'Always be standing next to Mary': King's gushing tribute to his Queen

King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark have put on another loved up display for their adoring fans during their state visit to Australia.

The couple, who are in Australia for a short five-day official tour – their first since becoming King and Queen in January 2024 – spent the day in Melbourne.

It was there, in the city's Royal Botanic Gardens, that King Frederik recalled an earlier visit to Australia, and the words of a little boy.

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King Frederik told the crowd he wanted to take a moment to tell a story about their first royal visit to Australia, which took place in 2005 – one year after their wedding.

He said they had gone to view the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Sydney, when his wife began speaking to members of the public.

"Mary was chatting to some of the people who had shown up to say hello, and I stood next to Mary and I overheard a young boy standing next to his mother asking her, 'Mummy, Mummy, who's that boy next to Mary?'" King Frederik said, before the crowd erupted into laughter.

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"That's how it is occasionally, [and] in the eyes of Australia, I suspect I shall always be the one standing next to Mary, and this is perfectly OK ... I take that very much as a compliment."

Then it was Queen Mary's turn to speak, who took the opportunity not just to remind everyone about how important her Australian heritage is to her, while paying tribute to her husband.

"In my speech to Frederik on his 50th birthday, which is now some years ago, we're getting close to 60, I said 'Our roots grow throughout our lives'," she said.

"I feel so incredibly privileged to have my roots in both Australia and Denmark. Thank you."

It was not the first sweet moment the couple has shared on their tour.

On Sunday, during a state banquet at Canberra's Government House hosted by Australia's Governor-General Sam Mostyn, King Frederik again touched on the couple's first meeting, at the Slip Inn hotel in Sydney, during the Sydney Olympic Games in September 2000.

"For me, Australia has held a very special place in my heart ever since I slipped into that bar and lost it in a conversation that has never ended," The King said during his speech.

The couple arrived in Australia on Saturday and had their first official engagement in Uluru before heading to Canberra and Melbourne.

The tour is set to end today in Tasmania, Queen Mary's birthplace. They will spend some private time there before jetting back to Denmark.

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