What affair rumours? Queen Mary of Denmark receives a sweet kiss on the cheek from her husband King Frederick on visit to Sweden months after his night out with socialite

Queen Mary of Denmark and her husband King Frederick once again brushed off affair rumours as they put on a very affectionate display during the second day of their royal state visit to Sweden. 

Mary, 52, looked elegant in a ruby long-sleeved gown as she arrived for lunch at City Hall in Stockholm with hosts King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.  

The Australian-born royal and her husband, 55, clearly hoped to put an end to the 'affair' rumours that have been swirling around them for months. 

King Frederick gave his wife a sweet kiss on the cheek as they arrived for their lunch, while she placed an affectionate and gentle hand on his arm. 

Their romantic display seemed to mark a return to old times, as Australian-born Mary and Frederik's 23-year romance was often dubbed a 'real-life fairytale' after they met in a Sydney pub. 

The parents of Crown Prince Christian and Princess Isabella couldn't stop smiling at one another during the tactile display, where their clear love and commitment to one another shone through. 

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.

Queen Mary has always remained silent on the speculation regarding her marriage and has 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.

Geneva herself has denied the rumours but the Danish royals have yet to address them - but their display in Sweden clearly demonstrates that their marriage is stronger than ever. 

In the months that have followed Frederik ascending to the throne on January 14, Mary seemingly fuelled speculation by completing a series of solo royal engagements without her husband - before they appeared frosty with one another on a skiing trip over Easter. 

However, their latest outings as they are hosted by King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia show quite the different picture, as the couple have once more seemed in great spirits.  

Earlier on Tuesday the Danish monarch looked typically stylish as she was greeted by Queen Silvia, 80, during a visit to Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde museum in Stockholm. 

The royal wowed in a vibrant scarlet dress for the occasion, which she paired with a gold brooch pinned to her lapel. 

She completed her ensemble with matching stilettos and a brown leather handbag and gloves. 

Meanwhile Queen Silvia looked summer ready in a chic mint green skirt and blazer jacket which she paired with a satin blouse. 

Mary pulled her brunette locks back into a stylish updo, while her glamorous makeup featured a smokey eye. 

On arrival the monarch looked chic in a beige cape coat and she accessorised with diamond earrings.  

Queen Mary and King Frederik arrived in Stockholm yesterday 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, 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.

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.

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'.

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.

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.