story reposted as a partial summary ...
Here's what the nasty WD article says (summary of two columns out of a 12-column article):
It reports that Mary stood in the middle of the floor crying; that guests thought it was very odd.
It describes Mary's behaviour as a "fit of jealousy" because Fred had danced twice with Bettina Odum (with her fiance happily just nearby) and because the music was loud, his lips were close to Bettina.
The article says several attempts were made to calm her, and that a "circle of sympathisers in stilettoes" gathered around Mary.
The article reports that Bettina approached Mary but Mary blanked her, in front of the other guests.
The article goes on to say Mary could have shrugged off the episode, but instead she "ostentatiously boycotted" a breakfast put on by the hosts.
A guest is quoted as saying Mary's behaviour was incredibly childish and rude to her hosts, and that giving the host the cold shoulder showed a total lack of class.
The article insinuates that there is a "Mary camp" and a "Frederik camp" and that Frederik's friends, being intelligent, strong Danish women, would be "too much for commoner Mary to deal with".
All in all, the article is full of insinuations, and indicates a very worrying shift in attitude by the glossies in Australia. Worst of all, it implies that there is a Diana/Charles-style war going on between Mary's so-called sympathisers, and the Danish Royal Family.
This is going to be a difficult issue for Mary to negotiate - but let's assume she'll hold tight and sit through the embarassment. If she had drunk a bit too much champagne that night, and was feeling a little overwhelmed by the society she was in - who could be surprised? She's done well.
A
