Denmark’s Queen Mary, 52, exhibits off age-defying determine in Sardinia

Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark have enjoyed a relaxing beach holiday to Sardinia – after facing a challenging year. 

The royal couple – who were last night spotted in Paris to celebrate the upcoming Olympics – were pictured taking a dip in the ocean at Nikki Beach in Porto Cervo on Monday, in a very different look to their usual formal regalia. 

Queen Mary, 52, and her husband, 56, have faced a difficult few months following rumours that King Frederik had an affair, which has been strenuously denied. 

The mother-of-four’s safety has also been brought into question after resurfaced footage saw her being hit by a mobility scooter while visiting Greenland last month. 

It’s no wonder the Danish royals, who only took to the throne in January after Frederik’s mother Queen Margrethe abdicated, eagerly embraced the prospect of some downtime on the Italian island. 

Known for her age-defying looks, Mary looked stunning in an elegant patchwork one-piece, emphasising her gorgeous figure.

She kept her brunette locks loose as she swam in the sea and opted to go without make-up, looking like the epitome of relaxation as she grabbed a drink while back on the shore. 

Even while going in the sea, Mary kept her jewellery on, wearing what appeared to be her prized Cartier bracelets. 

The King, meanwhile, appeared firmly in holiday mode, wearing sunglasses and light clothing – before going shirtless for a swim in the sea.  

At one point, he even seemed to attempt a dive into the water and appeared in very cheerful spirits, throwing his head back to laugh.

When enjoying his time in the sea, Frederik cut a casual figure in a pair of orange swimming shorts, while offering a rare glimpse of the tattoos on his leg and shoulder. 

The shark inking on his leg is the insignia of the Danish Navy’s elite frogman corps, possibly chosen as a tribute, while his arm tattoo refers to the nickname Pingu that he was given after completing his training to become a badged Frogman. 

The Frogman Corps are a unit of professional divers and commandos that are tasked with assaulting enemy ships, advanced force and maritime anti-terrorism tasks among others.

The training for the Frogman Corps is notoriously difficult with participants having to complete stages including a scuba diving course, a survival course and a combat swimmer course in nine months. Only 311 soldiers have been accepted into the unit since its creation. 

Mary and Frederick seemed deep in conversation once back on the shore, with the mother-of-four covering up with a white linen shirt, and adding a hat to keep off the sun.

This year Frederik and Mary’s marriage has been plagued with rumours since the King was pictured out in Madrid with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova last year.

Snaps of the pair showed them heading to a traditional Flamenco restaurant in the Spanish capital, where Genoveva lives, where Spanish magazine Lecturas reported they dined together until the early hours.

Following publication of the photos, rumours of an affair between the pair circulated. 

It eventually resulted in Genoveva, 47, issuing a statement denying any kind of romantic relationship between herself and the royal and slamming the ‘malicious’ rumours.

However cracks seemingly began to appear in Queen Mary and King Frederik’s relationship following his night out with the socialite. 

The couple, who have been married for 20 years, began to display what looked like frosty body language towards each other in public appearances, most notably on a ski trip back in March.

Mary then fuelled the rumour mill even further by completing a series of solo engagements without her husband present. 

More recently however, the pair seem to have been back to their usual cheery selves, and the couple have been long beloved by royal fans for their affectionate displays towards one another. 

Retiring to their summer palace in Graasten earlier this month, the couple couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other; Frederik at one point gently placed a hand on his wife’s back.

The couple married in May 2004 and share four children: Crown Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, and twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent.

Mary originally hails from Australia and met her future husband at the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000.  

It comes after royal experts questioned the safety of Danish royals after a resurfaced video saw Queen Mary hit by a mobility scooter while visiting Greenland last month. 

In the short clip obtained by Ekstra Bladet, the wife of King Frederik X can be seen greeting fans before being knocked to the ground – with horrified onlookers crowding around.

The mother-of-four, 52, cried out as she fell and looked frazzled after the incident, but managed to maintain her composure after regaining her feet. 

Her security guards quickly leapt into action and stopped the scooter from moving any further.

The driver of the scooter appeared more shaken than the Queen following the incident, saying he ‘did not know what happened’.

The elderly man said he had meant to extend his arm toward Queen Mary, hoping she would take it, but hit the accelerator instead.

However, fans and observers have been left asking how a member of the Danish monarchy was even allowed to be put in such a situation.

Speaking to FEMAIL, royal expert Kenth G. Madsen called for a strengthening of security measures at public appearances by monarchs and politicians, citing another recent incident where Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was recently assaulted by a drunk man in Copenhagen.

‘First and foremost, threat assessments must be updated regularly to reflect the current security situation,’ he said.

‘This includes increased surveillance and intelligence as well as closer cooperation with local and international authorities.

‘In addition, the number of bodyguards and security personnel should be increased, and safe zones should be established around public events.

‘Crisis response plans must also be updated and practiced regularly to ensure quick and effective handling of unforeseen events. At the same time, there must be clear lines of communication between all units involved to ensure a coordinated effort.’

Mary was visibly shaken after the incident. Her youngest children, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, were just metres away when the monarch was knocked down.

Frederik was also greeting fans nearby when the dark grey scooter struck his wife, causing her to lose her balance.

The Palace media team confirmed Mary was not hurt during the incident and she was able to continue on her planned schedule of events.

A spectator speaking to The Australian revealed how the crowd was left in shock following the incident.

‘I could see how much it hurt her, her eyes watered immediately. It must hurt to be hit at that speed. The police immediately barricaded and removed her from the situation,’ they said. 

Last night, Queen Mary and King Frederik looked in great spirits as they participated in the opening of the Danish pavilion at the Maison du Danemark in Champs-Elysees, which will be open throughout the games this summer.