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Crown Princess Mary of Denmark is preparing for her role as Queen, after her mother-in-law shocked the nation when she announced her abdication from the throne in a recent speech.
Queen Margrethe revealed that she would be stepping down as monarch after 52 years on New Year’s Eve. She will be succeeded by her son, Crown Prince Frederik, on January 14, and his wife, Crown Princess Mary, 51.
But how the life of the royal – who is originally from Australia but popular with the Danish people – will change is still yet unknown.
Following affair rumours that recently swirled around Frederik, 55, after photographs emerged of him enjoying a night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in Madrid in October, body language expert Judi James described the abdication as ‘a powerful gift’ for the Crown Princess.
She told FEMAIL: ‘Queen Margrethe’s decision to abdicate in the middle of what has seemed to be a potential crisis in the marriage of her son and heir and his wife might seem bizarre and risky, but it has handed the very popular Crown Princess Mary a powerful gift in terms of her body language and her personal impact and branding going forward.’
Crown Princess Mary was spotting appearing to sheds tears with friends as they depart Queenstown, New Zealand for Australia in December
And the expert explained that while ‘the rumours swirled the world looked to Mary for a non-verbal response’ – and that her behaviour to date had made her appear uncharacteristically frosty towards her husband.
Judi said: ‘Even their most recent photos that involved some hand-holding showed, when looked at in detail, that it was Frederick holding his wife’s fingers, not a mutual clasp that might have suggested reciprocal affection or even a mutual desire to act out signals of mutual affection.’
However, eagle-eyed royal watchers did notice that Mary had appeared to be emotional earlier in the month
The royal was snapped appearing to cry at Queenstown airport as she and her husband bid farewell to friends on the tarmac.
Some have speculated that the emotion was due to Queen Margrethe’s impending announcement, while others have questioned whether it was to do with the rumours swirling around her marriage.
The holiday had started for Mary and the twins who arrived in Australia on December 6 to see family and even climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
They then crossed the ditch in a private plane where they were reunited with the Crown Prince and Princess Isabella for a much needed escape from the spotlight.
The Prince and his Australian Princess have been rocked by rumours of infidelity since November – placing their ‘fairytale romance’ under the microscope.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark at yesterday’s event at Amalienborg Palace – eagle eye viewers noticed the usually affectional couple were not holding hands
And every move they have made has been at the centre of speculation ever since.
Judi has speculated that promoting the couple to King and Queen means they can believe in a formal way without being questioned – before they were known for being fairly affectionate in public.
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According to Judi: ‘The upgrade to Queen though allows Mary to adopt a more regal formality without raising eyebrows.
‘As we have seen in the UK, the higher in rank the royal wives get the more independent their body language can be from their husbands, in keeping with their status.’
She compared the Danish couple with the Prince and Princess of Wales, saying that ‘Kate is now totally a royal star in her own right rather than just her husband’s supportive partner.
‘William often seems to be happy to status/support flip now, watching with pride as Kate forges her own leadership role in the family and the country.’
She added: Even the rather reticent Camilla is now being seen in her own role as Queen, rather than just Charles’s loyal companion.’
When Mary emerged at the New Years Day banquet then, she was very much the royal star in her own right and with her own role. The couple walked side by side with Mary very slightly behind but the formality of their outfits precluded any need to hold hands or perform any PDAs.
This royal couple have previously had a habit of being more visually affectionate and tactile in public than our own royals, which made any slight drop or cooling in that behaviour appear dramatic. Mary’s body language here though suggests utter confidence and there is a gleam in her eye that seems to have been missing recently. As we saw with Diana, ‘Princess’ is not always a job for life, but ‘Queen’ presumably has to be.
*As Mary walks into the venue she has tucked her small clutch bag under her arm and her arms and hands are free to swing at her sides. She clearly has no intention of holding the bag as a barrier or being hampered by it when she performs her greeting ritual. This suggests high levels of confidence and keenness to get on with the job. Her fingers look relaxed and are slightly cupped to suggest a lack of inner tension.
* The muscles and veins visible in Mary’s neck show she is holding her head high despite what looks like a heavy tiara and sending out signals of pride and status.
* Her eye-smile and the way she turns to raise a hand to hail the crowd looks like the chef’s kiss. Her eyes literally gleam here and the wave appears to acknowledge her personal popularity with the people of Denmark.
* Her smile looks like a ‘royal smile’ but there is still some rounding of the cheeks and a slight puckering in the middle of the lips to suggest modesty blended with pride.
