King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark Celebrate New Reign with Surprise Kiss amid Affair Rumors

King Frederik appeared emotional during his first outing as monarch, and his wife was by his side

JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty

King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark kiss during first appearance of reign on Jan. 14, 2024

King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark are celebrating the new reign with a kiss.

Shortly after Queen Margrethe signed a declaration of her abdication on Sunday, making her son the new monarch, the country’s prime minister proclaimed Frederik as King on the balcony of Christiansborg Castle.

After the proclamation and a short speech by King Frederik, he was joined by his wife and their four children on the balcony to wave to the crowds.

At one point, King Frederik and Queen Mary shared a kiss, prompting cheers from those gathered below.

King Frederik appeared emotional during the balcony outing, wiping away tears at points. When Queen Mary joined her husband, she held his hands tightly.

JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty

King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark make first appearance of reign on Jan. 14, 2024

Related: Queen Margrethe of Denmark Officially Abdicates, Making Her Son King Frederik

The united front by King Frederik, 55, and Queen Mary, 51, comes after infidelity rumors made headlines. In November 2023, reports swirled that Frederik was having an affair with Mexican-born socialite Geneveva Casanova after they were photographed together during his private trip to Madrid. Casanova denied allegations of a romantic relationship with the royal.

However, some wondered if Queen Margrethe’s surprise abdication — Danish rulers typically reign until their deaths — was a move to bolster her son and daughter-in-law’s marriage.

“It’s possible that the Queen took this action because she would have been terrified of the marriage breaking up and the royal family losing Mary. It would have caused major problems. The Queen has always seen Mary as a tremendous asset,” longtime author and royal commentator Phil Dampier told The Telegraph.

“It just seems an extraordinary coincidence that she should make this unexpected announcement just a couple of months after stories emerged of the Crown Prince supposedly having an affair,” continued Dampier. “In two weeks’ time, the Prince and Princess will be pitched together as King and Queen and they will have to get on with it. The Queen may be thinking that they will patch up their differences and it will save their marriage.”

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King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark make first appearance of reign with children on Jan. 14, 2024

While there have been famous Queen Marys in the past, this one will have a distinct first as the only queen consort ever born in Australia.

Born Mary Donaldson, the new Danish queen was an Australian advertising executive before a chance encounter changed her life. She found herself chatting to Prince Frederik, although he introduced himself simply as “Fred,” at the Slip Inn on Sydney’s Darling Harbor in September 2000. The pub was filled with people from around the world who were in town for the Olympics.

“Something clicked,” Crown Princess Mary said in a 2005 interview. “It wasn’t the fireworks in the sky or anything like that, but there was a sense of excitement.”

Shortly into their conversation, Mary found out that she was talking to the Crown Prince of Denmark, heir to the 1,000-year-old Danish throne.

“The first time we met, we shook hands,” she said of their introduction. “I didn’t know he was the prince of Denmark. Half an hour later, someone came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who these people are?’ “

MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty

Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark in June 2023

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For a year, the pair got to know each other through a long-distance relationship that flew under the media’s radar.

“She got to know and love Frederik as the man he is, not as the Crown Prince,” Mary’s friend Chris Meehan later told the authors of Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark.

In 2002, Mary moved to Copenhagen, converted to the Lutheran Church and learned Danish, a notoriously tricky language to master. The couple announced their engagement in 2003 and married the following year at Copenhagen Cathedral.

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