Queen Mary in surprise meeting with father of her pet dog, Coco
Australian-born Queen Mary has revealed she had a chance meeting with a long lost member of the extended family.
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Aussie-born Queen Mary has revealed she had an unexpected family reunion during her recent royal tour around Denmark.
The monarch, 52, shared a photo on social media of her posing with a Border Collie to mark International Dog Day.
In the caption she revealed the dog in the photo, Eagle, is in fact the father of her family’s pet, Coco.
“Happy International Dog Day to all dog owners and friends,” Mary writes in the caption.
She continued: “At home, Grace and Coco have a very special meaning for our entire family. Last week I met Coco’s father Eagle during our visit to Assens. It was a nice surprise and wonderful to feel how much father and daughter resemble each other.”
Mary also shared a personal photo of Grace and Coco up close.
“In picture number two, Grace is in the front and a curious Coco is seen behind. After all, it can be difficult for someone to see the difference,” she said.
Eagle’s owner told local media the dog was referred to the Dansk Kennel Klub when Frederik and Mary wanted Grace to have brown puppies.
The then-Crown Prince family welcomed Grace into their lives when the dog was just a puppy, in July, 2017.
They used to have another brown border collie, Ziggy who lived for 12 years before passing away in 2017, and who was related to Grace.
Ziggy was gifted to the then-Crown Prince and Princess in 2005, five months before Mary was due to give birth to her first child, Christian.
ROYAL TOUR WRAPS UP
Mary and King Frederik wrapped up their royal tour four days ago.
The monarchs travelled to the southeastern Danish waterside city of Vejle aboard the royal ship Dannebrog visiting various municipalities.
Frederik and Mary took photos at the town hall before visiting residents and children at Kong Gauer’s Gard, Denmark’s first fully integrated care home and daycare centre.
Her Majesty chose a nautical-inspired outfit for the occasion, wearing an all-blue ensemble accented with an anchor brooch to reflect the tour’s maritime theme.
She showed off her figure in a mid-length skirt with jacquard dots which she paired with a long sleeve feather-print blouse.
This was followed by an official lunch at Fjordenhus.
In the evening, the royals hosted a reception on board the Royal Ship for invited guests from each municipality.
The royal couple spoke of their visit on their official social media channels, sharing several photos taken during the stop.
“Nature, architecture and community across generations have been the red thread today during the Royal couple’s visit to Vejle Municipality,” the post, which has been translated from Danish to English, read.
“After the official reception, their Majesties the King and the Queen met the youngest and oldest citizens of the municipality in Kong Gauers Gard, which is both a daycare institution and a nursing home in the same building with common areas and activities for children and the elderly.”
“Later, the Majesties visited, among other things, Vejle’s iconic building Fjordenhus, which is located on the harbour and was designed by the Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson.”
The couple released a statement to mark the end of their tour.
“Thank you Bornholm and olrø, Assens and Vejle for making our first summer trip one we will never forget,” they said in a joint statement translated from Danish to English.
“Everywhere we have been welcomed in the most festive way from roadside, windows and balconies, on harbour fronts, town squares and town halls.”
“Yes. Our country has a lot to offer and we have enjoyed experiencing culture and nature, communities and professional skills on our own.”
The royals ended their statement by thanking everyone who has “spontaneously and planned to share personal stories, experiences and talents, and to everyone who has prepared, hosted and participated over the past four days.”
“We are deeply touched and filled with good experiences.”
They also shared a photo taken ahead of the evening reception in Vejle.
During their royal tour, the couple have put any rumours surrounding their marriage firmly in the rear view mirror.
On their third day touring, the Danish royals were taken on a guided walk around the scenic Voderup Klint on the south coast of Ærø and is part of the UNESCO-designated South Funen Archipelago Geopark.
The palace shared some beautiful photographs from their trip, including one of the couple appearing pretty loved up.
The Queen looked elegant in a white shirt and a camel maxi skirt by Joseph, accessorising with a straw hat, trainers and delicate gold jewellery. Meanwhile, the King donned a grey suit with a white shirt and a rust-coloured tie.
King Frederik and Queen Mary are visiting several Danish municipalities during their four-day summer tour – the first of their reign, which began back in January, amid rumours the couple’s marriage was going through difficulties amid allegations of infidelity.
ROYAL TOUR BEGINS
Queen Mary was spotted on board the royal yacht, dressed in a stylish nautical-inspired outfit.
The Australian-born monarch was seen wearing a white long sleeve blouse, with dark wide-legged trousers, navy suede Jimmy Choo heels and a white and navy striped long vest with gold buttons.
Queen Mary wore her hair in a half-up, half-down style with a navy hat complete with a large bow.
Meanwhile the King was dressed in his full navy uniform, complete with medals, white gloves and polished boots.
This is the first summer the royal couple will be taking part in the annual cruise as King and Queen.
For the duration of the three-day cruise they will be sailing aboard the Royal Yacht Dannebrog.
As part of the cruise, they visited Bornholm, a Danish island in the Baltic Sea southeast of Copenhagen, where Queen Mary greeted children waving the Danish flag and received a bouquet of flowers from a young boy.
The Queen was last seen in public at the Paris Olympic Games, where she watched the Dressage Individual Grand Prix Freestyle at Château de Versailles.
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Originally published as Queen Mary in surprise meeting with father of her pet dog, Coco
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