Queen Mary and King Frederik begin summer tour as political chaos erupts at home

Queen Mary and King Frederik have begun their annual pilgrimage to towns and cities across Denmark on board the royal yacht, but what should be a relaxing, yet busy, tour has been rocked by political upheaval in Copenhagen.

The country’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen has now formed a new government after her ⁠three-party coalition ​suffered a large ​defeat in a general election in March, forcing her back to the negotiating table.

Frederiksen will return as Denmark’s prime minister for a third consecutive term − confirming she has agreed to form a centre-left coalition ​government − while disrupting the king and queen’s summer tour.

“I have been to see ​His Majesty the King and announced that a government can be formed ⁠after long negotiations,” Frederiksen told reporters in Odense, west of Copenhagen.

The PM had boarded the royal yacht Dannebrog when it was docked in the port on the first day of the king and queen’s sailing program on Monday.

Frederiksen, as head of the Social Democrats, eventually secured the necessary backing from ​parties in parliament.

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“It is a government platform for the people who are in Denmark and for ‌the ⁠generations to come and also for the animals,” she said, referencing animal welfare which had become a key issue in the election campaign.

Frederiksen was among the VIP guests at a party hosted by King Frederik and Queen Mary on Monday following a busy day in Odense, a city most famous for being the birthplace of legendary author Hans Christian Andersen.

Earlier in the day, Queen Mary wore a new straw hat by Danish milliner Katrin Cecilia Jacobsen and jewels by Dulong.

Her skirt is a re-wear by Parisian brand Paul & Joe and a jacket by Ralph Lauren that she recently wore in Hobart on the final day of her and King Frederik’s state visit.

Soon after arriving in the popular town, the queen was presented with a sleeve of old photos showing King Frederik on the royal yacht when he was a child. Mary quickly called over her husband to show him the photos.

The tour will continue north from Odense to Grenaa on Tuesday before finishing in Holbæk on Thursday.

But King Frederik will return to Copenhagen on Wednesday to perform his constitutional duties as monarch.

The 58-year-old will receive the new government at Amalienborg before returning to rejoin Queen Mary on board the ship.

Each summer, the royal couple embark on a tour of Denmark visiting various via Dannebrog, continuing a tradition within the family that started during the reign of Christian X in the early 1900s.

The Royal Yacht Dannebrog serves as the official and private residence for King Frederik and Queen Mary when they are on summer cruises in home waters or on official visits overseas.

Dannebrog was built in 1931-1932 at the Naval Dockyard in Copenhagen as a replacement for the previous royal vessel, the paddle steamer Dannebrog from 1879.

The ship is usually docked at Holmen, on Copenhagen’s harbour, meaning royal fans can see the vessel when it is not in use by the royal family.

The location is a short walk from the palaces of Amalienborg where the King and Queen live.

Dannebrog is one of the world’s two remaining royal yachts. The other is the Norwegian Royal Yacht Norge, since the British Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997.

Meanwhile, King Frederik’s mother Queen Margrethe II is recovering at Fredensborg Palace, north of Copenhagen, after being treated in hospital for a large blood clot, less than two weeks after suffering a heart attack.

The 86-year-old has since cancelled a range of engagements including her appearance at the opening of a new bridge in her namesake.

Instead, her grandson Crown Prince Christian will be there to inaugurate the four-kilometre long Queen Margrethe II’s Bridge on Saturday.

Palace officials have said the queen’s program will be regularly assessed depending on her health.