Queen Margrethe II of Denmark capped off her 85th birthday celebrations at Fredensborg Palace by hosting an intimate banquet dinner attended by her son King Frederik X along with other esteemed royalty and friends.
But the question on every Danish royal watcher's lips was why wasn't Queen Mary present at the party?
'Where is Queen Mary?,' read one reply on the Danish royal family's Instagram account.
'Wasn't Queen Mary part of the birthday party?' questioned another royal fan.
Margrethe's birthday dinner party came only 24 hours after a gala event for Queen Mary's daughter Princess Isabella's 18th birthday.
Accordingly, some fans took to the comments section to posit that the royal family's especially busy recent itinerary offered an an explanation for Mary's surprising absence.
One fan provided a lengthy comment in response, explaining: 'Queen Mary and the children were not [at] the dinner in the evening, but at the lunch during the day.'
'It seemed like the dinner was for Margrethe's friends, including her two sisters. No older grandkids. Frederik as King and son attended,' concluded the reply, which received plenty of likes.
Queen Mary, 53, (far right) was present earlier in the day on 16 April for Queen Margrethe's (centre) 85th birthday celebrations. (Also pictured L-R) Princess Josephine, Princess Isabella, King Frederik X, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Princess Benedikte and Crown Prince Christian
In the evening of 16 April, Queen Margrethe's 85th birthday banquet dinner party atFredensborg Palace was attended by her son King Frederik X, 56, but her daughter-in-law Queen Mary was a no-show
Another fan weighed in with a similar response, posting: 'Queen Mary was there for lunch and not in the evening.'
'Had she been there, she would have been sitting in the middle with the King,' they added.
Queen Mary, 53, had indeed been front and centre earlier that same day at the daytime celebrations for Margrethe's birthday.
The Australian-born royal joined her husband King Frederik, 56, and their four children Crown Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine along with other extended royal family members to watch a special birthday concert in the Inner Courtyard of Fredensborg Palace.
King Frederik and Queen Mary also 'hosted a lunch at the castle' for Margrethe, according to a post on the Danish royal family's Instagram account.
The family were also seen together outside on the palace steps, where they waved to a crowd of well-wishers.
Margrethe's celebratory dinner came on the back of an already extremely busy period for Queen Mary as the royal family celebrated her eldest daughter Princess Isabella turning 18.
Ahead of her official birthday on 21 April, which fell on Easter Monday, the royal family had arranged two lavish public celebrations, which were both attended by Mary and her family.
The night before Queen Margrethe's birthday dinner was a black tie gala in Copenhagen held in honour of Princess Isabella's 18th birthday. It was attended by Queen Mary and her family, (L-R) Prince Vincent, Princess Josephine, Princess Isabella, King Frederik and Crown Prince Christian
Queen Mary's sistersJane Stephens and Patricia Bailey along with her university friend Nadine Johnston were also in Copenhagen to attend Princess Isabella's 18th birthday gala
The first was a party held on 11 April at Aarus City Hall, which featured musical performances, dancers and even a fashion show.
The second gala event in honour of Princess Isabella's milestone birthday took place the night before Queen Margrethe's birthday. For that occasion, Queen Mary along with her husband and children donned black-tie attire to attend a performance alongside 1000 guests at the Royal Theatre's Old Stage in Copenhagen.
Queen Mary's rarely seen sisters Jane Stephens and Patricia Bailey also made a surprise appearance in Copenhagen to attend the gala celebration. Mary's university friend Nadine Johnston was also seen walking the red carpet.
The presence of Mary's family and close friend at the gala also seemingly verified fan-proffered explanations for why the Queen had opted to skip her mother-in-law's birthday dinner, suggesting she had instead taken the opportunity to enjoy some private time with her visiting loved ones.
This was affirmed in an Instagram reply, which read in part: 'I bet Mary (fully deserved) enjoyed the evening with her sisters, who travelled all the way from Australia for Isabella's celebration [love heart emoji] It's not everyday they are in town,' the reply continued.'
The Danish royal household did not offer an official explanation for Mary's absence from Margrethe's birthday dinner.
Nevertheless, the dinner party looked to be a roaring success, with a highlight video showing Queen Margrethe seated at a decadently decorated table alongside her guests enjoying a lavish evening of performances followed by a birthday cake complete with 85 lit candles.
The video shared on the royal family's Instagram page showed the former monarch struggling to blow out all 85 candles, while her son King Frederik laughingly observed.
Queen Margrethe had a tricky time trying to blow out all 85 lit candles on her birthday cake
Queen Margrethe's 85th birthday celebration at Fredensborg Palace was attended by an esteemed guest list, who were treated to a lavish meal and a series of performances
Eventually, the man seated beside Margrethe, believed to be Danish actor Joen Bille, leant over to assist her with blowing out the remaining candles.
Another Instagram post shared by the royal account featured pictures from the party alongside a caption explaining that the picturesque dinner table was decorated with 'newly sprung branches' and 'Easter eggs' that had been hand-selected by her Majesty herself.
The post also explained that Margrethe and her guests were treated to singing from the Sankt Anne Girls Choir as well as a Pantomime Theatre performance of excerpts from the ballet Klods Hans, which the creative Queen herself had worked on as a costume designer.
'How wonderful that Queen Margrethe was celebrated in that way surrounded by her loved ones,' read one royal fan's reply to the post.
'How nice and beautiful it is! Big congratulations to the most amazing Queen,' added another.
