she felt returning to her home town of Hobart, saying it had made her think of her late mother.

Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik have held the only press conference of their Australian tour, facing about 80 journalists in the ornate ballroom of Tasmania's Government House and answering questions in English and Danish.

Looking composed, and dressed in white trousers and a navy and white top, Princess Mary said she was overwhelmed to be back in Tasmania for the first time since her wedding last May.

"It was a beautiful feeling to see Tasmania below me and coming into land, because it is my home, my first home you could say," she told reporters.

Returning to Hobart, where she grew up, had made her think a lot of her mother Henrietta, who died in 1997 after surgery for a heart defect.

"It's hard to put words on such strong emotions," she said.

"I think it was, you come to think of all those things from your childhood. Of course I thought a lot of my mother."

While she has relinquished her Australian citizenship, Mary said her children would be brought up with an appreciation of Australia.

"I think it's only natural that our children will have some Australian influence because a lot of me is influenced by my upbringing in Australia.

"I'm sure they will have desire to come and see where I have grown up as well."

Asked about the couple's romance, Princess Mary replied:"Everyone loves a fairytale, but our life is a reality and we're very happy - and if people want to refer to it as a fairytale then it's fine by us as well."

Both were diplomatic when asked about Australia becoming a republic.

"I think that's a very political question that is way beyond our responsibility," Prince Frederik said.

Princess Mary spoke of the warm reception she had received, that she had seen people she knew in the crowds, and that she had fed off the energy of supporters to maintain her through a busy schedule.

Laughing, Prince Frederik said he didn't mind she was getting all the attention.

"I think it would be a bit strange if she didn't get that much attention in Australia," he said.

"I'm very happy for her and I'm very proud of the way she has handled it all and the way she has reciprocated that joy and happiness."

Of their 12-day official tour, he said: "It's something we'll never forget."

The couple appeared even more relaxed as they took questions in Danish, with Mary appearing fluent in the language.

However, Prince Frederik deflected criticism from Danish journalists who have accused him of spending too much time sailing and holidaying and not enough time with ordinary people.

He gave no indication he would change his lifestyle, but said he and Princess Mary both worked hard.

He turned down a chance to sail in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, saying he needs to be home with his wife in Copenhagen on January 1 for a traditional family banquet.

Earlier, the couple visited the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, where they were greeted by children dressed as Hans Christian Andersen characters.

They later flew by helicopter to historic Port Arthur - the last public engagement of their 12-day Australian tour.

The couple's tour ends with a state reception and charity dinner in Hobart, but they are expected to stay in Tasmania for the next week, holidaying in private with friends and family.

Their plans are being kept under wraps but London Lakes in Tasmania's midlands and the famed Wineglass Bay on the east coast are both rumoured destinations.

 

[Dennism]

Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and his Australian-born wife, Crown Princess Mary during their press conference held at Government House in Mary's hometown of Hobart, 11 March 2005.

and

Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and his Australian-born wife, Crown Princess Mary, are escorted by Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon and a security agent after arriving at the historic penal colony of Port Arthur, 11 March 2005.

And touring the ruins:

 

[pdas1201]

More pics from the visit to the Ruins...

 

[pdas1201]

Pics from Fred and Mary's Press Conference in Hobart. Also attached a short clip from the Press Conference.

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200503/r42564_109011.asx

 

[sara1981]

i hope Mary will met her dad!

Sara Boyce