Queen Mary and King Frederik are heading to Australia in March 2026 for their first official royal tour since becoming King and Queen.
We have a reporting team following their journey from Uluṟu to Canberra and beyond. Stay tuned for daily updates, comments from locals, and insights from the Prime Minister to our own diligent reporters.
Skip ahead to read about the specific days:
Their Majesties first arrived in Perth for a brief stopover. There, they enjoyed morning tea with the Governor of Western Australia before continuing on to the Red Centre. Patrick Gorman MP farewelled Their Majesties in Perth.
The Administrator of the Northern Territory, David Connolly, and Ms Sue Brosnan OLY officially welcomed King Frederik X and Queen Mary to the Northern Territory in Yulara early Saturday afternoon.
You can find their official itinerary here.
Day 1: Uluṟu
Queen Mary and King Frederik are about to arrive
Genevieve Gannon is on-site at Uluṟu
There is light cloud cover over Uluṟu as The Weekly team touches down for the arrival of Their Majesties, Queen Mary and King Frederik X, on their first state tour of Australia since their accession in January 2024.
The Danish Royals are expected to arrive at the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Cultural Centre at 4.30 PM, where an Aṉangu representative will greet them. The Aṉangu are the traditional landowners of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park.
The town square is filling up with media, as anticipation grows ahead of Queen Mary’s homecoming. The last time Queen Mary was in Australia on an official tour in 2023, she was Princess Mary, and in all likelihood had no idea she would soon be returning as Queen.
Uluṟu has five seasons, and the Danish Royals are arriving during Itjanu/inuntji when the red centre’s ceaseless blue sky is darkened by clouds, and winds bring cooler nighttime temperatures.
A spot of desert rain had just started to fall as the countdown to the royal arrival begins.
Queen Mary greets a young girl from Tasmania
Queen Mary and King Frederik have arrived, to the delight of two young fans from Tasmania, who scored a few moments with the homegrown Royal.
Looking elegant in a long khaki skirt, tan ballet flats and a light-weight shirt, Queen Mary stopped for a chat.
“I’m from Tasmania,” one of the young girls announced as the royal entered the cultural centre.
“It’s nice to meet you. Is this your first time here?” Queen Mary said, with a subtle Danish accent.
This is Queen Mary’s first visit to Uluṟu.
Ceremonial song and dance
King Frederik and Queen Mary were welcomed to the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuta National Park cultural centre by Anangu representatives. The greeting was followed by a ceremonial song and dance.
Their majesties were all smiles for the performance. Queen Mary was even washing her fan to the beat of the song.
She was wearing an appropriate umbrella motif on her shirt, which she had to cover up with a raincoat as the drizzle set in. The weather did not dampen the day, however, as the Royals stayed after the performance to greet more locals and express how much they enjoyed the performance.
Sunset at Uluṟu
After the cultural centre, Their Majesties stopped in at the Kulata Academy Cafe, where they met trainees from the National Indigenous Training Academy (NITA) and sampled a local mocktail.
Then they were on to Uluṟu for their final stop of the night.
King Frederik and Queen Mary are joined on this tour by some journalists from Denmark who are eager to cover their state visit to Australia, due to the significance of it being the Queen’s homecoming. Their majesties took two questions from the Danish press, which Mary answered in Danish. She confirmed that this was her first visit to Uluṟu and said that it was nice that she and Frederik could be here together.
She was also asked what she has liked so far. Queen Mary answered that it was great to learn more about the culture and people’s connection to the land.
Queen Mary and King Frederik were guided by an Aṉangu local to a spot where they had hoped to view the sunset. Unfortunately, heavy cloud cover obscured the view, but Uluṟu was dazzling nonetheless.
The King and Queen share their daily wrap-up
After their first day, Their Majesties shared a post on the Danish Royal Family’s official Instagram page.
The comments on the post were flooded with Australians welcoming Queen Mary back to her homeland.
“Back to where it all began, welcome home Queen Mary – it’s bloody beautiful to have you and your fella back,” wrote one fan.
“Enjoy your visit & hoping you both manage to have some R&R before your return to Denmark. Beautiful Royal family & we are so proud of you Her Majesty Queen Mary. And how amazing is that red earth in the centre of Oz!” wrote another.
Day 2: Uluṟu and Canberra
Good morning from The Weekly in Central Australia, where it is still sadly a little overcast for the Royal visit.
King Frederik and Queen Mary arrived at the Kuniya Walk under the cover of darkness, just after 6.30 AM, with the plan of viewing the sunrise at the Muṯitjulu Waterhole.
The cloud cover meant the morning was not quite as spectacular as hoped, but as the day dawned, the rust-red rock formations were beautiful nonetheless.
The Danish Royals arrived with huge smiles, not at all disappointed by the weather.
Senior Aṉangu led King Frederik and Queen Mary to the Muṯitjulu Waterhole, which is one of the few permanent water sources around Uluṟu.
Upon their return, the Royals were asked how they were handling the many flies that had accompanied them on their tour so far, to which King Frederik cheerfully replied that they had tried some honey ants at the waterhole.
Honey ants live under the Acacia trees in the region.
“They essentially create honey from the nectar they collect,” one of the local experts explained. “What’s really amazing about these honey ants is you can actually pick the bulb of honey off the back, and they’re still alive. You just let them go.”
“So Aṉangu will do that knowing they can come back to that tree later and there will be honey ants there.”
King Frederik joked that the honey ants were “quite good for brekky”. His majesty has seemed thrilled to be back in Australia.
Danish Royal Correspondent weighs in on the historic visit
Danish Royal Correspondent Marie Rønde flew 22 hours to follow the Royal Tour of Australia. She said both King Frederik and Queen Mary seemed particularly happy and relaxed since touching down in Uluṟu yesterday.
“It seems like she’s home and you can see that she’s relaxed and just enjoying it really,” Marie said. “You feel that they are excited.”
“It’s a historic visit for us, the Australian-born Queen coming home,” Marie continued. “I’m seeing it as a bit of a homecoming Queen tour … We know that she will be received with such love and a warm welcome from Australians and Tasmanians, so we want to experience that and witness that. We cover every state visit, but this one stands out because it’s her birth country.”
According to Danish Royal protocol, heads of state only pay one state visit per country. “So, they will not be here for a state visit in 10 years or 12 years, this will be the one,” Marie said.
She said the fact that the Royal Couple were paying a state visit to Australia so early in their reign shows how important Australia is to them. “This one is the first outside the political agenda.”
Marie was granted a brief interview with the Royal couple in Danish last night and told The Weekly that their Majesties said it is very special to be back in the land where they first met.
“It is always wonderful to come to Australia,” King Frederik said.
Off to Canberra
King Frederik X and Queen Mary depart Uluṟu for our nation’s capital, where they are greeted at Government House by Governor-General Sam Mostyn AC, her partner Simeon Beckett SC, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his wife, Jodie Haydon. Their Majesties will receive a 21-gun salute on the lakeside lawn of Government House, followed by a performance of the National Anthem and Royal Anthem of Denmark, ‘King Christian’.
Royal watchers will be hoping to glimpse a tiara at the formal state dinner to be held in Canberra later this evening, where both the Governor-General and King Frederik X will deliver a speech.
Fans will have an opportunity to get close to the Royal couple in the morning, when King Frederik X and Queen Mary lay a wreath and floral tribute at the Tomb of the Unknown Australian soldier in the Hall of Memory.
Glittering banquet in Canberra
Although we didn’t get a tiara moment, Queen Mary did not disappoint with her fashion. She chose to wear a stunning teal dress, which royal watchers quickly spotted was one she had worn before.
“Queen Mary is a master when it comes to repurposing gowns, often adding new touches to give them an elegant update,” says The Australian Women’s Weekly Style Director, Mattie Cronan. “Having worn this seafoam green pleated chiffon gown in 2011, on this visit she added a golden lace overlay and accessorised with an Ole Lynggaard brooch as a hairpiece and earrings from the Leaf and Gipsy collections.”
Ole Lynggaard is a Danish designer and a favourite of Queen Mary’s. She often wears their pieces.
Both the Leaf brooches (worn as a hairpiece) are special, limited edition pieces,” says Ole Lynggard. “The brooch is made of yellow and rose gold, encrusted with diamonds, worn along with Winter Frost White Gold earrings with rutile quartz drops designed by Charlotte Lynggaard.”
King Frederik gave a moving speech about his own personal fairy tale
In his speech to the State Banquet in Canberra, the King praised his Australian-born wife’s courage in leaving her beloved home behind to build a new one “as far away as one can possibly go.”
“For that, I will be forever grateful,” he said. “Once upon a time, Denmark perhaps did not resonate widely in Australia. Then something changed. In 2004, your Mary and I were married, and with that, Denmark once again had a Crown Princess. From that moment on, everyone “down under” knew of the Nordic country “up over,” the King told dignitaries, including Governor-General Sam Mostyn and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“The diplomatic ties between our two nations stretch back almost sixty years. But twenty-two years ago, those ties were forged even closer. Suddenly, we “shared” a real Princess.
“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.
“Mary, you had the courage to leave your beloved home and build a new one with me as far away as one can possibly go.”
His Majesty said becoming King and Queen will not change the excitement and ease he and Queen Mary feel at coming to Australia. “Although it does add somewhat to the planning,” he joked.
“Over the years, my Australian family always made me feel truly welcome. They embraced me as one of their own, and I embraced everything Australian.
“I raise my glass to the people of Australia and Denmark. May our friendship continue to flourish and may the story we share continue happily ever after.”
Day 3: Canberra
On Monday, Their Majesties were joined by Governor-General Sam Mostyn and her partner to the War Memorial to law a wreath to honour Australian service men and women.
Following that, Queen Mary and King Frederik met with local people, at one point Mary even crouched down to pet a King Charles spaniel.
They also met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and spoke in the Cabinet Room at Parliament House with elected officials. They also attended a Parliamentary Friend’s Group afternoon tea at Parliament House.
Day 4: Melbourne
Queen Mary and King Frederik arrived in Melbourne on 17 March. While there, Her Majesty made a speech reminiscing about her time in the city.
She spoke fondly of mornings spent swimming in Prahran pool when she lived in Melbourne for three years before she moved to Denmark.
“It’s such a pleasure to be here,” Her Majesty said, after touring a redevelopment site in the inner city area. “It’s actually my old home town. I lived here for three years and a lot’s changed since then. But there’s one thing that’s still there, and that’s the Prahran pool. It’s a place where I used to swim in the morning before work. So it’s lovely to see that hadn’t changed.”
Queen Mary was speaking to a group of business leaders about her passion for sustainable design. In particular, she described a circular restoration project she and King Frederik had undertaken in the “backyard” of their Fredensborg Palace.
She engaged one of Denmark’s foremost architects to restore a workshop on the palace grounds into a new space, using sustainable building practices.
Floorboards were transformed into wall panels, concrete foundations were cut up and re-finished, and old Greenlandic marble was reclaimed and rescued.
“The idea of using this building was actually to create a space for our children to be with their friends instead of in the room next door, making lots of noise,” Queen Mary said. “What we ended with was this spectacular, beautiful annexe that I didn’t want to let the children in.”
Smiling, she explained she did eventually let them have their space.
Her Majesty said it was fascinating to see what could be achieved by building with what already exists.
“We were thrilled with the beautiful result.”
Mary shows off her footie skills in Melbourne
Denmark’s Queen Mary has revealed she is a Carlton supporter.
The Tasmanian-born Royal got some football practice at the MCG on the Melbourne leg of the state tour when she and King Frederik visited the ground to meet up-and-coming Hawks players, as well as some senior team members.
The Royal Couple were greeted by Hawthorn co-captain James Sicily and the Hawks’ AFLW captain Emily Bates. Queen Mary received some ball-handling tips from Eliza West, the vice-captain of Hawthorn’s AFLW team, and had a few goes at target practice, showing herself to be pretty skilled with a Sherrin.
A smiling King Frederick abstained from attempting any kicks or passes but said he was very impressed by the MCG.
Mary was asked again who her AFL team was. Her Majesty began her answer in Danish, before correcting herself and answering in English that she did have a team, “but maybe it will change in a few years.”
Before leaving the ground, Queen Mary thrilled onlookers by kicking a goal to loud cheers and applause.
Queen Mary meets some fans
For two friends who have been following the love story between Queen Mary and King Frederik since they were in high school, the Royal couple’s visit to Melbourne delivered a dream come true.
Sarah Dermawan and Suwen Karl brought their daughters Ruby, 3, and Ellie, 4, to Headspace in South Melbourne, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Royal couple.
They were thrilled when Queen Mary stopped for a chat and a selfie.
Her Majesty bent down to admire the signs Ellie and Ruby had made.
“I’m Mary,” Her Majesty said, introducing herself to the girls.
Sarah and Suwen came out to see King Frederik and Queen Mary the last time they were in Australia, too.
“The last time we saw them, we were so shocked that we said, ‘Hey Fred!'” Sarah said.
“He said, ‘Hellooo!'” She laughed.
“When they got married, we were still in high school, so it was all a fairytale. We’ve kind of followed in their footsteps.”
The two friends have been to Denmark and The Slip Inn in Sydney when the Royal couple famously met.
Now they have a memento they will treasure forever.
Mental health has always been a passion of Queen Mary’s
King Frederik has shown off his ping pong skills during a visit to the youth mental health organisation Headspace.
King Frederik and Queen Mary met headspace patron and founder, Professor Patrick McGorry, and national CEO Jason Trethowan on a visit that focused on youth mental health.
The Royal couple listened and asked questions as Mr Trethowan took them through the organisation’s services and successes.
Later, they chatted with members of the headspace National Youth Reference Group and headspace South Melbourne Youth Advisory Group.
King Frederik admired some beaded bracelets and necklaces the youth leaders were making, and said it was an activity his own children enjoyed. He then volunteered for a Ping Pong tournament, which turned quite competitive.
Queen Mary enjoyed chatting and joking with the young people.
Headspace was founded in Australia and has been adapted in Denmark.
The Mary Foundation, which Her Majesty founded in 2007 to address loneliness and bullying, has collaborated with headspace Denmark.
Queen Mary shares her pride in being both Danish and Australian at the Garden Party
King Frederik has recalled not being recognised on the first official visit to Australia he and Queen Mary embarked upon after their wedding.
The then-Crown Prince of Denmark and his new bride were touring the ‘Sculpture by the Sea’ exhibition in Sydney, when he overheard a little boy ask his mother, “Mummy, who’s that boy next to Mary?”
“In the eyes of Australians, I suspect I shall always be the one standing next to Mary – and that is perfectly alright. I take that very much as a compliment,” King Frederik said.
He made the brief remarks at an evening garden party at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens, on the last stop of the Royal couple’s stay in Melbourne.
His Majesty was introducing Queen Mary, who spoke with great pride about the similarities and friendship between Australia and Denmark.
“It will be interesting to hear when mingling a little later; if I still have my Aussie accent or speak English with a Danish accent,” she said.
Queen Mary said it could be easy to think the two countries would see things very differently, being so geographically distant, with different climates, histories, languages and cultures, but she sees two societies that are “remarkably alike.”
“You can imagine that was a huge relief, as I’d already fallen for Denmark’s Crown Prince,” she joked.
“Both our countries believe in democracy, in gender equality and social equity. We are environmentally aware and share a deep respect for and love of nature.”
She said Australians and Danes are forthright, unless being sarcastic, which is a trait shared by both societies. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously, and getting ahead of yourself is frowned upon. In Denmark, we call it “janteloven”. In Australia, the tall poppy syndrome.”
She continued on a more serious note.
“There is no doubt that the world as we knew it has changed,” Her Majesty said.
“In challenging and uncertain times like these, you turn to your trusted partners and friends. And Denmark and Australia are both.
“In my speech to Frederik on his 50th birthday, I said: ‘Vores rødder gror gennem hele livet.’ In English, ‘Our roots grow throughout our lives.’
“I feel so incredibly privileged to have my roots in both Australia and Denmark.”
Day 4: Hobart
Queen Mary returns to her roots
The glorious Tasmanian sun came out to welcome Queen Mary home, as the Royal couple embarked upon the final day of their state tour.
The pace of the four-city visit could not dampen the enthusiasm felt by King Frederik and Queen Mary, who wore huge smiles as they arrived on the fragrant grounds of The Agrarian Kitchen, in New Norfolk, just outside of Hobart.
Their Majesties were given a tour of the kitchen garden, where 90 per cent of the food served on-site is grown.
Founders Séverine Demanet and Rodney Dunn showed the King and Queen through the greenhouse and the garden, before taking them into the kitchen to sample some food from the produce-driven venue, which is housed in an old asylum.
While in the garden, King Frederik couldn’t resist picking up one of the huge, yellow tomatoes that had tumbled onto the ground.
Check back in for updates from The Australian Women’s Weekly team.
