The images were explained at the time by HOLA! in the following terms: Frederik and a mutual friend of his and Genoveva’s had planned to attend an exhibition together. After the friend pulled out, Genoveva was asked to go in his place. The pair then walked through the park and had a public dinner together at ‘El Corral de la Morería’.
After the debacle surrounding the pictures, which were published in Spanish magazine Lecturas, Casanova disappeared from social media amid reports that she was feeling ‘crushed’ by the accusations. In March, it emerged that King Frederik actually returned to Spain for a private trip earlier in the year. It is not clear exactly when Frederik returned to Spain but it was suggested in HOLA! that the King was last in Madrid in February, perhaps making his first visit since the coronation.
It made for a frosty start to King Frederik and Queen Mary’s time on the throne. The couple famously met during the Sydney Olympics, at the ‘Slip Inn’ pub, while Frederik was visiting to support Denmark’s sailing team. Their continent-crossing fairytale romance was the stuff of legend, with Mary quickly becoming one of Europe’s best-loved royals. But might their marriage be in the doldrums?
Indeed, on their family skiing holiday to Verbier in March, the only thing chillier than the Alpine slopes was the atmosphere between the royal couple. Photographs showed the pair decked out in their ski kit, ready for a day’s activity. King Frederik frowned while placing his hands on his hips while appearing to speak to Mary, while the mother-of-four turned away from her husband with an impatient look on her face. There had even been rumours that things were so bad between the couple that Queen Mary might even have remained home in Amalienborg Castle.
Rumours continued to spiral in the wake of the retreat. A series of solo engagements for Queen Mary had the world asking: Where’s Frederik? The Australian-born Queen was seen without her husband on three occasions throughout the Spring, including a trip to the Freedom Museum in Copenhagen to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the National Guard.
It meant a summer of image rehabilitation for the couple, who were no doubt keenly aware of Queen Margrethe’s magisterial legacy. Indeed, it was in celebration of Margrethe that the pair first presented this new united front, standing side by side at Fredensborg Castle in April ahead of the former Queen’s birthday – their first joint engagement in months.