As Denmark prepares to welcome a new king and queen to the throne, an unassuming pub on the opposite side of the globe is celebrating its role in the ascension of the world’s first Australian-born monarch.
Frederik, the Crown Prince of Denmark, first met the Tasmanian real estate manager Mary Donaldson nearly 24 years ago at Sydney’s Slip Inn while the city was swept up in Olympic fever, though the pub is a little different these days.
Its menu and decor was revamped in 2013 and it is now a Mexican cantina known as El Loco at Slip Inn. This weekend it is also decked out with Danish flags, thrones for guests and special menu items in honour of the royal couple, who will become king and queen when Queen Margrethe abdicates on 14 January.
On Saturday, after picking up their wedding rings in the city, soon-to-be-married couple Adam Knight and Sharon Atherton chose to wander down to the harbourside pub best known for the modern-day fairytale. “She just walked in here one day and now she’s the queen. How’s that?” Knight says.
“She’s done a good job of it too. She’s so beautiful and elegant. She’s represented Australia well,” Atherton says.
Linda Jones raised a glass – containing the so-called “There’s Something About Mary” cocktail – to the new Danish queen. “My son and my soon to be daughter-in-law planned coming here as a treat because I’ve always thought Mary is fantastic,” Jones says.
“She’s done a great job. She’s won the love of the Danish people and she’s still an Aussie.”
Her son, Nic Phillipson, says the coronation prompted them to revisit the pair’s history. “The fact that she came here [unbeknownst to her] with a whole lot of other princes and princesses from Europe at the time – it feels a little bit surreal just to think that a little pub like this had a whole lot of royalty in it.”
Chris Dempsey, the general manager, says customers often ask about Mary and Frederik, and they regularly serve Danish tourist groups. Since the announcement of the succession “it’s really ramping up”. The venue has a special menu item in honour of Frederik – the “El Frederiko Hot Dog” – a nod to Danish hotdog culture still in keeping with the Spanish language.
Denmark House in Melbourne, one of Australia’s oldest Danish social clubs, is hosting a celebration on Sunday between 2pm and 6pm for Danes and Australians alike to celebrate the succession.
Young children will be encouraged to dress as princes and princesses, while traditional Danish food including smorgasbord, salmon and hotdogs will be served.
The vice-president of Denmark House, Lykke Borup, says many in Denmark and Australia are “just going absolutely mad at the moment”.
“Having an Australian becoming a queen is huge I think for all Australians,” Borup says. “We would like to invite everyone in, open the club for everyone who wants to come along and celebrate.”
Danish citizen Resmums Fielder, who has lived with his Australian wife in Melbourne for over a decade, says he is excited to celebrate the new king and queen. “I’m going to be a bit emotional – I haven’t experienced anything like it,” he says.
A celebratory lunch is also planned at the Danish Club Brisbane on Sunday afternoon, which is open to the public.
The Danish Church in Sydney will have a screening of the royal wedding on Sunday 21 January from 11am. Birgitte Maibom, the chief executive of the Danish Church Australia, says while most people are sad to see Queen Margaret abdicate, they are excited to celebrate the couple.
The Australian government announced on Saturday it would make a contribution to Wildcare Tasmania to support the conservation of the Tasmanian devil, which is only found in the wild on the island state where Mary grew up.
The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, wished the couple the best on behalf of all Australians and said their story “is one Australians have followed closely and hold dear to their hearts”.
