Denmark's most famous author, Hans Christian Andersen, could not have thought up a more bizarre setting or its riveting ensuing chapters: that Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik, a Navy Seal frogman, finds and kisses his princess, a Sydney real estate agent, amid the smoky informality of a crowded pub.
The famous playboy crown prince sat alongside his cousin, Prince Nikolaos of Greece, his brother, Prince Joachim, and Princess Martha of Norway at the Slip Inn as the country was celebrating the spectacle of the Olympic Games opening ceremony. The conversation turned to that first day's competition after Ian Thorpe had smashed a world record.
Joining the discussion were a couple of flirtatious Australian women, who started debating whether hairy or hairless was sexier. One was Beatrice Tarnawski, whose sister was a friend of the nephew of the king of Spain. Ms Tarnawski happened to invite her friend Andrew Miles and his flatmate along for a beer and pizza on that first night of the Games.
The flatmate was Mary Donaldson, a vivacious brown- eyed former law student from Tasmania who had spent the past seven years living in Sydney's eastern suburbs.It was Ms Tarnawski who got the discussion going, and at one point all the women in the group were rubbing their common hands over the very princely torsos to compare which was the more sensual.
The famous playboy crown prince sat alongside his cousin, Prince Nikolaos of Greece, his brother, Prince Joachim, and Princess Martha of Norway at the Slip Inn as the country was celebrating the spectacle of the Olympic Games opening ceremony. The conversation turned to that first day's competition after Ian Thorpe had smashed a world record.
Joining the discussion were a couple of flirtatious Australian women, who started debating whether hairy or hairless was sexier. One was Beatrice Tarnawski, whose sister was a friend of the nephew of the king of Spain. Ms Tarnawski happened to invite her friend Andrew Miles and his flatmate along for a beer and pizza on that first night of the Games.
The flatmate was Mary Donaldson, a vivacious brown- eyed former law student from Tasmania who had spent the past seven years living in Sydney's eastern suburbs.It was Ms Tarnawski who got the discussion going, and at one point all the women in the group were rubbing their common hands over the very princely torsos to compare which was the more sensual.
"All the girls around the table were discussing what is best, the man with a hairy chest or a man without hair, and the princes were wearing open shirts," said Ms Tarnawski.
"We were allowed to touch Prince Frederik and Prince Nikolaos. I liked Prince Frederik best because he was so smooth. Prince Nikolaos had a lot of hair and that really wasn't my type."
Ms Donaldson, too, liked the hairless Crown Prince Frederik and they partied on into the night. But it was the common interests of the prince and Ms Donaldson, particularly horses and a sense of sporting adventure, that drew them together.
More than two years on, Ms Donaldson has quit her job, moved to Denmark and leased a $7000-a-month apartment next to the magnificent Palace of Amalienborg. Recently she started a job with Microsoft in Copenhagen, is taking lessons in the Danish language".
On 24 September 2003 the Danish court announced that Queen Margrethe II intended to give her consent to the marriage at the State Council meeting scheduled for 8 October 2003 and the couple became officially engaged on the same day. They married in May 2004 and now have four children together.
