Queen Mary of Denmark went through all the emotions as she made a very down-to-earth solo appearance at the European men's handball final on Sunday evening. The royal, 53, cheered on the Danes in their match against Germany as they were crowned European champions for the first time in over a decade to win their match 34-27, playing on home soil in Herning.
Queen Mary, who was not joined by her husband, King Frederik, on this occasion, looked patriotic in red and white, adding a pair of Gucci glasses and even holding up a scarf with "DANMARK" written on it, to show her support. The Danes, who are also the reigning world champions, were led by star player Mathias Gidsel, who scored seven times during the final.
After the match, the queen hailed the "fantastic performance" in a message posted to the Royal Family's Instagram account. She added: "Congratulations on the great European Championship gold and big congratulations on the fact that the men's team can now call themselves Olympic, European Championship and World Cup gold winners. This is an absolutely fantastic performance."
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© AFP via Getty ImagesQueen Mary attended the handball match
During one particularly tense moment, the queen couldn't hide her emotions, holding her head in her hands, while some of her fellow spectators had to turn away from the game completely.
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© AFP via Getty ImagesShe sat in the stadium's box next to several important figures
Mary sat in the stadium's box and was joined by her private secretary, Henriette Ellerman-Kingombe, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Danish Deputy Prime Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, who also accompanied her on state visits to Estonia and Lithuania last week.
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© AFP via Getty ImagesQueen Mary and Denmark's coach Nikolaj Jacobsen
Afterwards, the queen awarded a medal to Denmark's coach Nikolaj Jacobsen, with the coach revealing his sweet interaction with the proud monarch.
Nikolaj said Mary had asked, "Can I hug them (the players)?" According to Danish outlet BT, he added: "She said she was really proud of what we did for Denmark."
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© dpa/picture alliance via Getty IThe Queen was joined by EHF President Michael Wiederer
The Queen was joined by EHF President Michael Wiederer to present the gold trophy to Denmark's pivot #15 Magnus Saugstrup.
She was also seen shaking hands with Croatia's players during the awards ceremony after their team won bronze.
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© dpa/picture alliance via Getty I,Getty ImagesMary comforted the losing side
Behind her were German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his wife Charlotte Merz.
After the match concluded, Mary comforted members from the opposing side, Matthes Langhoff and Nils Lichtlein (Germany), as they received silver medals.
