She’s a significant jewel in Denmark’s royal crown and increasingly an impressive leader on the world stage. Juliet Rieden heads to Copenhagen for an exclusive interview with Crown Princess Mary, as she joins the crusade to transform the global fashion industry.
IT ’s the eve of the start of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit and there’s a lot going on behind the ancient heavy wooden gates of Frederik VIII’s Palace. The event’s proud patron, Crown Princess Mary, is preparing to host a rather exclusive welcome dinner for the key players of this annual brainstorm, and after weeks of grey drizzle the sun has obligingly come out with a bright, almost Australian, blue sky backdrop.
Queen Margrethe II’s Royal Life Guards are parading outside, Her Majesty’s golden curly M insignia emblazoned on their red-painted wooden gatehouses and the mirror shined black patent bags that accessorize their dashing uniform. These young soldiers clutch rifles with sharp bayonets fixed, and beneath towering bearskin fur hats their expressions are suitably impenetrable.
It’s a wonderful permanent display of pomp as well as an important line of defense right outside Amalienborg Palace, a pertinent reminder that this is one of the oldest monarchies in the world, dating back more than a thousand years.
I am also standing guard in a way, with a couple of photographers from the local media. We’ve been invited to watch the arrivals for this special dinner but also find ourselves doubling as guides to early arrivals.
The thing is it’s easy to get confused at Amalienborg Square. There are four palaces here facing each other around an octagonal courtyard, and to the untrained eye, they all look pretty much the same, at least from the outside.
This story is from the August 2019 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2019 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Where to go in 2024
Who doesn't love fantasising about their next trip? We've gone for lesser-known locations, and whether you're seeking bright lights, striking natural scenery, serenity or excitement, here's where you're sure to find it.
Money matters with Effie
Didn’t reach your financial goals in 2023? While a new year won’t wipe away pressures like rising costs, there are a few things you can do now to refresh your money mojo in 2024.
Bright stars in a rugged land
The hot, dusty opal fields around Lightning Ridge in outback NSW have traditionally been a man's world. Now The Weekly meets the women who have been struck by opal fever.
The gift of life
Maureen Elliott had just months to live when she went on St Vincent's Hospital's transplant list. Thirty years on she's one of the longest living heart-lung transplant recipients in the world.
An uncaged heart
After more than two years in Iranian jails, Kylie Moore-Gilbert has forged a new life that's brimming with love, and a determination to help others who have been wrongfully imprisoned.
The woman behind The King
As Sofia Coppola's biopic Priscilla readies to hit screens, we look back at the early life and great love of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley.
Say hello to the Cockatoo cake
When we put a call-out to our readers for their best children's cakes we were inundated with recipes, and this clever cockatoo was ahead of the flock.
The French revolution
Dawn French quit her sketch show because she felt so ugly. Now the \"roly-poly comedian\" wants us all to stop fretting about our faults. She talks body image, surviving the 1980s and owning her mistakes.
Trump's women
Will it be the jailhouse or the White House for Donald Trump this year? The women in his life could make all the difference.
Can you buy a good night's sleep?
Forty per cent of Australians have trouble sleeping, and the market has responded with a mind-boggling array of sleep aids. But do any of them actually work? The Weekly goes in search of slumber.