Even though she abdicated the Danish throne more than four months ago, Queen Margrethe is showing little sign of actually stepping aside for Queen Mary .
The 84-year-old took centre stage when her family appeared on the balcony of Amalienborg Palace last week to celebrate King Frederik’s 56th birthday – with Queen Mary left to stand on the sidelines of the group shot.
“Margrethe may have given up the crown, but in reality she has no plans on stepping back and allowing her successor Mary to truly shine – not yet anyway,” a source tells New Idea.
Royal fans noted that while Mary, 52, and Margrethe were all smiles during the balcony appearance, one glaring red flag was unmissable. “They were both wearing vibrant dresses in two varied tones of pink,” our source explains.
“Women in any royal family will typically coordinate their outfit choices with the Queen to avoid clashes, but clearly, Margrethe didn’t do so on this occasion.”
It may seem like a trivial point, but with almost every aspect of royal appearances carefully managed, the dress drama did raise eyebrows. “It was something that could easily have been avoided,” our source adds.
Fred and Mary ascended to the throne on January 14 when Margrethe abdicated after 52 years as monarch. The popular royal couple became the new King and Queen of Denmark, but Margrethe also retained her title as Queen.
“Don’t think for a moment that Margrethe has disappeared quietly since Fred and Mary’s proclamation ceremony,” our source says.
“There is a power struggle going on between the former Queen and the current one and it’s threatening to spill over. Things seem strained between Mary and Margrethe especially.”
Tension with Queen Margrethe, who it’s long been thought Queen Mary has had a close relationship with, is the last thing mum-of-four Mary needs right now. Insiders allege that her 20-year marriage to Fred went through a rough patch late last year, after pictures emerged of him on a night out in Madrid, with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova.
This led to gossip about the state of the couple’s relationship. And while Genoveva firmly denied there was anything untoward about her connection to Fred, some royal watchers speculated that Margrethe’s abdication was her bid to divert attention from the drama.
It would also give Fred and Mary the chance to focus on a joint new role together.
“But Frederik and Mary were taken aback by the decision,” our insider says, especially because, their children, Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 17, and 13-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, are still quite young.
“They weren’t expecting to have to take up their obligations as King and Queen so soon,” our insider adds.
“It’s as if Margrethe’s not as ready as she said she was to step away from the throne – and that’s causing Mary to be sidelined at times.”
Will the relationship between Queen Mary and Queen Margrethe be strained as a result?
