Crown Princess Mary of Denmark clowns around with children during hospital visit

February 27, 2015Feb 27, 2015, 3:27 PM GMT

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark proved herself a thoroughly modern princess this week as she made a public appearance wearing a black leather top and knee-high boots. The mother-of-four looked chic and stylish as she headed out in Denmark on Thursday to spend time at a children's disability centre. Mary, 43, who is now back on home soil following a recent tour of Ethiopia, dressed for the colder weather in a leather vest over a sheer black blouse and a tartan skirt that hugged her slender frame. She completed her look with a pair of high-heeled knee-high black boots, and wore her hair loose around her shoulders.

Crown Princess Mary plays with youngsters during her official visit

The wife of Crown Prince Frederik smiled warmly as she arrived for her official visit to the Danish Handicap Organisations House and the Society of Rare Diagnosis in Taastrup, near Copenhagen. Once inside, maternal Mary spent time with a number of children at the centre, and was photographed cuddling and talking to the youngsters, many of whom were keen to show the caring royal their drawings of clowns.

The mum-of-four's maternal side came out during her outing

February has been a busy month for the elegant royal. After celebrating her 43rd birthday on the fifth of the month, Mary and her husband Prince Frederik headed to the Swiss resort of Verbier for their annual skiing break with their four children, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent. Mary then spent 16 to 18 February in Ethiopia with the Danish Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation, Mogens Jensen. It was a hard-hitting visit, during which the princess was confronted with the reality of child marriages and female mutilation as mothers shared stories of their daughters suffering complications from the procedure.

Crown Princess Mary recently returned from a tour of Ethiopia

"You do get shaken up by the knowledge that such a practice still exists, but we have to think beyond judging it," Mary told TV2 Denmark.

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