Do these articles come out when Mary and Marie are attending the same event or randomly these stories come out?
Randomly, I'd say.
The last story I recall was something about Mary having a bad relationship with Joachim and that was in a German mag.
The Australian mags used to be pretty imaginative as well but I haven't seen any "dramatic" headlines for some time. On the other hand you see fewer and fewer stories from Australian mags here on this forum.... So, who knows...
Or perhaps they are learning?
- Yeah, I believe in Santa Claus as well
I dont think there is any strain on the relationship Mary - Marie either. They are too different in personality and position. Mary is CP and loves the attention and everything that goes with it. Marie is the second wife of the second son and loves being Lady of the Manor in Schackenborg, doing what has to be done as Princess of Denmark but nothing more. I dont think they meet very often and if they do its fine, one certainly doesnt feel threatened by the other.
I can imagine that it would be quite different in case Alex was still in Marie's position
this relationship clearly had the potential to become bitchy
You may have a point in the sense that Mary and Alexandra are more alike, IMO. They are both strongwilled women with a perfectionist streak, something at least Mary has admitted to. Which is probably why they are both labbeled "perfect princess" by so many. The main difference as I see it was that Alexandra continued the more conservative line of the DRF back then in 1990's, while Mary (followed by Frederik) opened things up and made the DRF more approachable.
Would an Alexandra, still in place, have curbed Mary's approach during the first couple of years? Who knows? Now she ended up having the stage to herself, so she could do things her way, instead of looking at a more experienced sister-in-law. - It worked.
I'm not sure either they would have been close, they are too much alike. I believe it more likely they would have ended up deeply respecting each other.
Our Marie is another matter, she entered the field when Mary was established and I too doubt she ever had any ambitions about competing with Mary. She's simply Marie and what you see is what you get, for good or for worse.
Mary and Alexandra will never be caught unprepared at an event - that could happen to Marie. But she would simply laugh it off I think -
and get completely away with it!
Mary and Marie is a great combination, because they are so different. They appeal both to different segments of the population but also to different sides of people in general (that's what they do to me).
The combination Mary and Alexandra would, I fear, have lead to constant comparisons because they are more alike.
The same thing applies to Frederik and Joachim. Joachim's more conservative and correct approach versus Frederik's more folksy appeal and easygoing manner. A good combination.