Frederik & Mary in Australia – Day One

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary have begun their official visit to Australia today, after arriving in the country yesterday with their youngest children, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.

The couple’s first engagement of the visit, which begins in Sydney, was a visit to the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition at Bondi Beach. They were greeted by the New South Wales Premier, Mr Barry O’Farrell, before taking a tour of the exhibition. Later in Marks Park, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary presented the 2011 People’s Choice Prize, voted for by people who have visited the exhibition, and the 2011 Kid’s Choice Prize. Byeong Doo Moon’s I Have Been Dreaming To Be A Tree II sculpture won the People’s Choice Prize, while Look This Way, a fibre-glass model by Ken Unsworth was voted best by the kids.

An international edition of Sculpture by the Sea was first presented in 2009 in Aarhus, under the patronage of the Prince and Princess. An edition was also held this year, and will again be held in 2013.

From Bondi, the royals headed over to Customs House in Circular Quay, where they launched an arts project entitled Curating Cities: Sydney-Copenhagen, in the presence of Sydney’s Lord Mayor, Ms Clover Moore, and the Mayor of Copenhagen, Mr Frank Jensen. The launch is one of the first engagements highlighting the purpose of Prince Frederik and Princess Mary’s visit – the State of Green – Join the Future. Think Denmark business delegation to showcase Danish pioneering in environmentally-friendly ventures. During the launch, the Prince and Princess test-rode bicycles which use the energy generated by the rider to make smoothies.

It was then on to the Australian Naval Museum in Garden Island, which serves as Sydney’s naval base, for a barbeque lunch with around 400 members of Danish and Australian business. A menu of seafood and traditional Aussie pavlova was on hand as the couple mingled with the guests, including the Danish Consular-General, Mr Michael Hansen.

A quick boat trip across Syndey Harbour at around 4:00pm took Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary to Admiralty House, the official Sydney residence of the Australian Governor-General, where a wardrobe change was in store for the Princess before she and Frederik had an audience with Quentin Bryce, the Governor-General, and her husband Michael.

Ten-month old twins Vincent and Josephine, dressed in blue, then joined their parents for a photo op on the steps of the House, holding on to a stuffed koala and kangaroo, gifts from Mrs Bryce, who continued her favouring of bright spring colours when meeting foreign dignitaries (she wore yellow and coral last week when meeting with US President Obama, and hot pink for Queen Elizabeth II in October), donning a hot pink frock. Princess Mary kept it neutral in cream.

Mrs Bryce has hosted a dinner this evening for the visiting royals, attended by around sixty guests.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary will continue their visit in Sydney tomorrow, before spending time in Canberra and Melbourne later this week.

To read more about the visit, click here.

Filed under Denmark
Tagged Audience, Australia, Awards, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Environment, Exhibition, Governor-General Bryce of Australia, Official Visit, Patronage, Prince Vincent of Denmark, Princess Josephine of Denmark.

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