Frederik & Mary in Australia – Days Six & Seven

The Danish Crown Prince Couple have completed the official portion of their visit to Australia, spending their final two days in Melbourne and Broken Hill.

On Friday November 25th, the couple began their day seperately – Prince Frederik was in southwestern Victoria, while Princess Mary went northwest to Broken Hill in New South Wales. The Prince visited the Macarthur Wind Farm just outside of Macarthur, which become the Southern Hemisphere’s largest wind farm when it is completed. Frederik toured the construction site, which is expected to power over 200,000 homes, alongside the Danish Trade and Investment Minister. The wind turbines are being manufactured by Danish company Vestas. He was then given the opportunity to meet with students from Hawkesdale P-12 College, and was presented with a series of pictures drawn by the younger students by preppy Tom Morrison – who told the Prince that he lives on a farm “full of sheep and dogs” not windmills.

Meanwhile, Princess Mary had flown to Broken Hill, to visit the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) headquarters there. Greeted by dozens of people waiting on the tarmac, Mary spent some time accepting flowers and shaking hands, before going inside the RFDS hangers to have a look at one of the RFDS planes. A lunch followed, with the Princess launching the RFDS initiative to assist remote women with breast cancer, funded by the McGrath Foundation. Mary told those at the lunch that she was “thrilled” to visit the base and see the “iconic” Australian charity in action. Just after 13:00, Princess Mary returned to the RAAF jet to fly back to Melbourne, where she and Prince Frederik attended a reception at Government House hosted by the Governor of Victoria, Mr Alex Chernov.

Yesterday, Prince Frederik and Princess Mary headed into Melbourne’s northwest to the Hume Global Learning Centre in Broadmeadows, where the couple attended the launch of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation’s eSmart program. Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Victorian Premier Ted Ballieau were also in attendance, as was the founder of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, Walter Micak (the two girls’ father). A group of school children held homemade signs saying ‘Welcome’ in several languages, presented the Princess with flowers and then posed for a photo with the visitors. Speaking at the lunch, Princess Mary said she was “inspired” by the eSmart program, and was looking forward to taking the initiative back to Denmark with her.

The final engagement for the visit was the couple’s attendance at the Starry Starry Night gala at Crown Casino, which is held by and benefits the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, of which Mary is the international patron. Wearing a sea-green evening gown (believed to be an altered version of the gown she wore to Crown Princess Victoria’s June 2010 wedding), Princess Mary and Prince Frederik walked the purple carpet before sitting down with 1,000 other guests for dinner and entertainment provided by Delta Goodrem and Bert Newton, as well as other celebrities not known for their singing talents willing to step on stage in the name of charity.

The Princess and her two youngest children, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, will head on to Tasmania for a private holiday with Mary’s family, while Crown Prince Frederik is off to Vietnam on an official visit. He will rejoin his wife later this week, accompanied by the couple’s two eldest children, Prince Christian and Princess Isabella.

To read more about the visit, click here.

Filed under Denmark
Tagged Anti-Bullying, Australia, Children, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Environment, Fashion, Health, Official Visit, Patronage, Prime Minister Gillard of Australia.