Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden Perfectly Curtsies to Queen Mary of Denmark — Inside the New Royal Rules

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden had a flawless curtsy for the newly-minted Queen Mary of Denmark!

On May 6, Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark arrived in Stockholm, Sweden for the first official state visit of the new royal reign. King Frederik, 55, became monarch on Jan. 14 when his mother, Queen Margrethe, abdicated on the 52nd anniversary of her accession, sparking a protocol overhaul.

As seen in a video that the Danish Royal House shared on Instagram, Crown Princess Victoria, 46, dipped into a curtsy when she greeted King Frederik and Queen Mary, 52, before they boarded the historic royal barge to sail to Skeppsbron with Victoria's husband Prince Daniel. While Crown Princess Victoria is the future Queen of Sweden, she briefly bent a knee as a gesture of respect — something Queen Mary no longer needs to do! 

When she was Crown Princess Mary, the Australian-born royal was known for her deep curtsies when greeting mother-in-law Queen Margrethe as well as other monarchs and consorts from around the world. Now that she's Queen, Mary does not have to curtsy to monarchs or other consorts but may choose to do so as a sign of respect.

In a subtle sign of her elevated status, Queen Mary greeted Queen Silvia of Sweden with a hug and kiss on each cheek instead of a curtsy as she likely would have in the past when they debarked in Skeppsbron. King Frederik and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, meanwhile, greeted each other with a warm handshake at the kickoff of the state visit. 

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The Danish and Swedish royal families are known to share a close relationship, and King Frederik even affectionately addressed his hosts as "dear Uncle Carl Gustaf and dear Aunt Silvia" in his speech that followed the ceremonial welcome at the Royal Palace, per a translation. In another family tie, Crown Princess Victoria is also the godmother to Fredeirk and Mary's eldest son, Crown Prince Christian, and attended his 18th birthday bash in October 2023.

King Frederik and Queen Mary's official visit to Sweden also starts a major tour of the Northern region following their accession, which continues with a state visit to Norway from May 14 to May 1. There are also tentative plans for official visits to the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are both in the kingdom of Denmark, between June and July. 

"The first state visits will provide the occasion for the new King and Queen to meet with the sovereigns in Sweden and Norway, and they will thus mark the close relations between the Nordic monarchies, the Danish Royal House said in a statement announcing the agenda in February. 

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The busy itinerary of the first day of state visit to Sweden also a lunch, meetings with government leaders for King Frederik and Queen Mary and a visit to the Royal Institute of Technology to highlight space exploration and technology.

Continuing tradition, the first day of the royal stay was capped with a glam state banquet at the Royal Palace, which came with tiara wear for Queen Mary, Queen Silvia, 80, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Sofia.

Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty