As crisis looms for Harry and Meghan’s Aussie tour, the Danish royals have the simple fix the Sussexes need – but will they listen?

Danish royal family mania swept Australia this week as Queen Mary and King Frederik X completed their six-day state visit Down Under.

Mary and Frederik’s whistle-stop tour of Uluru, Canberra, Melbourne and Hobart saw them receive a rockstar reception at every location. 

The trip was historic on multiple levels as it was the first time the reigning royals had visited in an official capacity since taking the throne, and the first time in over 40 years that any Danish monarch had been to Australia.

But sentimentally for Aussies, Mary is our first ever Australian-born queen consort and her first visit back home after being officially crowned a European queen was always going to generate enormous excitement.

Visits from royalty to Oz are usually few and far between – which is understandable given our geographical distance from the major royal families’ home countries.

But in less than a month, we’ll be welcoming yet another royal arrival as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle head to our shores.

The couple will ‘visit Australia in mid-April to take part in a number of private, business and philanthropic engagements,’ a spokesperson revealed last week.

Prince Harry is confirmed to appear as a keynote speaker at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit, which takes place in Melbourne from April 15 to 16.

But it’s Meghan’s confirmed gig that’s laced with controversy – she’s set to be the headline speaker at a weekend retreat, hosted by the ‘Her Best Life’ podcast, ran by Jackie O Henderson’s bestie, Gemma O’Neill.

The retreat, at the InterContinental Hotel in Coogee, in Sydney’s east, is capped at 300 guests, with an early bird ticket costing $2,699, while the VIP experience costs $3,199 per person.

Although not stated outright, we can presume that Meghan will be well remunerated for this private speaking engagement. 

But it’s not the eye-watering ticket prices for the retreat that are raising eyebrows.

Rather, the event’s host O’Neill has found herself under the microscope this week after it was revealed her talent management business had gone into liquidation. 

According to an exclusive news.com.au report, the Gemmie Agency went into voluntary liquidation in November, winding up the business with debts to the tune of $546,848.

Nevertheless, the show must go on (or perhaps, should I say, the retreat?), with O’Neill gleefully announcing in a video shared to the Her Best Life podcast’s Instagram last week that she was ‘shocked’ but ecstatic to be hosting the Duchess of Sussex at a live onstage discussion as part of the retreat.

Meanwhile, there’s a whole other side story to this about how Meghan is inadvertently connected to the biggest Australian media story of the year – the cancellation of the Kyle & Jackie O show – because Jackie is one of O’Neill’s talent clients and her best friend… the layers!

So you might say things aren’t exactly off to the greatest start – and Meghan hasn’t even landed on Aussie soil yet. No doubt the liquidation of a business run by the person at the helm of the retreat Meghan is the headline act for isn’t exactly the best look. 

It also emerged this week that the new infinity pool at the 5-star Intercontinental Hotel, Coogee, where Meghan’s guests will no doubt be hoping to relax, is still under construction. The spa, bar and ‘leisure deck’ are also due to be completed next month. Cutting it very fine, indeed!

The April 17–19 event is anticipated to bring in nearly $1 million in ticket revenue with those who bought VIP tickets receiving a ‘group table photo’ with the Duchess and seats in the front two rows for the ‘gala dinner’.

VIPs will also be gifted an exclusive goodie bag and a premium ocean-view hotel room.

Other activities include a session with psychologist Dr Justine Corry, a meditation and manifestation workshop with O’Neill, yoga, sound healing and a dinner-and-disco celebration.

Meanwhile, although Harry’s Aussie speaking engagement seems less troublesome on the surface, he too is being called out for the $2,378.65 ticket price that conference attendees are expected to pay to attend. 

The Duke of Sussex was once praised for his tireless advocacy in the mental health space – now he expects people to stump up for the privilege of hearing him speak on such topics. 

With a possible disaster Australia trip looming, the Duke and Duchess should be looking at the week’s roaringly successful visit by the Danish royals and take heed of what has made them so adored.

That is, if they’ve even deigned to notice there is another royal tour happening in the run up to their own. 

Mary has an obvious advantage as far as her public image Down Under goes: we love to claim her as our own and she rarely makes a misstep.

So, it might seem unfair to say the less-likeable Sussexes could simply follow her shining example and be guaranteed a glowing reception in Australia.

But let’s not forget, King Frederik hasn’t always charmed the media – especially after those infamous Madrid reports. Yet on this trip to Australia, he’s been utterly delightful.

Ultimately, the Danish royals showed exactly how to win over Aussies. Here’s what impressed me:

Genuine interaction moments

Although we like to claim Mary as our own Queen, the fact is the Danish royals aren’t technically ours. This meant, like the Sussexes, the Danes weren’t participating in mega-scale public meet-and-greet events at every stop. 

But when there were small windows for public interaction, the Danish royals embraced them with authenticity, warmth and heart.

The prime example that stood out to me was in Melbourne, when Mary spotted two adorable young girls curtsying and holding up homemade signs. Without hesitation, Mary greeted the youngsters, enthused about their artworks, and even posed for a  rare selfie with the girls and their mothers. Her patience and kindness in that moment melted hearts.

The moral? When the opportunity presents itself for genuine connection, seize it. And when you do, mean it.

Embrace united stoicism 

Whether strolling around Uluru, greeting officials or cruising Tasmanian waters, King Frederik and Queen Mary always appeared united, respectful and genuinely solid as a couple.

But did you notice their personal contact isn’t excessive? No big shows of PDAs or over-the-top lovey-dovey gestures between them. Instead, loads of eye contact, mirrored body language and expression, chivalrous linking of their arms and occasionally a soft arm draped around each other’s waist.

These respectful and stoic public interactions were made all the more powerful at the state banquet when Frederik delivered an unexpectedly heartfelt tribute to his wife, recounting little-known details about their Sydney 2000 Aussie pub love story and sharing how he lost his heart to her that night.

Showy displays of affection are not needed to present the image of a unified royal couple. In fact, there’s quiet power in keeping things refined.

Shed unnecessary grandeur

Perhaps the only disappointment felt by some Aussies during this recent state visit is that Mary didn’t pull out one of her many glamorous tiaras at the state banquet in Canberra. Instead, she opted to pair her floor-length ball gown with a chic – and still very expensive – Ole Lynggaard hair clip.

Certainly, it would’ve been great to see the Tassie girl in all her crowning glory on home soil. And there’s certainly plenty of precedent for royals to wear a tiara at a state dinner.

But ultimately, it seems Mary read the room and Aussie culture. The grandeur wasn’t necessary; no need to flex that she’s a queen. We all know it – and she’s all the more relatable for bucking the trend and keeping it simple.

Stick in your lane 

One thing Mary and Fred’s visit must be applauded for is how they stayed on message from start to finish. The initial official announcement about the tour explained that the theme of sustainability was central to the visit – and it showed up time and again through the royal’s actions.

On the itinerary in Melbourne was seeing sustainable housing and signing memorandums on renewable energy and green transition. In Mary’s home state of Tassie, they learnt about marine ecosystems and inspected the world’s largest battery-powered ferry.

Even Mary’s wardrobe stuck to this ethos. All throughout the trip, the Queen re-wore classic fashion pieces that she’s been seen in time and again.

What it boils down to is knowing precisely what your guiding light message is as a royal – and then ensuring it’s a touchpoint with any engagement you participate in for the duration of the tour.

And don’t take yourself too seriously…

Harry and Meghan might struggle with this one…

Sport is integral to Aussie culture, and Mary and Fred were wise to add a stop at the MCG for an AFL event.

It also gave rise to one of the most memorable moments of the royal tour when Mary struggled to punt and kick the football with any kind of accuracy, joking that the pros made it look way easier.

Self-deprecating humour is woven into Aussie culture – something Mary naturally gets. Embracing flaws and mishaps isn’t just accepted; it’s endearing, especially when you lean in.

When visitors master this, they instantly become more relatable to Australians.

The Danish King and Queen struck the perfect note throughout their visit – and the public loved it. In a month’s time, will we be saying the same about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex?