QUEEN MARY PROVES SHE'S STILL AN AUSSIE AT HEART AS SHE VISITS OUR ATHLETES BEFORE TAKING IN THE PARIS OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY

Tasmanian royal stunned the Aussie athletes in Paris
Team members lined up to take photos with Royalty
Comes after Denmark's Queen cheered against the Matildas last year

She might have brushed the Matildas at the World Cup last year, but Queen Mary of Denmark has shown her enduring connection to Australia by visiting its athletes before the Paris 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony.

Despite attending the event in an official capacity for Denmark, the Australian-born royal took time to express support for Team Australia.

Mary, now 52 and originally from Tasmania, renounced her Australian citizenship in 2004 when she married King Frederik X.

She was present alongside her husband in the lead-up to Friday's opening ceremony, but made a notable detour to meet with the Australian delegation.

Photos shared by the Australian Olympic Team's official Instagram account captured Queen Mary posing with the athletes in the village.

The account posted, 'Royalty in the Village! Australian-born Queen Mary of Denmark joined athletes in the Olympic Village.'

Chef de mission Anna Meares added, 'Once an Aussie always an Aussie… and the Danish Queen,' alongside a photo with Mary.

'Great to see Queen Mary in the food court for lunch today. I was a bit nervous but she wished our athletes well and I did invite her to our allotment for an Aussie coffee,' Meares continued.

Aussie fans were thrilled to see her showing her support.

One commented, 'Wonderful to see Queen Mary supporting the Australian athletes.'

Another added, 'You can take the girl out of the country … but she bleeds green and gold.'

A third said, 'This makes me so emotional.'

Mary's connection with the Olympics is personal; she met her future husband, then simply known as 'Fred,' at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Reflecting on their first meeting at a bar called the Slip Inn, she told People, 'The first time we met, we shook hands. I didn't know he was the prince of Denmark.

'Half an hour later, someone came up to me and said, 'Do you know who these people are?''

After their wedding in May 2004, the couple welcomed four children: Crown Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 17, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, both 13.

This is not the first time Mary has faced a loyalty test between her former homeland and Denmark.

During the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, she cheered for Denmark against Australia when the two countries faced off.

Despite her Australian roots, she and King Frederik announced on their joint Instagram account that they would be supporting Denmark.

The post read, 'We will be cheering from 'Top Over' and all the way to 'Down Under' when the match against Australia starts shortly at the World Cup in football. Come on, Denmark. Signed, The Crown Prince Couple.'

2024-07-26T22:14:53Z dg43tfdfdgfd