Princess Mary of Denmark admits ‘mistake’ after shaking hands at public engagement

‘It is important that we all follow the recommendations of the health authorities together,’ member of Danish royal family states

Crown Princess Mary Of Denmark on 19 May 2015 (Photo by Oliver Hardt/Getty Images)

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has released an apologetic statement after accidentally shaking hands during a public engagement.

On Wednesday 19 August, the member of the Danish royal family paid a visit to the Kattegat Centre in Grenaa, Denmark.

As the newly appointed president of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Denmark, Princess Mary spent her time at the aquarium helping to release several Thornback rays back into the sea.

While she was careful to wear mask when required to do so, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the royal accidentally shook an individual’s hands during her visit, a slip-up she acknowledged on the official Instagram account for the Danish royal family.

“On land, at sea and in the air – we have to get used to wearing face masks. It is important that we all follow the recommendations of the health authorities together,” she said in the post’s caption.

“Yesterday I was in Grenaa for my first official visit after the summer holidays. At sea and in the air it went fine, but on land I made a mistake and I unfortunately shook hands.”

Princess Mary, who is married to the heir apparent Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, said the error reminded her of “how important it is that we help each other live up to the recommendations”.

“Take care of yourself, and take care of each other,” she concluded her message.

The post featured two selfies of the royal wearing a face mask, one of which shows the 48-year-old sitting on a plane.

Several Instagram users expressed their appreciation for Princess Mary’s ownership of her mistake.

“The handshake was only human and shows that we can all forget the new guidelines, but just important that we again remind each other of the importance of taking care when we forget – because we all do,” one person said.

“It is human to make mistakes,” someone else stated.

On the website for the Danish police, guidance is provided from the Danish Health Authority that encourages members of the public to maintain an adequate “physical distance in public spaces”.

The Danish Health Authority adds that in general, people can “stay in the public space without using a face mask, but have a face mask and hand sanitiser” on hand.

However, people are advised to wear a face mask in circumstances such as being on public transport and being in large gatherings “where frequent or prolonged face-to-face contact either cannot be avoided or cannot be prevented”.