King Frederik of Denmark paid tribute to his wife, Queen Mary, in a touching speech as they returned to her home country on an official visit for the first time since his accession to the throne in 2024.

At the state dinner in Canberra at the Governor-General of Australia’s residence, King Frederik recalled how the couple met at a pub in Sydney during the 2000 Olympic Games.

“For me, Australia has held a very special place in my heart ever since I slipped into that bar and lost it in a conversation that has never ended,” King Frederik, 57, said. “Mary, you had the courage to leave your beloved home and build a new one with me as far away as one can possibly go. For that, I will be forever grateful.”

He added, “Australia is our second home. Whether we come here for a family visit or a state visit, we feel both excited and entirely at ease. Being here for the first time as King and Queen does not change that, although it does add somewhat to the planning. On behalf of both Mary and me, I would like to thank everyone involved in making this visit possible.”

The pair met at a pub in Sydney during the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, when the then-prince introduced himself to Mary Donaldson, an advertising executive from Tasmania, only as “Fred.”

“The first time that we met or shook hands, I did not know he was the crown prince of Denmark,” Mary said in a 2003 interview with 60 Minutes Australia. “It was perhaps half an hour or so later that someone came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who these people are?’”

In a 2017 interview, Mary, now 54, said a tarot card reader had once predicted she would meet a man from abroad, move to Europe and become famous.

“I’ve always been interested in the spiritual,” she told author Jens Andersen. “In mystery and fate.”

The couple spent the first two years of their nearly three-decade-long romance thousands of miles apart, with the Danish royal making secret trips to Australia to visit Mary.

Their long-distance relationship came to an end in early 2002, when Mary moved from Sydney to Copenhagen, where she quickly converted to the Lutheran Church and began learning Danish.

The couple announced their engagement in October 2003 and were married in a royal ceremony on May 14, 2004, at Copenhagen Cathedral. Mary wore a stunning ball gown by Danish designer Uffe Frank and an antique lace veil first worn by Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden in 1905. Her royal in-laws, Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik, gifted her her wedding tiara, according to Vogue Australia.

Mary’s wedding bouquet featured strands of eucalyptus, a nod to her native Australia, and her late mother’s wedding ring was sewn into her dress. “I love her, and I will protect her with all my heart,” Frederik vowed in his wedding speech.

The couple shares four children: Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.

Although King Frederik and Queen Mary have returned to Australia in a private capacity since Queen Margrethe’s abdication, their six-day visit to Australia from March 14 to March 19 marks their first official visit together since becoming monarch and consort.

Their stops on their current tour have included watching the sunset at Ayers Rock in Uluru and visiting Hobart, where Queen Mary grew up.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced a visit to Australia in April. The Duke of Sussex, 41, will be a keynote speaker at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit, while the Duchess of Sussex, 44, will join a “Girl’s Weekend” retreat hosted by the Her Best Life podcast.