Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark looked like any other playful tourist couple recently as they frolicked along the beach.
The only difference? They happened to be in the midst of an official royal engagement.
The Danish monarchs have just embarked on the royal family’s annual tradition of a summer cruise aboard the Dannebrog yacht.
And the royals appeared to be in high spirits on June 26 when they made the first stop of their tour in the Frederikshavn Municipality.
Venturing out onto the famous Råbjerg Mile sand dunes, Mary, 53 and, Frederik, 57 both ditched their shoes to feel the sand between their toes.
They may have been visiting the area in an official capacity, but that didn’t stop the royal couple from playfully traversing the area, which is known for being the largest moving sand dune in the country.
Grenen is also the country’s northernmost point – and a spot where two seas magnificently collide.
The Tasmanian-born Queen seemed particularly fascinated by the swell the intersection point. With her arms lifted out wide for balance, Mary even ventured out into the choppy waters.
Royals are just like us! King Frederik was the dutiful Instagram husband snapping a picture of his wife Queen Mary standing in the choppy Grenen waters
Queen Mary carefully walked out into the ocean at Grenen, the country’s northernmost point where two seas collide
Swimming at the location is strictly forbidden – but the Aussie-born queen was safe dipping her toes in
The married couple of 21-years looked relaxed and at ease as they explored the famous Danish beach together
Like any dutiful Instagram husband, Frederik obligingly stood back on the shore and took pictures of his wife in the swell.
Queen Mary was careful not to wade in too far, however, as swimming at Grenen’s kilometre-long stretch of beach is strictly forbidden due to the dangerous and strong currents.
Royal watchers were delighted to see the smart but casually dressed royals clearly enjoying their day out at the beach.
Queen Mary looked effortlessly glam wearing a dark sweater worn over a pale blue button-up shirt.
She paired the ensemble with a pair of tan shorts – with style pundits quickly spotting that they were the exact same ones she’d worn recently during a surprise TV appearance on Danish show Søren Vester’s Garden.
Meanwhile, Frederik donned a bold orange puffer vest worn over a checked shirt and teamed with khaki pants.
‘I’m loving seeing how much fun these two are having, footloose and fancy free,’ one royal fan commented on the pictures.
‘The photo of Mary in the water with the waves behind her and Frederik taking her photo is just lovely.’
Going barefoot! Queen Mary ditched the sneakers to feel the sand beneath her toes and frolic in the ocean
Both royals eventually ditched their shoes as they were accompanied on a walking tour of the sand dunes
Royal watchers loved seeing King Frederik and Queen Mary’s cosy and playful interactions – even while officially on duty
‘Merging duty and fun,’ agreed another.
The sand runs and splashing were only the beginning of the royals’ playful interaction that particular day.
During a royal press call at the sand dunes, gathered media were left stunned by a spontaneous flirty interaction between the married couple of 21 years.
The royals were joined on the sand dunes by photographers. Frederik and Mary dutifully posed for pictures, wrapping their arms around each other and putting on a smile for the cameras.
According to BilledBladet, there was at one stage a hush as the photographers snapped away. So, the Aussie-born Queen took it upon herself to break the awkward silence by asking a cheeky question.
‘Shall we kiss?’ Queen Mary asked King Frederik.
A photo op with King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark standing in the Råbjerg Mile sand dunes started off stilted and formal. Until…
… Australian-born Queen Mary broke the awkward silence by playfully suggesting to her husband: ‘Shall we kiss?’
The unscripted moment caught King Frederik off guard and offered a rare glimpse into the royal couple’s relationship dynamic
The unexpected impulse quickly saw King Frederik dissolve into a broad smile and laughter.
Perhaps sadly for the photographers, the royals didn’t oblige Mary’s request with an on-camera kiss.
But the surprise suggestion from the mother-of-four added instant levity to the otherwise formal atmosphere of the press call.
And the quirky comment resulted in a series of gorgeous and relaxed snaps of the king and queen.
The unscripted moment offered a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the royal couple’s relationship dynamic.
This was evident as both Mary and Frederik continued to lovingly wrap their arms around one another in front of the photographers.
Later, the pair visited prominent historic landmark Archer’s House before hosting a reception on the royal ship Dannebrog.
The royals’ presence in the Frederikshavn Municipality attracted hundreds of locals, who turned out in droves for a glimpse of the king and queen.
It appeared the king and queen remained in good spirits for the remainder of the day. They were seen later on August 25 happily waving to crowds of spectators in the Frederikshavn Municipality
And it seemed that the feel-good energy resulting from the flirty moment on the sand dunes earlier in the day remained with the royals all throughout their subsequent engagements.
In a clear indication of their stellar moods, both Mary and Frederik were all smiles as they happily greeted and waved to the gathered royal fans.
The intimate and relaxed interaction between King Frederik and Queen Mary has increasingly become a hallmark of their reign.
Recent social media posts shared to the official Danish royal family account have featured pictures of the couple looking cosy and ‘connected’.
Royal fans have picked up on the dynamic too.
One fan summed it up in an Instagram comment on their recent gallery of couple-y pictures from their Faroe Islands trip in June.
‘It is a joy – probably for everyone, but especially for us too, who have followed this couple closely for more than 20 years – to see how happy the royal couple is for each other and the special chemistry they have,’ they commented.
‘They have no need to prove a thing. But there are constantly small spontaneous kisses, hugs, a hand on the thigh, arm around each other, an arm on the lower back. It’s nice to see… after 25 years of togetherness.’
