Princess Mary of Denmark missing from Queen’s funeral after confirming she would attend

Princess Mary of Denmark was supposed to attend the Queen’s funeral with husband Prince Frederik, and her last-minute disappearance has raised eyebrows.

Australian-born Crown Princess Mary of Denmark was a last-minute no-show at the Queen’s funeral on Monday.

The 50-year-old Tasmanian account manager turned future Queen consort, who married into the Danish royal family in 2004, confirmed her plan to attend the state service via a palace statement last week.

“HM (Her Majesty) The Queen and The Crown Prince Couple (Prince Frederik and Princess Mary) will be present at the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022 at Westminster Abbey in London, Great Britain,” the statement read at the time.

However, only Prince Frederik, 54, and his 82-year-old mother, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, were photographed inside the church, where they sat in the front row opposite King Charles III.

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in the front row with Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. Picture: Gareth Fuller / POOL / AFP)

Princess Mary was initially confirmed as an attendee, however she wasn’t at the funeral. Picture: Gareth Fuller – WPA Pool/Getty Images

The Danish Royal Family edited the initial statement on its official website on Monday, which now simply reads, “HM The Queen and the Crown Prince Couple are present at the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022 at Westminster Abbey in London, Great Britain.”

There was no mention of Mary in the updated statement.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary were expected to attend together alongside the Queen. Picture: Mads Claus Rasmussen / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP

Now, Danish tabloids have offered a possible explanation.

In what is being described as an “embarrassing” blunder, local outlet BT reports Mary’s invitation to the funeral was “made in error”, citing a spokesperson from the Danish Royal House.

“There has been a regrettable error in the invitation from the British Foreign Office’s protocol. It is thus only the Queen and the Crown Prince who, from the Danish side, will participate in Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral on Monday,” a spokesperson reportedly confirmed to the publication.

There were reportedly only two dignitaries per country permitted to attend.

The outlet’s royal correspondent, Jacob Heinel Jensen, said he believed the Danish royals would be embarrassed by the oversight.

“It’s really clumsy and unfortunate. It has meant that the Royal House must now say that a mistake had been made, and that is embarrassing,” Heinel Jensen said.

“I think the Royal House easily understands that a mistake has been made. I wondered myself when I was in London and the British media wrote that there were only two invitees per country. After all, you got the feeling that there really must be extra close ties between Denmark and Britain’s royal house if we got three invitations.”

Earlier this year, Princess Mary and Kate Middleton, now known as the Princess of Wales, joined forces for an engagement in Copenhagen.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and Britain's Princess of Wales Catherine Middleton at Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen in February. Picture: Claus Bech / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP

The pair visited the Danner Crisis Center and shelter, supported by the Mary Foundation, which endeavours to protect women and children from domestic violence.

Kate and Mary, who first met in 2011, are two of the most powerful forces in their respective Royal Families, despite them both not being born into royal life.

Mary, a mother-of-four, was born a commoner in Tasmania, Australia, meeting her now-husband Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, during the 2000 Sydney Olympics at a bar.