King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark Celebrate 20th Wedding Anniversary on State Visit After Challenging Year

The Danish Royal House released a new photo of the royal couple on their anniversary

King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark are celebrating a special occasion — their 20th wedding anniversary!

On May 14, the Danish Royal House shared a new shot of the King, 55, and Queen, 52, smiling aboard the Royal Ship Dannebrog on the banner anniversary. The photo showed the royal couple matching in navy vests as Frederik wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder.

"In a few hours, the Royal Couple will arrive in Oslo and begin a state visit to Norway, after their Majesties sailed from Denmark yesterday with the Royal Ship Dannebrog," courtiers captioned the snap on Instagram. "The arrival to the Norwegian capital also happens on a very special day. It's the King and Queen's 20th wedding anniversary," they added with a heart emoji.

The trip to Norway marks the couple's second state visit in a few days, having kicked off the first official state visit of the new royal reign last week in Sweden. King Frederik and Queen Mary are traveling abroad to commemorate the close relationships between the Nordic monarchies, a statement said, following his accession in January. The tour is tentatively set to conclude in June and July in the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are both in the kingdom of Denmark.

Related: All About King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark's Royal Love Story

According to an official schedule, the busy first day of their two-day stay in Norway includes a welcoming ceremony with King Harald V, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, wreath laying ceremony and trip to the Oslo Science City.

Later in the evening, the Danish royals will have a chance to get dressed up on their anniversary as they attend a gala dinner at the Royal Palace of Norway.

Frederik and Mary's milestone anniversary falls a few months after a challenging time. In November 2023, reports swirled that he was having an affair with Mexican-born socialite Geneveva Casanova after they were photographed together during his private trip to Madrid. Casanova denied allegations of a romantic relationship with the royal.

Frederik and Mary continued to display a united front, and she was by his side during the unexpected change of reign. In January, then-Crown Prince Frederik was proclaimed King after his mother Queen Margrethe signed a declaration of her abdication on the 52nd anniversary of her accession, becoming the first Danish sovereign to voluntarily do so in nearly 900 years.

His wife became Queen Mary in the same sweep, and the couple celebrated the historic moment by sharing a kiss on the balcony of Christiansborg Castle. They were then joined on the terrace by their four children: Crown Prince Christian, 18 (who took his father's former title upon the change of reign), Princess Isabella, 17, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 13.

King Frederik and Queen Mary first met at the Slip Inn on Sydney's Darling Harbor in September 2000 during the Summer Olympics. Mary Donaldson, an Australian advertising executive, found herself chatting to “Fred” and instantly hit it off.

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Related: King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark Star in Regal New Photo for Social Media Page Makeover

"Something clicked," Mary later recalled in a 2005 interview. "It wasn't the fireworks in the sky or anything like that, but there was a sense of excitement."

Shortly after their chance meeting, someone informed her that she had just met the Crown Prince of Denmark, heir to the 1,000-year-old Danish throne.

"The first time we met, we shook hands," she continued. "I didn't know he was the prince of Denmark. Half an hour later, someone came up to me and said, 'Do you know who these people are?' "

The couple dated long-distance before getting engaged and married at Copenhagen Cathedral on May 14, 2004.

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