Wait, what's going on with Princess Mary and Prince Frederik of Denmark?

This week, Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark attended a standard, and probably rather boring, royal obligation in Copenhagen.

They were entertaining Spanish King Felipe and Queen Letizia during a three-day state visit with a level of pomp that is practically a daily occurrence for a royal. Mary, 51, smiled, waved to crowds and posed for photos alongside her husband in the same way she has been doing for 20 years. 

But she had a new accessory, reportedly, that caught everyone's eye: a 'brave face'.

You see, it was also the first public appearance of the Danish royals since a Spanish tabloid published photos of Frederik, 55, on a visit to Madrid, walking alongside Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova, 47, on Wednesday.

Spanish magazine Lecturas shared photos of Frederik and Genoveva attending a Pablo Picasso exhibition in Madrid in late October. It reported various alleged details, such as that they stayed out for dinner until 1am and spent the night at Genoveva's home. The magazine heavily implied an affair between the two, and has maintained wall-to-wall coverage in the following days.

Genoveva Casanova on a visit to Copenhagen in October 2023. Image: Instagram @genoveva_casanova_official.

Soon after, Genoveva offered a strong denial, saying she only accompanied Frederik after a mutual acquaintance pulled out of attending the exhibition after getting sick and Frederik asked her to go in their place. She is reportedly an art expert.

"I flatly deny the statements that suggest a romantic relationship between Prince Frederik and me," she told another Spanish magazine, Hola!

"Any statement of this type is not only completely untrue but also distorts the facts in a malicious manner.

"This is already in the hands of my lawyers, who will take care of the pertinent steps to protect my right to honour, truth and privacy."

Meanwhile, the Danish Royal Family's press team shared a statement that was more classically royal.

"We have maintained a policy for years of not commenting or confirming any details related to private matters. In addition, we would like to emphasise our commitment to respecting the privacy of members of the Royal Family, including the Crown Prince," the statement read.

Nothing they said could've stopped all eyes being on Princess Mary during the couple's next royal engagement.

No matter how it went down, this was already primed to become a 'woman scorned' story. After the event, reports labelled her 'composed' but said that at times she sported 'pursed lips'. Then every tabloid landed on the phrase 'brave face'. 

The brave face in question. Image: Getty.

Genoveva is a very well-known TV personality in Spain. She was married to actor Cayetano Martínez de Irujo, son of late billionaire the Duchess of Alba, from 2005 to 2007 and shares twin sons with him.

Frederik and Mary famously met at a Sydney pub during the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

They have been married for 19 years and have four children: Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 16, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 12.

Frederik will eventually become King of Denmark, at which point Mary would also become the world's first Australian-born queen.

Feature image: Getty.