sorry, i meant to post this news here but i posted in it in Crown Princess Mary news, but here goes: Fred and Mary are to arrive in Australia for an official and private visit
Princess Mary is coming home
By Miranda Korzy
November 18, 2004
CROWN Princess Mary of Denmark and her husband Crown Prince Frederik will make their first official visit to Australia next March to celebrate the 200th birthday of Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen.
Back where it all began ... the crown prince and princess can expect a warm welcome in March.
The princess, 32, was born in Tasmania and graduated in law and commerce before working in advertising and real estate in Sydney, where she met Prince Frederik in a pub during the 2000 Olympic Games.
Danish Consul-General in Sydney Jorgen Mollegaard Kristensen today confirmed the royal couple would arrive in Australia in early March.
"Yes, they are coming," Mr Mollegaard Kristensen said.
"It's a combination of a private and official visit."
Their program was still being finalised but they were expected to visit Sydney and Canberra for official functions, with Hobart on their personal itinerary.
He said the royal couple would appoint four Australians to be Hans Christian Andersen ambassadors at a Sydney Opera House ceremony during the visit.
"There will be a lot of activities to promote the Danish author and his books," he said.
Australian Olympic champion runner Cathy Freeman had already been appointed an ambassador for the author when she visited Denmark earlier this year, he said.
Hans Christian Anderson was born on April 2, 1805, in the town of Odense.
He wrote 168 fairy tales, along with novels, poetry and plays before this death in 1875.
Among his best known works are
The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid and
The Ugly Duckling.
Mr Mollegaard Kristensen said a statue of Hans Christian Andersen would be erected in Wynyard Park, in Sydney's centre, to mark the birthday celebrations.
The royal couple would also be guests of honour at the Victor Chang Royal Ball in Sydney on March 4.
The ball was a fundraiser for the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (VCCRI) and would celebrate the 10th anniversary of its incorporation as an independent research facility, VCCRI chairman and former NSW Premier Neville Wran said. "Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, whose mother passed away in 1997 following a heart operation, is no stranger to the impact of heart disease, a disease that kills five times as many women as breast cancer," the VCCRI said.
AAP
im going to go and see them hopefully, but with my luck, its unlikely haha