King Frederik X, Queen Mary To Mark 20th Wedding Anniversary With First Royal Tours

King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark will embark on their first royal tours in May, which coincidentally is also their 20th wedding anniversary.

The royal couple ascended the throne following Queen Margrethe's abdication last month. The palace announced that they will tour the Northern region aboard the Royal Yacht Dannebrog. They will travel to Sweden, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Greenland in the early summer.

They are scheduled to visit Sweden from May 6 to 7 then followed by a state visit to Norway from May 14 to 15. Coincidentally, King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark will celebrate 20 years of marriage on May 14.

The couple shares four children, the eldest is Crown Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John, 18, who is next in line to throne. Then followed by Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe, 16, and 13-year-old twins Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander and Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda.

Then their visit to the Faroe Islands will be on June 11 to 14 and Greenland from June 29 to July 8, although these are still tentative dates and the final schedule will be announced at a later date.

"In June, the Royal Yacht Dannebrog will sail north on a cruise of the Realm. The King and The Queen will visit the Faroe Islands in mid-June, and then Greenland in late June and early July," reads a press release from the Royal House.

The palace also said: "The first state visits will provide the occasion for the new King and Queen to meet with the sovereigns in Sweden and Norway, and they will thus mark the close relations between the Nordic monarchies."

The Royal Yacht Dannebrog will serve as King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark's residence during their royal tours. The luxury yacht has served the Danish Royal Family for decades, hosting both private holidays and official overseas engagements. It has served as their cruise ship since May 1932 and has since travelled over 800,000 miles.

The couple is understood to be keen sailers and even participated in a yacht race in Sydney, Australia in December 2017. They also competed against each other in a sailing "Royal Race" at the Rockwool Denmark sail Grand Prix in August 2022.

King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark ascended the throne on Jan. 14, 2024, following Queen Margrethe's abdication after 52 years of service. The couple made their debut as the new monarch and queen consort on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace, after Queen Margrethe signed a declaration of her abdication.

The 55-year-old monarch stepped out first on the palace balcony after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen proclaimed him as the new King from the palace balcony. He waved to the cheering crowd below, looking visibly emotional as he wiped away tears. Then he gave a brief speech, in which he shared his hope that he will "become a gathering king of tomorrow".

He said: "It is a task I have approached all my life. It is a responsibility I take on with respect, pride and great joy. It is a deed I will make an effort to carry through the trust I encounter"

King Frederik X concluded his speech: "I need all the support I can get. From my beloved wife, from my family, from you and from that which is greater than us. I face the future with the certainty that I am not alone." He also mentioned his mother, who he said "will be remembered forever as an extraordinary regent". Queen Mary then stepped out and joined her husband on the balcony. The two shared a kiss and they were joined by all their four children on the balcony.

King Frederik X met Queen Mary, born Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, in Australia, after a chance encounter at Sydney bar "Slip Inn" during the 2000 Olympic Games. She was initially unaware that she was chatting to a real-life prince. They married in 2004 and the rest is history.