Prince Frederik and Princess Mary in Australia
Official Visit 2005
The royal couple on the steps of Sydney Opera House, 2005
Photograph courtesy of Sydney Opera House
Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, the former Mary Donaldson of Tasmania, were in Australia in late February and early March 2005 on their first official royal visit to Princess Mary's country of birth.
Within a few days of their arrival, Princess Mary visited the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute at Darlinghurst, Prince Frederik attended a gala dinner at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia at Rushcutters Bay, Princess Mary visited the Cancer Research Institute Foundation at Westmead Hospital, and the royal couple attended the foundation's dinner at Boomerang House in Elizabeth Bay.
On the Sunday Prince Frederik and Princess Mary attended a Danish church service at Pennant Hills in Sydney's west.
It being the bicentenary year of Danish fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen, Prince Frederik and Princess Mary visited Observatory Hill on March 7, designated Hans Christian Andersen Day, for the unveiling of a Hans Christian Andersen statue, and the Sydney Opera House for the announcement of Hans Christian Andersen Ambassadors.
The royal couple then visited Canberra, stopped over in Melbourne, then flew to Hobart, Princess Mary's hometown, for a number of official functions including attendance at the Chocolate Lovers Ball fundraiser for Save the Children Australia. Prince Frederik is patron of Save the Children in Denmark.
Their official visit over, they then had a week to themselves and Princess Mary's family before returning to Denmark later in the month.
