After his Madrid escapade, Queen Mary was upset with King Frederik for a long time. Now it seems Denmark’s royal couple has overcome the crisis.
It’s hard to say what sparkles the most about Mary, 53, on this evening—the sequined Jenny Packham dress, the Edwardian tiara, the diamond earrings, or her eyes. At the cultural ball at Christiansborg Palace, the Danish queen appears in a better mood than she has in a long time. She shines particularly brightly when looking at her husband, King Frederik, 56. Whether welcoming guests or later on the dance floor, the royal couple seems cheerful, relaxed, and like they’ve fallen in love all over again.
Finding Their Way Back to Each Other
A royal love comeback that makes many Danes breathe a sigh of relief. For a long time, the public had to watch as their marriage struggled. For nearly a year and a half, Mary and Frederik handled official engagements professionally and politely, but the warmth was missing. It was especially noticeable that the queen kept her distance from her husband, while he appeared uncertain and remorseful at her side.
The crisis was triggered in October 2023, when Frederik secretly traveled to Madrid, where he was photographed with Mexican actress Genoveva Casanova, 48. First, the two visited a restaurant, then they went to her home. The king didn’t leave the apartment building until the next morning, trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible. A pointless effort! When the pictures of Frederik with a rolling suitcase and a guilty expression spread around the world, the scandal was perfect.
The humiliation the affair caused Queen Mary must have hurt her deeply. She fled to her former homeland, Australia, for a while to seek support from friends and family. While the Danish royal family remained silent on the matter, Genoveva Casanova hired a lawyer and publicly insisted that she and Frederik were just friends and that their families had long been connected.
But the scandal was far from over. “This matter will end up in court. It has caused great pain to Genoveva and our children,” her ex-husband, aristocratic show jumper Cayetano Martínez de Irujo, 61, declared on Spanish television. The two were married from 2005 to 2007 and share 23-year-old twins, Luis and Amina.
King Frederik’s Madrid Scandal in a New Light
Currently, the Mexican actress is appearing on the Spanish TV show El Desafío, where she competes against other celebrities in various challenges. She jumps from pillar to pillar at a height of five meters, performs car stunts, and even plays the piano with her feet. However, she was not allowed to participate in one challenge: freediving. After a medical examination, doctors forbade her from diving without an oxygen device.
The reason? A dramatic pre-existing condition that the reality star has now made public. In August 2023, Genoveva suffered a pulmonary embolism, which led to lung collapse and a stroke. “It was a shock!” she says. “I had to stay in the hospital for eight days and then rest at home for a month.” She needed physical therapy and medication for even longer.
Does this serious diagnosis possibly cast a new light on Genoveva’s alleged liaison with King Frederik? When he visited her in Madrid, she had been out of the hospital for less than two months and was still in the middle of her rehabilitation. Not exactly ideal conditions for a wild affair. Could Frederik have simply been concerned about her?
Queen Mary Stands by Her Husband
It’s quite possible that Queen Mary is now willing to accept this explanation. That could explain her good mood at the cultural ball earlier this month. Her positive energy continues as she and Frederik soon after embark on a state visit to Finland. Before the official program begins, the royal couple makes a detour to Lapland, where they are pulled through the snowy landscape in a reindeer sleigh. Bitterly cold—but oh so romantic!
At a press conference the next day in Helsinki, the king is asked about the current global situation. For Frederik, who is known in Denmark as a likable but awkward speaker, this is a tricky situation. Additionally, as head of state, he is obliged to maintain political neutrality. “It is important to keep up with the reality we are currently in,” he says hesitantly. “We are closely monitoring developments and are very interested in how things unfold.”
At that moment, Mary steps in to support him. “Today’s visit is a really good example of how we are here to emphasize the close ties between our two countries in a historical and political sense, as well as the shared future we have,” the queen interjects, smiling at her husband. “We are stronger when we stand together!”
One might think she is talking about herself and Frederik.
