Princess Mary's newest family member is extremely cute

The Danish Royal Family has just grown by one member - but don’t worry, you haven’t missed a major baby announcement.

The newest addition to Princess Mary and Prince Frederick’s brood is, in fact, a puppy named Grace.

And as you’ve probably guessed, she’s extremely cute:

Grace joins the family as a fur-sister (ahem… “pet”) for princes Christian and Vincent and princesses Isabella and Josephine.

The Danish Royal Family’s Instagram announcement earlier this month revealed that, unlike most new pups, the brown and white border collie already had a link to her new home. 

She’s a relative of Ziggy, the family’s beloved dog of 12 years who died of chronic renal failure and osteoarthritis in April. 

Crown Princess Mary fulfilling her royal duties.

Ziggy was gifted to the Crown Prince and Princess in 2005, five months before Mary was due to give birth to her first child. 

At the time, Bondi Vet's Dr Chris Brown said the breed would carry special meaning for an Aussie-born royal.

"The border collie is almost the quintessential Australian farm dog,” Brown told Fairfax.

“It is the natural choice for a hard-working princess in a foreign country to remind her of home.”

Considering how clearly loved Ziggy was by the family, Grace is undoubtedly feeling very welcome... and hopefully not having any little 'accidents' on the royal carpet.