Princess Mary & Prince Frederik show ‘total disregard’ for each other after affair rumours, but she has ‘new confidence’
PRINCE Frederik of Denmark and his Australian-born wife Princess Mary put on a cold front as they attended a New Year reception yesterday.
The couple, who have been hit with affair rumours, showed “total disregard” for one another as they arrived at the Christiansborg Palace, according to a body language expert.
The pair are set to inherit the throne in weeks after Frederik’s mother – Queen Margrethe II – announced her surprise abdication.
In November it was claimed Prince Frederik was having an affair with Mexican socialite and MasterChef star Genoveva Casanova.
Genoveva has insisted claims of any romance are “malicious” and “categorically” untrue and that the “photos prove nothing” other than them being “friends” – and the royals haven’t commented on the speculation.
As Frererik, 55, arrived at the event with Mary, 51, who were both dressed in formal attire, they kept a dignified distance and barely exchanged any words with one another.
Body language expert Judi James told Fabulous: “Wearing their formal attire here it seems almost natural for Mary and Frederik to walk in a way that shows an almost total disregard for each other.”
However, she claims Mary displayed “new confidence” as an imminent Queen-to-be.
Judi added: “Mary’s power and status signals have increased, as she seems to have been handed the opportunity to build her own independent power-base if that is what she wants.
“Her upright posture and assertive smile suggest new levels of confidence and even some sense of justification.
“ She can now build her popularity in her own right rather than acting as a supportive wife to her husband.
“There are no signs of any connection between the two in these photos when there might have been some exchanged glances or tie-signs.
“There is a slight air of awkwardness from Frederik but Mary seems to be moving into a place of renewed confidence and resilience.”
Queen Margrethe II, 83, who took over the throne in 1972, announced her plan to give up the throne during a New Year’s Eve speech on Sunday, and will be succeeded by Prince Frederik on January 14, after 52 years on the throne.
The Queen has two sons, Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, with her late husband, Prince Henrik.
In her New Year’s Eve speech, the Queen said: “I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.”
Frederik has been married to Princess Mary since 2004, and she will be the world’s first Australia-born queen.
The pair, who met in a pub in Sydney in 2000, are known for their low-key lifestyle.
There has been reported speculation about Frederik and Mary’s marriage, particularly in recent months.
But no claims about the details of the royal couple’s relationship have been confirmed.
Prince Frederik first set eyes on his future wife, dubbed a Kate Middleton lookalike, at a bar called the Slip Inn during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
Although he was at the bar with other high profile royals including the future king of Spain, Mary reportedly had no idea who he was.
He even introduced himself to her as Fred, and left out the fact that he was the heir to the Danish throne.
Mary and Frederik soon began a long distance relationship – with the prince often sneaking off to Australia to spend time with her.
In May 2004, the couple married in an emotional ceremony, with Prince Frederik captured wiping away tears as his bride walked down the aisle.
They share four children, Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 16, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 12, who they chose to send to normal schools after a documentary revealed a culture of bullying and abuse at their former school – the elite Herlufsholm.
Mary has previously been compared to Princess Kate, as neither were aristocrats but both came from well-connected families before marrying their respective royal husbands.
They also bear a striking resemblance and have a similar taste in clothes.
The pair, both brunettes with stunning smiles, are even the same body type, although at 51, the Aussie-born addition to Denmark‘s royal family is a decade older.
Mary’s appreciation of Kate’s stylish threads may have started as early as 2011, when they met in Copenhagen.
There Kate wore a long red £345 LK Bennett coat and Italian Vecceli belt – a look later replicated by Mary, who is married to Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik.
Kate has long been a fashion trail-blazer whose outfits sell-out within minutes of her wearing them in public.
But Princess Mary, was touted as the most stylish – after the mum-of-four once took the title ahead of nine others including the then-Duchess of Cambridge and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.
The 2016 award – decided by a readers’ poll created by celebrity magazine Hello! – put Kate, mum to Charlotte, George and Louis, in second place.
The result didn’t surprise fans of the Danish Princess, who is known for her fashion-forward style and makes regular appearances on global fashion lists.
Just last year the Danish royal family was divided over a row about royal titles.
Queen Margrethe chose to strip four of her grandchildren of their royal titles.
She removed the titles from her youngest son, Prince Joachim’s, children.
But Mary and Frederik’s children, who will soon move up in the line of succession, kept theirs.