We haven’t talked about Denmark’s royal family in a minute, so here’s an update. Yesterday, there were celebrations for King Frederik’s 58th birthday. Fred, Queen Mary and two of their children stepped out onto the balcony and did a wave at the palace in Amalienborg. Those two kids: twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine. No one knows where Princess Isabella was – possibly college or gap-year stuff, since she’s 19 – but Crown Prince Christian was absent because of his military training. All of this came during a rough moment for the Danes – former Queen Margrethe has been hospitalized twice in the past month.
Also missing from the picture was the King’s 86-year-old mother, Queen Margrethe, who the palace announced was hospitalized on May 25. On Monday, the Danish Royal House announced that Queen Margrethe was admitted to Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen’s largest hospital, after a blood clot was found in her hip area.
“Her Majesty Queen Margrethe has been admitted to Rigshospitalet and has been treated after a CT scan showed a large blood clot in the hip region as a result of a previous fall,” the court said in a statement.
“It is expected that Queen Margrethe will now be hospitalized for a number of days,” it continued. “Her Majesty is doing well under the circumstances.”
The news marked Queen Margrethe’s second hospitalization in less than two weeks, as the palace announced on May 14 that she was hospitalized after having a heart attack. A May 15 update said that the former sovereign underwent balloon angioplasty of the coronary artery, a procedure that widens clogged arteries, and would remain at Rigshospitalet for a few more days, as previously planned.
She was then discharged and headed home to Fredensborg Palace on May 19, canceling a planned appearance at the Pantomime Theatre over the weekend on May 23.
King Frederik addressed his mother’s latest hospitalization while speaking to the press at the Royal Run, another annual event tied to his birthday, on May 25.
“It happened as the press release described it. I have a pretty cool mom who doesn’t have to run 10 kilometers [6.2 miles] like me,” he said when asked about Queen Margrethe’s latest admission, according to Billed Bladet, per an English translation.
The monarch added that he planned to visit his mom in the hospital, commenting, “When the opportunity arises. Maybe even tomorrow afternoon.”
I’m actually surprised that Margrethe is in such relatively good shape for her age – her first heart attack at 86? She’s a smoker! But this does sound like it’s the start of her health decline, and I’m guessing this could be the first of many hospitalizations. As for Fred and Mary… she chose to stick it out for the kids and for the sake of the monarchy. I wonder if their marriage is anything to write home about though.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- 58th birthday celebrations of the Danish King at Amalienborg at Frederik VIII’s Palace in Copenhagen Featuring: King Frederik, Queen Mary, Prince Vincent, Princess Josephine Where: Copenhagen, The Netherlands When: 26 May 2026 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- 58th birthday celebrations of the Danish King at Amalienborg at Frederik VIII’s Palace in Copenhagen Featuring: King Frederik, Queen Mary, Prince Vincent, Princess Josephine Where: Copenhagen, The Netherlands When: 26 May 2026 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- 58th birthday celebrations of the Danish King at Amalienborg at Frederik VIII’s Palace in Copenhagen Featuring: King Frederik, Queen Mary, Prince Vincent, Princess Josephine Where: Copenhagen, The Netherlands When: 26 May 2026 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- 58th birthday celebrations of the Danish King at Amalienborg at Frederik VIII’s Palace in Copenhagen Featuring: King Frederik, Queen Mary Where: Copenhagen, The Netherlands When: 26 May 2026 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
Kaiser
Mary’s sticking it out because she wanted the crown. She’s the original waity. Doesn’t matter how often he cheats and gets caught cheating. She’ll put up with anything in exchange for a royal life.
The kids are more than old enough to know it and be embarrassed by both their parents. But at least they’re better than norway right now.
Fred is such a dolt. Why is he talking about his own exercise routine in a conversation about his mother’s health?
And why is it taking him so long to find time to visit her in the hospital? Neither he nor Mary work more than 90 days a year according to engagement numbers.
At least Mary had a damn job while she was trying to stumble into the path of princes.
Kate WISHES her in laws would’ve made a proclamation to have her as a Regnant royal when blood monarchs are out the country.
Mary may have had a waity mindset yet she worked, learned her new country’s language fluently, did hella engagements while her wayward husband ran around pretending he wasn’t a crown prince…she’s a gold digger gone right, sorry. I like her.
A receptionist at a real estate company vs. What maxima and letizia accomplished.
Mary was drifting in life, chased princes down in a pub, and settled on her fourth choice – Fred. He went back to his longtime girlfriend for months after that cheating one night stand. Lose them how you got them.
Yes she learned Danish. So did Alexandra and Marie – fourth or fifth language for both of them.
Numbers show he does a handful more engagements a year than she does. She stays because she wants a royal life. Engagements are an excuse to waste more taxpayer money on designer clothes.
To me she remains in the same classification as waity. Maxima, Letizia, Mathilde, Daniel – they’re a different level.
Irisrose, she was not a receptionist.
She studied at the University of Tasmania from 1990 to 1994, graduating with a combined Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degree on 27 May 1995. Between 1994 and 1996, she completed a graduate program and obtained certificates in advertising from the Advertising Federation of Australia and in direct marketing from the Australian Direct Marketing Association.
Mary worked for Australian and international advertising agencies after graduating in 1995. She moved to Melbourne to begin her career in advertising, joining the Melbourne office of DDB Needham as a trainee in marketing and communications and later becoming an account executive. In 1996, she was employed by Mojo Partners as an account manager. In 1998, six months after her mother’s death, she resigned and travelled to the United States and Europe. While in Edinburgh, she worked for three months as an account manager with Rapp Collins Worldwide, and in early 1999, she was appointed an account director with the international advertising agency Young & Rubicam in Sydney.
In June 2000, Mary moved to a smaller Australian agency, Love Branding, where she briefly served as its first account director. During the Australian spring of 2000, she became sales director and a member of the management team at Belle Property, a real estate firm. In the first half of 2002, she taught English at a business school in Paris. After moving to Denmark permanently, she worked for Microsoft Business Solutions near Copenhagen as a project consultant in business development, communications, and marketing from 5 September 2002 to 24 September 2003.
So much embellishment, so little time. A bit like the royal court having to remove “speaks french” from her online bio because it was a lie.
She was a glorified receptionist, drifting with no direction. I’ve been surprised through the years at how fierce Mary’s stans are. Like waity’s, and they’re mainly the same group of fans.
Why these two mediocre prince stalkers inspire such things i have no idea.
For years her fans insisted she was a multi lingual lawyer.LOL. No she wasn’t. They insist she had a digital marketing masters. It was a one day workshop where you pay to get a certificate at the end.
Fred got a friend at microsoft to hand her a fake job to get her a French visa. That way he didn’t have to fly to aussie for a quickie.
No coworkers and no pupils have ever said anything about her? Indicates to me there were no coworkers and no pupils.
Go ahead and like her, but accept the real her instead of the fictionalized princess CV people have been peddling for 25 years.
And why is it taking him so long to find time to visit her in the hospital?
Because it was his birthday. He run the King’s run three times in different locations, has parties in his honor to attend. The Danes love to celebrate their monarch’s birthday, same as the Dutch, with parties which the royal family is supposed to attend. Not like the Brits who post a photo and a “heartfelt tweet”. The Scandinavians celebrate with the people. Frederik cannot simply skip because his mother has a non life threatening prodecure, Margarete would kick him out of the hospital room.
Don’t know where your negativity towards Mary and Frederik come from. Never heard she was waiting for a prince. Or that both are lazy.
Co-signed. She has always been ambitious and she has done an excellent job at being a Princess. She was never going to leave him, not after so many years. He has always been a slimy cheater and she has always known. I really do believe that Queen M abdicated because Mary had reason to walk away after the humilliation of the spanish mistress and, just like Maxima and her husband, Mary is the popular one; so she made a tactical call, gave up the throne and locked Mary in as Queen Consort. It’s harder to leave once you’re Queen.
All in all, I love Mary. She’s smart and ambitious and does her job well. Unlike Kate, she works.
He went back to his girlfriend after his one night stand with Mary. She knew he was a cheater then and she continued to chase after him. She announced in their engagement interview that she’d never accept cheating LOL. Choices.
Mary was never going to leave. Never. She wants a royal life and unearned adulation more than she wants self respect. She’s seen Alexandra’s post royal life and wants none of it. Especially since mary signed a post nup that gives her nothing.
Every year Fred has more engagements than Mary. If you insist she’s working hard, he’s workng harder. As in most European monarchies, the press pay more attention to the women. It may appear falsely that she’s doing more because of coverage.
Isabella is in her final year of high school (which is normal for a Danish 19 year old) and had an important exam that day so wasn’t there for the balcony. The day previous the whole family was out in force, even Christian was given a day off from his training, for the Royal Run, the annual celebration of Fred’s birthday where over 100k people take part in 1k, 5k, and 10k runs in cities around Denmark. It’s a big deal! Thousands of people out there having fun, exercising to the best of their abilities, and getting selfies with royals. They clearly prefer to focus on that rather than the traditional balcony appearance. Honestly, they seem to be thriving as a family, the kids clearly have strong bonds with each other and with their parents. And Fred and Mary are far from the first couple to patch things up after infidelity for the sake of the family (and the nation in their case).
He’s cheated and been caught cheating their entire marriage, it wasnt just the Spanish incident.
The spanish mistress was on every front page of every glossy magazine in europe. Spouses who tolerate cheating usually draw a line at public exposure and humilliation.
His cheating has been in the news since before they married. He’s cheated publicly for 25 years
The Royal Run is such an interesting event, like a combination marathon and fun run, and gets bigger every year.
Honestly, I don’t really care what goes on in their marriage (or outside of it) because they put on a good face for the cameras and both have made the decision (presumably) to stay married. The issue with the Wales marriage is that they do NOT put on a good face for the cameras. It’s not necessarily the life I would have chosen, but Mary and Frederik seem happy enough in their situation, even with the cheating and other drama. It seems to work for them, overall. The Wales’ situation does NOT work for them.
The masks slips sometimes. He ignores her in public or she glares daggers at him at events.
His elderly mother had just recently had a heart attack 2 weeks ago and was hospitalized again for a blood clot in her hip after a fall, yet he didn’t rush to be by her side? He couldn’t cancel his run? I get that it was his birthday but he decided to participate in a run, yet wouldn’t say exactly when he would visit his hospitalized mother. He just quoted the reports in “the press release”. Also,his statement didn’t make any sense. Are there any healthy or at least non toxic monarch-heir relationships?
My mother was never the same after she fell and broke her hip. I was fortunate to have jobs and bosses that allowed me to be at my parents’ side whenever they were hospitalized, as they had numerous health problems throughout their lives. I hope Queen Margrethe has a full recovery.
I don’t think you understand what a big deal the Royal Run is, it isn’t “a” run, it’s a major national event over a hundred thousand ordinary people sign up for months in advance. If you look at the website you might get an idea of the scope https://royalrun.dk/
He could have visited her before this. He could have made a point to visit her before the run. Or right after
It showcases the distance he himself admits in their relationship.lime Charles, he has complained about his upbringing and emotional.distance from his parents.
Which fine, but really? She’s gone through two major health issues and may be dying. Go see her in your sweaty running gear but go see her!
I have to say I just don’t understand the anger and scorn some people have for Mary. She seems like a perfectly reasonable person who had a go at meeting a prince when she had the chance, and ended up marrying him. There are so many books and movies based on this premise, maybe people are mad because they don’t think she deserves it? But I think Fred was jolly lucky to get her, she’s always voted as one of the most popular royals in Denmark, usually higher than Fred himself, and she’s done a lot to turn his party prince reputation into that of a caring king. She tries really hard to do a good job and the Danes seem to love her for putting effort into her work.
The danes love their monarchy. They’d praise anyone Fred married. It has nothing to do with Mary as a person.
She benefits massively from a built in ” we love our Royals no matter what” mentality. Same mentality that raises mediocre Kate up.
Ah the classic “you’re a jealous hater, that’s why you don’t love mary” claim. Raises its head whenever Mary is criticized
IMO Mary’s average, nothing special, and stays with a cheater for a crown. She shows up in designer gear 90 times a year and her fans think she’s amazing. Shrug.
A little distance, some facts, and a dose of reality does royal watching good.
“IMO Mary’s average, nothing special, and stays with a cheater for a crown. She shows up in designer gear 90 times a year and her fans think she’s amazing. Shrug.”
People are up here simply saying they like her, not even that she’s amazing, yet somehow under every single one of those comments you are posting the same dissertations. You are describing a lot of royal women with the above quote and it’s fine.
I don’t get it either, but some people are determined to see the worst in Mary. On other sites the people criticizing Mary often think Kate can do no wrong which is interesting. Looking just at the role it’s obvious that Mary does a better job then Kate
The most interesting rumor I’ve heard about Fred and Mary is that they decided on an open marriage once they were done having kids. Supposedly Mary’s been with a Danish politician for the last decade or so
Danish Contributers please enlighten me!
I saw a video/Instagram/TikTok can’t remember what naturally in Danish where some runner going passed said “YourMajesty” & he answered “Just Fu*king Run”
Is that the usual experience from him ? I’m assuming he’s joking as I’m from the U.K. & pretty similar sense of humour
Just curious how relaxed these interactions are
No criticism intended