Queen Mary and King Frederik joined by dog Coco as they begin summer stay at Fredensborg Palace

Large crowds waving Danish flags welcomed King Frederik X and Queen Mary when they arrived at their summer palace where the royal couple will now stay for the coming months.

The sun was shining as the King and Queen met locals outside Fredensborg Palace, north of Copenhagen, marking the official start of their residency.

Joining the couple was one of their two Australian border collies, Coco, who was seen strolling around the palace courtyard during the welcome ceremony on Monday.

King Frederik and Queen Mary are now in residence at Chancellery House, within Fredensborg Palace which is often described as Denmark's Versailles.

Queen Mary, wearing a suede leather jacket, Reiss trousers and Chanel slingbacks, spent time meeting the public following the brief welcome ceremony by the city's mayor.

The royal family was at Fredensborg two weeks ago for the confirmation of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine who, along with their older sibling Princess Josephine, will live at the palace over the summer.

Crown Prince Christian is currently living in Slagelse at the military barracks. The 20-year-old is due to finish his lieutenant training in June and will then serve with the Royal Life Guards.

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Soon after Princess Isabella's summer break at Fredensborg, she will be enlisted in the army and will join the Guard Hussar Regiment from August.

The sprawling palace is about a 40-minute drive north of the Danish capital and sits near the shores of Lake Esrum, surrounded by forests.

It is tradition for the Danish royal family to change residences throughout the year.

King Frederik and Queen Mary had been living in Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg in Copenhagen, known as their winter residence, until now.

Chancellery House was the first marital home for Mary and Frederik after their royal wedding in 2004 and remained their main residence until renovations at Frederik VIII's Palace were complete in 2010.

Built in 1731, the building was constructed for the King's ministers and government officials, hence its name.

The palace was built in 1750-60 and was later home to King Frederik's beloved grandmother, Queen Ingrid, until her death in 2000.

Months after the change of throne in 2024, Queen Mary gave the public a rare glimpse of a new annex to the residence which had been recently renovated.

She spoke about her love for the new addition, which was built according to sustainable methods, while in Melbourne in March as part of the Australian state visit.

"The idea of using this building was actually to create a space for our children to be with their friends, instead of in the room next to us making a lot of noise," Mary said, while in Prahran.

"But this project just took a life of its own, and what we ended with was this spectacular, beautiful annex that I didn't want to let the children in.

"So it took a little bit of time for them to win me over and say, come on, it was built so we could be here."

Queen Mary's passion for horse-riding and dressage has also resulted in minor changes at Fredensborg.

Ahead of the royal couple's arrival on Monday, Queen Mary's beloved horses were moved to the stables attached to the palace.

The palace's historic riding grounds and arena, which date from the 1700s, underwent restorations several years ago and are now fit for international competitions.

Queen Mary has competed in various dressage events over the years and is a regular fixture in the grandstands at some of the sport's most prestigious meets.

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