Exquisite new portrait of Crown Princess Mary unveiled
Crown Princess Mary has brought her family along to open a very special exhibition that will give fans of the royal an unprecedented look into her life so far.
Mary, who will celebrate her 50th birthday on the 5th of February, unveiled a new portrait of herself that took her husband's breath away.
As the cover was pulled away and down, revealing the painting, Prince Frederik was heard gushing in amazement.
The portrait is now on display at the National History Museum at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød, north of Copenhagen, and was created by Spanish-born artist Jesús Herrera Martínez. It contains a subtle tribute to Australia, where Mary was born in 1972.
The painting was staged in the Crown Princess' study inside her home in Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg. Painted on the wall behind her is a shadow of a eucalyptus tree which is native to Australia.
On Mary's right hand is her aquamarine cocktail ring, rumoured to have been given to her, along with a pearl choker and earrings, upon her engagement to Prince Frederik.
The portrait was unveiled as part of the opening of the special exhibition 'HRH Crown Princess Mary 1972 - 2022', created for her birthday. Mary was joined by Crown Prince Frederik and three of their four children - Princess Isabella, 14, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, both 11, for the opening.
As they arrived the bells of the castle played 'Waltzing Matilda' in another special nod to Australia.
The family toured the display, which tells the story of Mary's life through personal items, photographs, official portraits and clothing. Mementoes from Mary's childhood in Australia are featured, with Mary and her family taking time to look over the items before moving onto the larger display of her gowns.
Some of Mary's favourite dresses are on show, including her blue sequined Jesper Høvring gown, a grey Prada dress, the tiered gown she wore for Prince Frederik's 50th birthday celebrations and her white frock by Mark Kenly Domino Tan that she wore in Paris in 2019.
The Crown Princess will celebrate her 50th on February 5 in private gathering after a planned gala dinner at Rosenborg Castle was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Recently she took Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine to Copenhagen Zoo to launch the expansion of a new exhibit housing Australian animals, called Mary's Australian Garden.
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