Frederik & Mary in Australia – Day Three

The Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark spent their third day in Australia visiting the nation’s capital today. The couple were greeted by the Governor-General at Canberra Airport, before the Crown Prince viewed a guard of honour. It was then on to Parliament House for the day’s engagements.

At Parliament House, the Australia Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, was waiting for Prince Frederik and Princess Mary, greeting them each with a handshake. The group had a brief audience together, the visitors signed Parliament House’s guest book, and then it was on to a luncheon with various Australian politicians and statesmen in the Great Hall. Prince Frederik, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, gave speeches at the lunch, each highlighting the importance of environmental action.

Prince Frederik also joked with Mr Abbott, correcting his statement that Frederik’s best marathon time was three hours and twenty-three minutes: “I’d like to put a quote in that my personal record in marathon is three hours and six minutes. But it’s still OK. It’s not about winning, it’s about succeeding.” Both Prince Frederik and Mr Abbott have completed several marathons in the past few years. Prime Minister Gillard also mentioned the royal couple’s 2000 meeting at the Sydney Olympics, calling their’s “a distinctly 21st-century romance.” During the luncheon, Princess Mary was presented with a gift from Jannette Phillips, an Indigenous Australian representative.

Prince Frederik and Princess Mary had an audience with Mr Abbott following the lunch, before attending the opening of The Australian-Denmark Green Growth Forum Seminar and visiting the National Gallery of Australia. During their gallery visit, Frederik and Mary viewed an Aboriginal exhibition and also viewed a portrait of the Princess painted by Jiawei Shen.

It was then over to the National Arboretum Canberra, where Frederik and Mary were welcomed by over 500 members of the public who had won the chance to attend the event via ballot. Despite the rain, the couple took the time to shake hands and talk with the people before planting a field maple tree, a Danish native, in the Arboretum. The couple’s final engagement in Canberra was a traditional visit to the Australian War Memorial, where they laid a wreath of white flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier in the Hall of Memory.

Prince Frederik and Princess Mary have now flown on to Melbourne, where they will continue their official visit until Saturday, and then spend some time in Hobart with Mary’s family.

To read more about the visit, click here.

Filed under Denmark
Tagged Audience, Australia, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Environment, Exhibition, Governor-General Bryce of Australia, Memorial, Official Visit, Prime Minister Gillard of Australia.