King delights fans with surprise admission: 'Perfectly okay'

King Frederik of Denmark expressed his true feelings about his wife Queen Mary in his latest reveal.

Frederik said he is more than happy to be outshined by his wife in her home country.

The royal couple, who met during the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, when the then-prince introduced himself only as Fred, concluded their six-day visit to Australia on Thursday with a trip to Mary's hometown in Tasmania.

On Friday, March 20, they released a statement after returing to Denamrk, saying: " We are grateful for all the warm greetings, generous sharing of time and knowledge, and the care you’ve shown us which have left lasting memories.

"We have truly felt the warmth of the Australian hospitality and friendliness."

On Wednesday, March 18, the Danish royal recounted a trip the couple took to Australia shortly after they were married.

 During his uting at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, the King said: “So, picture this, we had gone to see the exhibition Sculpture by the Sea in Sydney.”

“Mary was chatting with some other people who had shown up to say hello, and I stood next to Mary and I overheard a young boy standing next to his mother, asking her, ‘Mummy, mummy, who’s that boy next to Mary?’”

“Yeah, that’s how it is, occasionally,” King Frederik, 57, said, grinning as the room erupted in laughter and applause. “In the eyes of Australians, I suspect that I shall always be the one standing next to Mary, and this is perfectly okay and alright.”

“I take that very much as a compliment,” he added.

Speaking after her husband, Mary, 54, quipped, “I don’t think you’re a boy anymore, you’re a bit of a man.”

King Frederik and Queen Mary have returned to Australia in a private capacity since Queen Margrethe's abdication in early 2024, but their six-day visit to Australia from March 14 to March 19 marked their first official visit together since becoming monarch and consort.