Danish Royal Watchers: 1. DRWs feature: Australian visit 2005

Mary and Frederik, sunburned and fresh from a day's sailing, at Government House, Sydney on March 3, 2005 at a State Dinner hosted by the Governor Professor Marie Bashir. Frederik and Mary arrived at Government House during a wild Sydney electrical storm (dramatic, thunder, lightning!) but didn't look too worse for wear.

This time last year Mary and Frederik were leaving Australia to return to Denmark after a whirlwind visit which combined official events, Farr 40 sailing and private time with Mary's family and friends. For DRWs first special feature we revisit the fun of that first return to Australia for Mary and Frederik as Crown Princess and Crown Prince.

Frederik arrived solo in Sydney on 20 February to compete in the Farr 40 world championships. He was out on the water sailing in his boat Nanoq with the crew on 21 February, then sailed in the pre-championship races before the March 1-4 championship regatta. Nanoq means 'ice bear' in Greenlandic which is the polar bear that symbolises Greenland in Scandinavia. Frederik has a strong connection to Greenland following the Expedition Sirius 2000 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6. We got a good look at Frederik's shark tattoo which is the insignia of the Danish Navy's elite frogman corps and his other tattoo on his left bicep which features his navy nickname 'Pingo' (means penguin and hints at a famous Danish cartoon character). Frederik will compete in this year's Farr 40 regatta in Newport, Rhode Island in September and was pivotal in winning the competition to Denmark for 2007. In 2005 it was the first time Frederik had sailed the boat in competition and up against some of the toughest and best sailors in the world he came 25th (full CYCA results).

Frederik in some sailing action for the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, Sydney, March 1 - 4, 2005

Links:
CYCA: Rolex Farr 40 Worlds 2005
Farr 40 World Championship
Regatta News

Then came Mary, and they were two

Mary flew into Sydney on February 25 with much anticipation for her arrival. She then went to the Shangri-La Hotel and 2 at Circular Quay where the Danish visitors were staying and to be re-united with Frederik. As an aside, we now know Mary was pregnant at the time of the visit. The next day Mary engaged in some private activities while Frederik was still sailing and before the official part of the visit began. Mary was said to be a little nervous about returning to her mother country as a newly-minted royal, according to an admission in an interview in the Danish fashion industry magazine »Dansk«, but she needn't have worried as she, and Frederik, were greeted warmly everywhere they went. Mary and Frederik attended a cocktail party at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia at Rushcutters Bay at the end of the Farr 40 championship. The sailing theme continued at a return Match Race between Mary and Frederik on Sydney Harbour which mirrored the race before the May 2004 wedding in Copenhagen.

Mary won the first time round as we know and then she won the second, but she did have some impressive sailing help both times. On February 28 Frederik and Mary attended a State Lunch at Governor Macquarie Tower with the NSW politerati. Frederik made a speech to the Premier of New South Wales: "Since arriving in Sydney I’ve spent most of my time on the water. However, yesterday on the water was something very special...."

Mary and Frederik attended the Australian Red Cross 90th Anniversary Gala Ball and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 (the Danish Royal Family has a long association with the Danish version). On March 4 Mary visited the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Insitute in Darlinghurst. Mary attended the VCCRI royal ball, for which she is the Honorary Life Governor. Frederik and Mary attended a State Dinner at the Gothic Government House, in the Royal Botanic Gardens. In his speech Frederik said: "The crown princess and I have looked very much forward to our time in Australia. A time that in many ways is remarkably different from our previous trips to Australia. And the difference lies primarily in the fact that today we visit Australia as the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark..."
Link: the Sydney Opera House

Mary also sat for a portrait by Jiawei Shen commissioned to hang in the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra. This is the portrait which will travel to Denmark shortly to be exhibited at the Frederiksborg Museum.

Frederik and Mary celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen at the Opera House and they unveiled a new bust in Observatory Park in The Rocks (which is also the place they met in September 2000). This is Frederik's speech to appoint HCA 2005 ambassadors in Sydney. Mary went to the Children's Hospital at Westmead, a Red Cross refuge in Coogee and both were at a fundraiser for cancer research and on a visit to the Danish Church at Pennant Hills. They went book shopping in their down time, went to various cafes and restaurants and climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge.