Frederik and Mary have got Amalienborg ready for Christmas© Getty

Queen Mary and King Frederik reveal surprising ornament in royal Christmas tree

The Danish royals reside at Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg in Copenhagen

Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
4 hours ago

King Frederik and Queen Mary have decked the halls inside their royal residence, and their Christmas tree features some quirky ornaments.

The Danish royal family's Instagram account shared some stunning photographs of the decorations at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen.

At the centre of an opulent gold room is a towering fir tree, elegantly decorated with red, gold, copper and ice blue baubles.

And on closer inspection, Frederik and Mary have collected some personal ornaments with a nod to their hobbies and interests.

One depicts a kangaroo in homage to Mary's home country Australia, while another shows a horse in honour of one of the queen's pursuits.

But most surprising of all, is a Christmas tree decoration of Ziggy Stardust – David Bowie's stage persona.

The ornaments feature Ziggy Stardust, a kangaroo and a horse© Kongehuset
The ornaments feature Ziggy Stardust, a kangaroo and a horse

King Frederik is a big fan of the late British rockstar, who died on 8 January 2016 aged 69.

The monarch and his younger brother, Prince Joachim, met David backstage at one of his concerts in Hamburg in the 1980s.

© Kongehuset
The Christmas tree is up

In Jens Anderson's 2019 biography of the then Crown Prince, Frederik cited the 160 songs which have shaped his life and David Bowie's music featured heavily on it – including Heroes, Under Pressure with Queen, and Tonight with Tina Turner.

Royal fans were quick to comment on the ornaments on social media, with one writing: "Ziggy Stardust - very beautiful decoration."

© Kongehuset
The red themed wreaths inside the Danish royal palace

Another added: "Nice to see that Bowie has a place in the Danish royal house," while a third said: "Such a beautiful Christmas tree, love the fact that it's different colours and Bowie has got a seat."

King Frederik and Queen Mary will host their first Christmas of their reign at Marselisborg Castle, where they will be joined by their four children – Crown Prince Christian, 19, Princess Isabella, 17, and 13-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine – as well as Queen Margrethe.  

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