Two years ago when Queen Mary of Denmark marked her 50th birthday she took her husband and children to the unveiling of her new official portrait.

As the blue cloth was pulled away to reveal the beautiful painting by Spanish-born artist Jesus Herrera, Mary’s husband Frederik gasped.

‘Wow,’ he said, as he took in the artwork which showed the then princess looking serene and regal in front of a eucalyptus tree, a botanical nod to her native Australia. But it was another element that likely drew her husband’s attention. Mary had chosen to wear an aquamarine cocktail ring, reportedly given to her by Frederik to mark their engagement.

Two years later there are none of those love tokens or signals of marital harmony in the image Mary has chosen to mark her 52nd birthday.

Instead, as she celebrates her first birthday as Denmark’s new Queen, Mary has snubbed her husband and featured a photograph of herself with her father, John. The image, which shows the Queen with her hair in a plait and her sunglasses perched on her head, was taken by her younger son, Prince Vincent.

As she celebrates her first birthday as Denmark’s new Queen, Mary has snubbed her husband and featured a photograph of herself with her father, John

Three months ago, Frederik was photographed leaving Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova’s (pictured) Madrid apartment in the early hours of the morning

Frederik, who three months ago was photographed leaving Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova’s Madrid apartment in the early hours of the morning, is nowhere to be seen, featuring in neither the image nor the caption.

‘On this occasion, the Queen has chosen an image of a special moment with her father from her recent trip to Australia in December,’ reads the post on the royal family’s official website.

While Mary’s 82-year-old father has been unwell and was unable to attend her proclamation last month in Copenhagen, the new Queen knows her choice of image will prompt speculation. She is a polished and intuitive woman sufficiently aware to know what message the picture transmits.

Of course, you could read her selection as the choice of a devoted daughter sharing a cherished image of the father who lives oceans away and who she misses deeply. Or coming after last month’s proclamation where observers noted Mary and Frederik kissed awkwardly, you could interpret it as a deeply hurt woman cleaving close to those she genuinely trusts: namely her father and her 13-year-old son who took the image.

The palace has not commented on allegations that King Frederik was having an affair. However the photographs published in the Spanish magazine Lecturas showing him walking in the park and heading out to dinner with Casanova last October will have caused pain and embarrassment for Mary who will celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary in May.

Although Casanova released a statement denying she and the then Prince were in a romantic relationship, Queen Margrethe’s shock decision to abdicate in January fuelled suggestions that she wanted to secure her son’s marriage by fast-tracking the couple’s ascension to the throne.

Denmark’s King Frederik X kisses Queen Mary on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, in January 2024

Beloved in Australia where there is admiration for how she wears a crown and her beloved Birkenstocks with equal ease, Mary is equally adored in her adopted nation where she speaks fluent Danish and champions causes that are both modern and meaningful.

If Australians regard the Tasmanian-born former real estate agent and advertising executive as a shining example of Antipodean spirit and resourcefulness, the Danes appreciate the mother-of-four for cheerfully steering the once reluctant prince more assuredly towards his destiny.

Five years ago when she gave a 13-minute speech in front of a who’s who of European royals to mark her husband’s 50th birthday, party-goers were astonished by her wit, warmth and confident delivery – particularly since she was speaking in her second language. She ribbed her husband for being a MAMIL (middle-aged man in lycra) and cheekily pointed out that their children regarded him as a sore loser.

But what was most clear was how deeply she loved and adored her husband. ‘I am so happy that you swept me off my feet and that we dared to fall for each other – not for a moment, but for life,’ she said.

She even recounted to guests how, early in their relationship when she visited Denmark for the first time, her boyfriend told her he had to attend an official dinner. She couldn’t believe her eyes when her casual, sports-loving boyfriend returned in full princely regalia. ‘If I had known Danish at the time,’ she told the audience, ‘I would probably have thought to myself aij, hvor har jeg scoret over evne.’ The meaning of the popular idiom? ‘Wow, I’ve really scored above my league.’

But that was long ago. The fun-loving Aussie girl who met a boy in a bar during the Sydney Olympics is now Queen with all the self-possession the title brings. For her 52nd birthday Mary has notably chosen to celebrate being a daughter rather than a wife. Whether it’s pointed or not, one thing is clear: the new Queen has her own agenda. Her errant husband would do well to take note.