Denmark’s King Frederik and queen mary began a six-day state visit to Australia with a sunrise trek to the Muṯitjulu waterhole at Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa national park, marking the end of the tour’s first leg and signalling a programme that will emphasise deepening trade ties and clean-energy cooperation.
Queen Mary Walk at Muṯitjulu Draws Cultural Welcome
The royal couple walked to Muṯitjulu waterhole with traditional owners on Sunday morning. The site is one of the few permanent water sources around the sandstone monolith and a frequent stop for visiting dignitaries. At the park’s cultural centre, the pair received a guided tour and watched a ceremonial Inma dance that connects the Aṉangu custodians to their ancestors.
The waterhole has hosted several high-profile visitors in the past, and the royals also paused at the sunset viewing area where they took photographs. Queen Mary described the experience of seeing Uluru and meeting the Aṉangu as a strong start to the visit, saying she had been looking forward to the trip and to hearing about the spiritual and cultural connection to the lands.
State Visit Agenda: Canberra, Melbourne and Hobart With Trade Focus
The couple touched down in the red centre on Saturday as the opening stage of a six-day official tour, their first visit to Australia since Frederik became king. The delegation travelling with them includes senior Danish officials and representatives from more than 50 Danish companies, with ministers for foreign affairs and climate among those accompanying the royals.
The visit aims to deepen commercial ties between Denmark and Australia, with a particular emphasis on clean energy. The itinerary moves to Canberra for a programme of official events that will include a 21-gun salute at Government House and a state dinner hosted by the governor general, Sam Mostyn. Meetings are scheduled with the prime minister and his partner before the delegation departs for engagements in Melbourne and Hobart.
Personal Ties And Public Significance
Mary is Hobart-born and formerly Mary Donaldson, who first met the then-crown prince during a chance encounter at a Sydney pub during the Olympic Games in 2000. The couple were proclaimed king and queen in January 2024 in a ceremony that also marked their 20th wedding anniversary. This is the pair’s fourth official tour together and their first return to Australia in more than a decade.
Public and private elements are built into the schedule: in addition to trade-focused meetings and ceremonial duties, the royals are likely to spend time with Mary’s relatives in Tasmania, including her elderly father, John Donaldson. The visit balances cultural engagement at Uluru and formal diplomatic outreach in the capital cities, underscoring the tour’s twin aims of cultural recognition and strengthened bilateral commercial links.
Officials and company representatives travelling with the delegation will follow the remaining itinerary as the tour progresses, with further developments expected as the royals move through the planned Australian stops.
