How Queen Mary could look to Queen Silvia: King Carl Gustaf and his wife's 47

Release time：2024-05-07 17:31:19 Source：Culture Compass news portal

King Frederik X of Denmark and his wife Queen Mary have arrived in Stockholm today for their first state visit since ascending to the Danish throne - amid speculation the royal couple are dealing with marital struggles.

Their hosts, 78-year-old King Carl XVI Gustaf, Sweden's longest-reigning monarch, and German-Brazilian-born Queen Silvia, 80, are no strangers to rumours swirling around their marriage.

In 2010, the Swedish monarchy was rocked by the release of a biography about the King which shined a light on his 'wild sex parties with strippers and lengthy affair with a singer'. 

King Carl offered a 'vague' statement after the release of the controversial book, saying he and his family had chosen to 'turn the page... and move forward because, as I understand, these are things that happened a long time ago.'

So, perhaps Mary and Frederik, who were all smiles as they put on a united front in the Swedish capital today, are taking a leaf out of Carl and Silvia's book? They still appear to be happily married, 47 years on from their wedding day and over a decade since the scandal caused by the biography. 

King Frederik X of Denmark (pictured right) and his wife Queen Mary (pictured centre) have arrived in Stockholm today for their first state visit since ascending to the Danish throne - amid speculation the royal couple are dealing with marital struggles. Pictured left, Queen Silvia of Sweden

Speculation about the state of the Danish King and Queen's 20-year marriage first began after photos emerged of Frederik enjoying an evening out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casnova in November last year.

Prior to the publication of the images, Australian-born Mary and Frederik's 23-year romance was often dubbed a 'real-life fairytale' after they met in a Sydney pub - yet their relationship has made headlines in recent months for less glowing reasons.

Similarly, King Carl was seen as the perfect 21st-century monarch, insisting Swedish law be changed to allow his eldest daughter, Crown Princess Victoria, to succeed him rather than his only son, Prince Carl Philip.

For years, the monarch's only acknowledgement of a racier world was the stable of fast cars he enjoyed driving - while his 47-year marriage to Queen Silvia was credited as a wonderful example of partnership.

Yet in 2010 the Swedish monarchy was rocked by the release of a new biography about the King which shined a light on his 'wild sex parties with strippers and lengthy affair with a singer'.

Titled The Reluctant Monarch, it accused King Carl - who is a distant cousin of King Charles - of attending underground strip clubs with his friends and having an extramarital affair.

The controversial book revealed that the king and his friends had enjoyed the company of 'coffee girls' - women who would 'entertain' the group, consisting of members of the remains of Swedish aristocracy.

It also alleged that the king visited underground strip clubs. In the biography, the three ­investigative authors claimed the King had 'wild sex parties involving strippers', sometimes hosted by an infamous Mafia boss in a Stockholm club.

Speculation about the state of the Danish King and Queen's 20-year marriage first began after photos emerged of Frederik enjoying an evening out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casnova in November last year (pictured)

No fewer than 14 pages of The Reluctant Monarch - a 2010 biography about the Swedish King - detailed an alleged lengthy affair the monarch had with Camilla Henemark (pictured), the Swedish singer and model

It was also ­alleged that, over many years, he had been protected by the Swedish secret service, Sapo, covering up embarrassing material in his wake and ­pressuring women to hand over compromising pictures.

According to the late Mafia-linked club owner Mille Markovic, who was quoted in the book, he liked having the King as a customer because it minimised the possibility of police raids. 

Following the publication of the book, Markovic claimed that he had compromising photographs of the king with naked women, taken at one of his sex clubs in the 1980s.

In 2021, the author of the controversial biography, Thomas Sjöberg, appeared on a new podcast, Motive, to explore with the documentary series creator, Nils Bergman, the 'royal scandal'. 

 Titled The Reluctant Monarch (pictured), the book accused King Carl of attending underground strip clubs with his friends and having an extramarital affair

In the descriptions of the six-part podcast, available via the Acast+ subscription service, it is said that the King and his friends, the so-called ‘royal gang’, for a few years in the early ‘90s had a standing reservation on Mondays at the underground club owned by Markovic.

‘Young women and strippers have in an almost systematic way been called into these party nights to please this elite group of powerful men,’ read the synopsis of episode two, when translated from Swedish to English.

‘The men have promised the world, modelling jobs and careers in the entertainment industry, in exchange for providing what they want.’

Several women interviewed for the book claimed they had sex with the King. After one big dinner ­celebrating a successful elk hunt, he is said to have enjoyed sex with two women at the same time.

At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where the King of Sweden was ­inevitably a VIP guest, he is said to have spent $10,000 (£7,000) in the Gold Club nightclub, including two hours in a room alone with one of the strippers.

In some instances, Sapo agents have been used to search the homes of women in order to confiscate ­pictures taken at the King’s private parties.

‘If the rolls of film and pictures aren’t turned over, some ­unpleasant things will happen,’ the book ­startlingly claimed.

King Frederik (pictured centre right) and his wife Queen Mary (pictured centre left) have put on a united front as they arrived in Sweden today for their first state visit since ascending to the Danish throne. Pictured left, Queen Silvia, and pictured right, King Carl Gustaf

Despite rumours the couple is dealing with marital struggles, the royals were all smiles when welcomed by King Carl XVI Gustaf and German-Brazilian-born Queen Silvia in Stockholm on Monday

The Reluctant Monarch biography also accused King Carl of having an extramarital affair with a famous Swedish singer in the 90s.

No fewer than 14 pages detailed an alleged lengthy affair he had with Camilla Henemark, the Swedish singer and model.

Her response to the revelations following the book launch was not to deny them but merely to say her ­lawyer had advised her ‘not to give any comments’.

The book claimed that Queen Silvia was aware of this affair but was ­helpless as the King ‘had fallen in love like a teenager and, on one ­occasion, the King and Henemark were talking about leaving for a ­distant island, like Marlon Brando in Tetiaroa in French Polynesia, where they planned to live on coconuts’.

When first faced with questions about the book, after enjoying a gathering with friends and shooting elk, the King said he had not read it ‘yet’, but he understood what it contained.

‘I have spoken with my family and the Queen and we choose to turn the page ... and move forward because, as I understand, these are things that happened a long time ago,’ he said.

Recalling the monarch’s statement, the podcast claimed ‘the most important thing for the trio of authors is that the king at least does not deny any of their claims.’

Meanwhile, a courtier said at the time of the book's launch: ‘It’s terrible that this has all come out. But the Queen is a trooper. She will show nothing.'

Indeed, Queen Mary has also remained silent on recent speculation regarding her marriage and instead put on a dignified display alongside her husband during their trip to Sweden.

Frederik and Geneva were seen walking through Madrid in November last year before heading to her apartment building, changing clothes and heading out again for the evening.

The publication of the photos resulted in Genoveva, 47, issuing a statement denying any kind of romantic relationship between herself and the royal and slamming the 'malicious' rumours.

A month after Frederik was pictured with Geneva, the former daughter-in-law of the billionaire Duchess of Alba, his 83-year-old mother, Queen Margrethe II, who was Europe's longest-reigning monarch, abdicated.

In 2010 the Swedish monarchy was rocked by the release of a new biography about the King (pictured in the '90s with his wife) which shined a light on his 'wild sex parties with strippers and lengthy affair with a singer'

King Carl and Queen Silvia were married on 19 June 1976 in Stockholm Cathedral after meeting at the 1972 Munich Olympics

And in the months that have followed Frederik ascending to the throne on January 14, Mary has seemingly fuelled speculation by completing a series of solo royal engagements without her husband.

But the royal couple - who recently appeared frosty with each other on a family skiing trip over Easter - seemed to be in great spirits as they began their first official visit abroad as new Danish monarchs.

In the Swedish capital, Frederik and Mary were first greeted by Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel, who boarded the Danish royal yacht Dannebrog.

They then took the gilded Swedish Royal Barge to shore and were welcomed there by King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

The welcome also included a cannon salute and music by Sweden's Royal Guards, lined up on the quay at the foot of the Swedish Royal Palace.

Frederik and Mary then joined the rest of the Swedish royals at the Palace, including Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Princess Estelle, Prince Oscar, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia.

Relations between the two royal houses are close. Frederik's grandmother, Queen Ingrid, who died in 2000, was a Swedish princess.

The May 6-7 visit includes meetings with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kirstersson and the speaker of the Swedish Parliament. A visit to a military facility is also scheduled.

Danish government members also accompanied the royals, among them Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

Danish monarchs, whose roles are ceremonial, traditionally travel to other Scandinavian countries first. Although Frederik had a solo visit to Poland in January, it was planned before his mother's surprise New Year's Eve abdication.

Later this month, Frederik and Mary will travel to Oslo, where they will be greeted by King Harald V and Queen Sonja.

Frederik's mother was the first Danish monarch to voluntarily relinquish the throne in nearly 900 years, causing the Nordic nation to experience its first royal succession in more than a half century.

Denmark's monarchy traces its origins to 10th century Viking king Gorm the Old, making it the oldest in Europe and one of the oldest in the world.

The royal couple's visit comes after Frederik said that having his wife by his side was the 'highlight' of his 'overwhelming' ceremony marking his accession to the throne.

Speaking to Danish broadcaster, TV2, aboard their royal yacht Kongeskibet Dannebrog, the couple avoided questions about their relationship and instead doubled down on the strength of their marriage.

Frederik praised Mary for helping him get through the historic day, saying: 'It was very overwhelming and moving. I felt extremely well received. 

'The highlight was when Mary and the children came out and stood right behind me and I had the Danes standing in front of me and waving. It was one of the most amazing things to experience in my life.'

Queen Mary was just as complimentary to her husband, saying the moment 'moved her so much.'

She said: 'I stood with the children and when you stepped out onto the balcony towards your fate, it was a moment that moved me incredibly much. 

'We could hear and feel it, even if we couldn't see it. It was a beautiful moment. I was both very happy and very proud.' 

Unlike the British Royal Family, Frederik's new reign was announced at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen and he did not have a coronation service after his mother Queen Margrethe stepped down. 

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