Often heralded as one of the most stylish women on the planet, Queen Mary of Denmark had no trouble swapping ball gowns and a tiara for cargo pants and a pair of hiking boots as she trekked into the Amazon on day one of her state visit to Brazil. Kicking off the four-day trip on October 2,
Her Majesty took a boat ride deep into the world’s largest rainforest before enjoying the breathtaking views from the deck of an observation platform.
The next day, the 52-year-old continued to charm – and be charmed by – the locals as she had a close encounter with a rescued baby manatee.
The Queen gently stroked the calf as she fed it a bottle of milk while visiting the National Institute of Amazonian Research in Manaus.
That afternoon, Mary stopped for lunch at a restaurant that uses local ingredients, where she was game enough to eat a dish containing ants.
No trip abroad for Mary would be complete without the hardest working item in her wardrobe, with the Queen spotted wearing her trusty Malibu hat by Canopy Bay several times.
The intrepid traveller has been left on her own to fly the flag for the monarchy she married into as she toured the South American nation without her husband, King Frederik, by her side.
However, the Australian-born royal proved she was more than up to the task as a diplomat as she met with President Lula da Silva and Brazilian officials alongside Denmark’s minister for climate, energy and utilities, Lars Aagaard.
The visit focused on Danish-Brazilian cooperation on biodiversity, health and the fight against violence against women – all causes Mary is passionate about.
The fact that Mary was by herself led to plenty of online speculation about the state of her marriage – conjecture that previously arose in October 2023 after Frederik’s night out in Spain with socialite Genoveva Casanova made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
While the royals spent several months following the incident looking tense with each other, body language expert Dr Louise Mahler previously confirmed to WHO that it appeared the couple had worked through their rough patch and “trust has been restored”.
“I have no doubt that there has been enormous work on their relationship to get back to this point, as in their public appearances over the past few months there have been definite signs of tension between the couple – this has now vanished,” she said.
In what was perhaps a sign that spoke volumes about the state of her marriage, Mary kept Fred, 56, close to her heart in Brazil – wearing her gold and diamond F pendant from Danish jeweller Halberstadt, which was a gift from her husband.
Her whirlwind visit came to a quick end on October 5, when Mary jetted back to Copenhagen to be by the King’s side as the pair hosted Iceland’s president, Halla Tómasdóttir, for a two-state visit in Denmark from October 8.
The King and Queen have gone on several short tours together since Frederik’s reign began on January 14.
The pair have visited Norway, Sweden and Greenland, and were in Paris for the Olympics.
Danish royal expert Trine Villemann believes their next stop could be Down Under and that the royals will make it a top priority to make an official visit to Australia soon.
“It’s kind of Mary’s victory lap, isn’t it?” she says.
When asked if an invitation had been extended, a government spokesperson told WHO, “King Frederik and Queen Mary will always be welcome to visit Australia.”
Keep your fingers crossed!
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