QUEEN MARY AND KING FREDERIK OF DENMARK SET SAIL ON ROYAL YACHT
- The King and Queen boarded the Royal Yacht Danneborg this afternoon
- READ MORE: Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark throw a family lunch for his aunt Princess Benedikte's 80th birthday
The Danish King and Queen were all smiles as they set sail in the sunshine this afternoon - amid accusations they photoshopped their royal portraits.
Queen Mary, 52 and King Frederik, 55, boarded the Royal Yacht Dannebrog as they set off for a traditional summer tour at sea - their first since the King ascended the throne in January.
Mother-of-four Mary looked elegant in a navy polka dot dress with an a-line skirt, paired with a stunning white headband as she accepted a posy of flowers before boarding the boat.
Meanwhile her husband looked regal in his military uniform as he joined his wife to wave goodbye to people on land when they set sail.
The royal couple beamed as they set off on the tour, which will see them visit the Faroe Islands and Greenland in June and July - and showed they would not be cowed by accusations they photoshopped their first royal portrait since becoming king and queen.
Royal fans suggested the Palace had digitally altered the regal photo of the King and Queen weeks after the UK royals were caught up in a similar controversy over the Princess of Wales's Mother's Day photo.
The royal couple's official picture was released last week and featured the Australian-born queen standing alongside the king.
Queen Mary wore a deep green velvet and lace gown along with the crown's 'most complete' heirloom jewel set featuring matching emeralds.
Many praised the photo's 'beauty' but also questioned whether it had been manipulated, with some claiming the couple 'obviously' took their single portraits and had photoshopped them together.
'Beautiful photo, but another digitally enhanced royal photo,' one woman commented on the picture - receiving multiple 'likes'.
'Was this photoshopped? I mean it looks like they were photographed separately then put together? Mary looks exquisite and Frederik, well the king looks like he just rolled out of bed,' wrote one woman.
'Terrible translation. So stiff and awkward. AI,' another questioned. Others pointed out the placement of Queen Mary's hand in front of King Frederik's, claiming it looks out of place.
'It looks like Queen Mary has been put into the photo of Fred. The hand position is identical,' said one fan.
The palace has confirmed the picture is real and says 'the Royal House's official gala portrait has not been manipulated'.
The accusations didn't stop the palace from releasing further portraits this week as the royal family sat for photos to celebrate Princess Benedikte's 80th birthday.
The Danish royals shared the family portrait on their official Instagram page on Tuesday, which featured Queen Margrethe, 84, beside her two younger sisters Princess Benedikte, 80, and Queen Anne Marie of Greece, 77.
The King and Queen had invited Benedikte and family to a birthday lunch in Frederick VIII's Palace, where she was born and raised.
Benedikte, who sat in between her two sisters, looked picture perfect in a cream blazer and pale pink skirt.
Benedikte's daughter Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, 53, looked chic in a cream ensemble.
Alexandra stood next to her son Count Richard von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, who donned a smart navy suit and her husband Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, 59.
Meanwhile Princess Alexandra's daughter Countess Ingrid von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth looked stylish in a pink floral gown.
Elsewhere in the snap Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, 49, who is the third child and youngest daughter of Princess Benedikte, donned a colourful skirt which she paired with a cream long sleeved top.
She stood next to her son Gustav Heinrich Richard, 14, who is Princess Mary of Denmark's godson and Princess Benedikte grandchild.
Read more 2024-05-02T18:03:05Z dg43tfdfdgfd