‘Greatest living soap opera’: People ‘hugely interested’ in Danish and British royals

Royal commentator Angela Mollard says people are “hugely interested” in the Danish and British royals because it is the “greatest living soap opera”. According to a survey by Ritzau, Princess Mary is more popular than her husband, Crown Prince Frederik. While 82 per cent of people believed Frederik is suited for the role, 86 per cent believe Mary will be a good queen. Some royal experts have suggested Queen Margrethe abdicated to fast-track Crown Prince Frederik’s ascension to the throne in order to keep his marriage to Princess Mary intact amid affairs of a rumour. “I think that people are hugely interested – it’s the greatest living soap opera, isn’t it, and we’ve seen that with the British royal family for decades,” Ms Mollard told Sky News Australia host Caroline Di Russo. “I think what they really look at though is ongoing character and purpose – we’ve seen that with the Princess of Wales and her legacy project with children, and I think we’re going to see it with Mary. “If you think about it, Mary lost her mother at the age of 26, the outgoing Queen lost her father and took on the role of Queen when she was 31. “These are both very, very strong women, very purposeful, very dignified, I think there’s a lot in common between the outgoing Queen and the one to follow her, and I think people really go by character, despite them being endlessly fascinated by gossip.”