Crown Princess Mary is all smiles over Queen Margrethe’s last public appearance before she abdicates – a day after a ‘icy’ outing with Prince Frederik

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark put on a cheerful display as she arrived at Christiansborg Palace this morning for a traditional New Year’s celebration.

After yesterday’s icy reception, Mary, 51, appeared to have had a change of heart, trading tense looks for a beaming smile.

On the second day of the festivities, Crown Prince Frederick, 55, accompanied his wife to the reception for officers of the armed forces and the National Emergency Management Agency.

Walking side by side into the event, the couple appeared positive as they greeted officers, representatives from major national organizations and the royal patrons.

The outing was Queen Margrethe’s last public appearance before she stepped aside to allow her son to become king.

Europe’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Margrethe II, rode through Denmark’s capital in a gilded horse-drawn carriage to conclude her final New Year’s celebrations.

Thousands braved freezing temperatures, high winds, snow and sleet on Thursday to cheer the popular queen along the route in what will be her final public appearance as monarch.

She will step down on January 14 after 52 years on the throne.

The 83-year-old will hand the throne to her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, in the first resignation in Europe’s oldest ruling monarchy in almost 900 years.

Margrethe rode in the so-called Golden Carriage – pulled by six white horses – which is used when the monarch drives from the royal residence at Amalienborg Palace to Christiansborg Palace during the traditional New Year’s celebration, accompanied by officers from the armed forces, among others.

Mary wore a velvet blazer with a satin skirt, which the 51-year-old first wore during her interview with Vogue Australia in 2016.

Dressed in military regalia, Frederick appeared calm as he entered the event next to Mary.

But yesterday told a different story, and insiders told the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet that ‘the couple didn’t look like they were having a good time’ and described the atmosphere as ‘freezing’.

“Words were exchanged between the two, and it did not appear that they wished each other the best of luck,” the newspaper claims.

Queen Margrethe III, who recently announced her abdication after 52 years on the throne in a shocking New Year’s Eve speech, was also present.

The royal family seemed genuinely pleased at the event, arriving in a yellow carriage.

The mother-of-two, dubbed a ‘style icon’ by Vogue, arrived in a mahogany fur coat.

Underneath, she wore a crimson ball gown, adorned with a collection of lavish medals.

These have been turbulent years for the Danish royal family. Margarethe’s resignation comes two months after photos emerged of Crown Prince Frederik having a night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in Madrid in October.

The rumors started when Prince Frederik was photographed enjoying a night out in Spain with his friend Genoveva Casanova without his wife.

The family went to Mary’s native Australia for a Christmas holiday and also visited New Zealand.

Before the family’s flight from New Zealand, Princess Mary shared a cryptic post about loneliness and the need for positive human connection ahead of Christmas.

In the letter posted on the Mary Foundation website, the future queen reflected on the past year – saying she felt it was shorter than previous years.

“And at the same time, so much has happened that it’s impossible to put it all into words,” she continued.

A clip shared on the Danish Royal House’s official Instagram speculated that the princess was using her foundation to point out the rumors of the affair.

‘We need each other if we want to succeed.’ And that applies not only to the working world and to those of us working to combat social isolation,” it said.

‘This applies to all of us. People need people.’

The post and powerful words were pictured alongside a beautiful photo of the royal family in the snow.

She wore a purple jacket under a warm woolen shawl and smiled softly at the camera.

‘The Danish royal family is lucky to have you. I hope your husband realizes that he has embarrassed you and his children beyond measure. You will make a good queen,” one fan commented.

Another wrote: ‘I think this is a sad year for Mary, her husband’s (alleged) betrayal and it’s public. What a courageous woman, she can handle anything. I adore her.’

Some came to the defense of the royal family and called on people to stop talking about the alleged affair.

There is speculation that Queen Margrethe’s abdication may have been intended to save her son and Princess Mary’s marriage in the aftermath of the alleged ‘affair’.

Ms Casanova has denied allegations of any relationship with Frederik.

Royal commentator Phil Dampier said The Telegraph: ‘It is possible that the Queen took this action because she would have been terrified of the breakdown of the marriage and the loss of Mary at the hands of the Royal Family. It would have caused major problems.

‘The Queen has always seen Mary as a huge asset.’

The prince and his Australian princess have been rocked by rumors of infidelity since November, putting their ‘fairytale romance’ under scrutiny.

In 2022, Margrethe caused a public rift with Joachim after stripping his four children of their royal titles. She subsequently apologized for the timing of the announcement, but stood by the edict.

In the days that followed, Joachim had spoken out against his mother’s decision – claiming that his children born from Joachim’s first marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg – and Henrik and Athena had been ‘harmed’ in the process.

Months later, the sixth in line to the throne admitted there was a ‘lack of communication’ within the royal family in the run-up to the shock announcement.

Joachim told local news channel BT: ‘There is a lot to work on. Communication was what was missing. Now we have met and we are on the right track.’

Shortly after his children were stripped of his titles, Joachim claimed he was given only five days’ notice before the news was made public.

Following the Queen’s announcement, Joachim spoke to Danish publication Ekstra Bladet outside the Danish embassy in Paris, where he lives with his French-born wife Princess Marie and his two youngest children, and said his four children were “hurt” by the their grandmother’s decision. .

‘I was given five days’ notice to tell them. In May I was presented with a plan that broadly stated that this would happen when the children each turned 25. Now I only had five days to tell them. Athena will turn eleven years old in January,” he clarified at the time.

Meanwhile, his ex-wife Alexandra said her sons, Nikolai and Felix, felt they had been “left out” of the institution and the decision had come as a bolt from the blue.

The Royal House released a further statement, saying: ‘As the Queen stated yesterday, the decision has been a long time coming.

‘We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the Queen’s wish to make the Royal House future-proof will be respected.’