Exclusive: 'Queen Mary has been very keen to make this state visit to Australia happen'

When King Frederik X and Queen Mary step foot on Australian soil next month, their royal tour will be unlike any other the couple has done before and it will be one that can never be repeated.

The King and Queen will be here on a state visit, the highest level of an international tour, aimed at strengthening ties between Australia and Denmark.

For Tasmanian-born Queen Mary, 54, the six-day tour is deeply personal and there are hints she has been involved in its planning.

"Beneath the official words [from the Royal House], this visit has the queen written all over it," Marie Rønde, royal correspondent for Danish television network TV 2, told nine.com.au.

"It is a recognition and a tribute to her birth country and a way of giving Australians the opportunity to see and greet Mary as Queen."

King Frederik and Queen Mary's multi-city tour will run from March 14 until March 19.

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The Royal House will share more details on the itinerary in the coming weeks. Although some news outlets have chosen to reveal where the King and Queen will visit, nine.com.au has followed the advice from the palace, and the Prime Minister's office, by not doing so.

This tour has been in the works for some time likely, in part, at the insistence of Queen Mary who has always spoken proudly of her Australian heritage.

"I am sure the Queen has been very keen to make this visit happen, and the King too," Rønde said.

"But there are only a few official visits abroad each year and the royal family has a lot of obligations according to their job.

"It is not always up to the royals where they go."

According to Danish protocol, a country can only receive one state visit from a monarch during their reign. The last Danish state visit was in 1987, when Margrethe II was queen.

"Historically it will also be interesting, it is a big thing," Rønde said.

"It is the [Queen Mary's] birth country and her homeland acknowledging one another and strengthening their bonds.

"This, no doubt, means a lot to the queen."

But a state visit also means additional rules and protocol to follow, more people to meet and events to attend.

"It will be a much more high-level visit compared to when they were Crown Prince and Crown Princess."

Their visit will be significant in other ways, too.

It will be the King and Queen's first official joint tour of Australia in 13 years

The state visit will be an historic moment for Australia, marking the first time a reigning Australian-born queen has visited here in an official capacity.

Queen Mary was last in Australia, on official business, for a one-day solo visit on April 28, 2023.

Other official visits were with King Frederik in 2013, 2011, 2008 and in 2005.

Mary and her family have quietly travelled Down Under for private family holidays on at least seven other occasions.

It will be the royal couple's first state visit outside of Europe. Before coming to Australia, state visits to Denmark's close neighbours Sweden, Norway and Finland had to take place first.

King Frederik and Queen Mary have also had state visits to France and, more recently, the three Baltic countries: Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

The busy schedule is expected to include at least one formal occasion where Queen Mary will wear a tiara.

Queen Mary will likely include some private time after the tour to see her family in Tasmania including her father, John. Now aged 84, he has been unable to travel to Denmark for some time.

The tour is also the King and Queen's first to Australia since Frederik became monarch two years ago following his mother's abdication.

Rønde has been covering the royal couple's work for many years in Denmark and has accompanied them on foreign tours. She has observed quiet, but notable, changes in Queen Mary since the change of throne on January 14, 2024.

Although she had 20 years as Crown Princess to prepare for her husband's promotion to monarch, Mary was still adjusting to her new role, Rønde said.

"The first couple of months I sensed a little insecurity," Rønde said, referring to Frederik and Mary getting the protocol right during their early state visits.

"They both seem much more experienced now. And there is a lot more attention on Mary as Queen."

"But despite the new title, Queen Mary is still very down to earth, accommodating and present when she meets and talks to people."

Since her husband's rise to King, Mary has continued to focus her royal work on many of the issues she supported as Crown Princess including sustainability and women and children's health. The Mary Foundation's three core areas are bullying and wellbeing, loneliness and domestic violence.

"The green transition and climate change has been on top of her agenda."

Indeed, the Australia visit will have a specific focus on the green transition, with 55 Danish companies making up the official business delegation accompanying the King and Queen.

Denmark and Australia's shared interest in nature and cultural conservation will also form part of the state visit, the palace has said.

King Frederik and Queen Mary have used their platform to modernise the monarchy, where possible, to ensure it remains relevant into the future while still maintaining the history and traditions central to the Danish royal family.

"The first two years have been very busy, the King and Queen have made several changes to try to update the institution and make their mark," Rønde said.

"Queen Mary told me in an interview that the first couple of months had been quite overwhelming at times."

Among the changes include phasing out the traditional Royal Warrant system, expanding the New Year galas to make them more inclusive and representative of other groups and having a new tiara made from one of the little-used Danish Crown jewels. The palace said the Queen was "resuming the old tradition of adapting the Crown Jewels to the demands and needs of the time".

King Frederik and Queen Mary were also supportive of Queen Margrethe II's decision to strip the royal titles from her nephews and niece to safeguard the future of the monarchy, a move that took place two years before the abdication. Many believe Margrethe acted when she did to prevent Frederik from having to demote his brother's children.

Queen Mary remains a popular figure in Denmark, 22 years after she married into the royal family.

"When I ask people about what they like about our queen they say she is very hard working, she seems kind and warm and is very good at talking to people," Rønde said.

"And she is a good representative for Denmark abroad."

Rønde pointed to the success of The Mary Foundation through its work in helping to prevent bullying, with more than 60 per cent of Danish kindergartens using programs and resources from the charity.

"People really respect the queen for having made such a difference to a lot of children," she said.

King Frederik and Queen Mary's own children – Crown Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine – are growing fast.

Crown Prince Christian, as he is now known following his father's accession, is now 20 and is currently doing military service. He will serve with the Royal Life Guards from June.

Princess Isabella is 18 and is due to graduate high school later this year. Twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine turned 15 in January and are also at secondary school.

The family of four last visited Australia together in 2022 for a private holiday.

"I don't think they will bring the children this time," Rønde said.

"All four of them are busy. But maybe they will surprise us?"

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