Queen Elizabeth II was a monarch who was said to love when royal engagements didn’t go as planned. Still, in the case of Queen Mary of Denmark, whose latest official outing was interrupted by a wasp, we doubt that’s what she had in mind.
Queen Mary’s Latest Royal Engagement Is Interrupted by a Wasp—See Her Shocked Reaction
Ouch!
Published Aug 2, 2025
•4:00pm
IDA MARIE ODGAARD/Getty Images
On July 28, King Frederik and Queen Mary were joined by two of their four kids, Princess Isabella and Prince Vincent, in Gråsten for a royal walkabout to greet people in the town square. The foursome looked lovely and relaxed (with Queen Mary especially looking ever-stylish), but that’s when things took a surprising—and dramatic—turn.
In a video shared on Instagram, you can see Queen Mary react, then quickly shake out her skirt. She then appears to point to something in the sky, which according to Danish newspaper, JydskeVestkysten, was a wasp that had just stung her thigh. At first, the queen appears to make an effort to rub her thigh and recover before continuing on with royal business as usual, but seconds later, she pivots and instead ducks back inside. (King Frederik and their children stay behind to continue greeting well-wishers.)
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According to reports, the queen re-joined her family soon after, but upon seeing the footage, all we can say is ouch. Also, Queen Mary handles the entire experience like a total champion—after all, a wasp sting (or a sting of any kind) truly hurts.
The reason for the royal walk-about? The entire family was kicking off a summer stay at Gråsten Palace, an annual tradition that they look forward to this time of year.
Never a dull royal moment? It appears so.
