Queen Mary and King Frederik X of Denmark were caught up in a security scare during Flag Day commemorations in Copenhagen on Saturday as police responded to unrest nearby.
The 54-year-old Tasmanian-born Queen and her husband, King Frederik, 58, joined commemorations honouring Denmark’s current and former deployed personnel.
The royal couple took part in a series of solemn events across Copenhagen, including a wreath-laying at Kastellet, a memorial service at Holmen’s Church and a military parade at Christiansborg Palace Square.
After the ceremony at Kastellet, where the Danish royals laid a wreath, Mary and Frederik travelled to Holmen’s Church for a service honouring Denmark’s fallen.
However, while the King and Queen were seated inside the church, a “loud noise could suddenly be heard in the street outside”, Danish tabloid Billed Bladet reported.
“There was a full blast of police emergency vehicles circling the church,” the outlet said.
According to the outlet, the “extraordinary activity” lasted for about half an hour before the “situation calmed down”.
The heightened police presence came as authorities dealt with large demonstrations elsewhere in Copenhagen throughout Saturday morning and afternoon, including unrest that began in Østerbro, about 1.5 kilometres from Holmen’s Church.
Hundreds of black-clad protesters, believed to be part of the group The Danish People, reportedly clashed with police on the streets of Copenhagen, with fireworks fired at officers.
Other demonstrations involving groups from opposing sides of the political spectrum, including the Joint Initiative against Racism and Discrimination, were also held nearby.
Billed Bladet noted that there were “no disturbances during the Flag Day parade” itself, which the royal couple attended.
King Frederik and Queen Mary did not publicly address the unrest, with the Danish Royal Household instead sharing two social media posts marking Flag Day.
“The royal couple participated together with the official Denmark in marking Flag Day, which since 2009, has honoured the persons who are or have been deployed on a mission for Denmark,” one post’s caption read.
“Flag Day is both a tribute to Denmark’s dispatchers and their professional efforts and a day when those who lost their lives during their deployment are remembered.”
The latest incident is not the first time Mary and Frederik have found themselves at the centre of a security scare during their years in public life.
In July 2024, Mary was struck by a scooter during a royal visit to Nuuk, Greenland, after the vehicle drove through a crowd gathered to greet her.
The Hobart-born royal was left visibly shaken after being knocked off balance, as her security personnel quickly intervened.
Video of the incident was obtained by Danish news agency Ekstra Bladet, which received confirmation from the Royal House communications department that Queen Mary had not been injured.
Fifteen years earlier, a commercial flight from Copenhagen to Chicago carrying the then-Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary was evacuated on the tarmac following a telephone bomb threat.
Police quickly detained a suspect, and while the threat was not explicitly confirmed to have targeted the royal couple, the plane was completely evacuated as a precaution.
Mary and Frederik, who became King and Queen following Queen Margrethe II’s abdication in January 2024, share four children – Crown Prince Christian, 20, Princess Isabella, 19, and 15-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
Both Christian and Isabella have undertaken mandatory military service at the Antvorskov Barracks in Slagelse with the Guard Hussar Regiment.
News24.com.au has contacted the Danish Royal Household for further comment.