King Frederik and Queen Mary’s massive pay cheques have been revealed — and the internet is shocked.
A new finance report has shed light on the pair’s salaries last year after participating in various royal duties and engagements, and it comes in at an eye-watering A$3 million ($3.27m).
Reportedly, A$498,359 of that sum was given as a direct “grant” for the then-Crown Princess Mary, according to Daily Mail.
Frederik and Mary also were allocated about A$640,000 to spend as they like on unofficial travel, clothing and other expenses of their choosing.
The rest of their royal salary, which the state pays for, was laid out for other royal family members and additional costs including housing and staff payments.
This year, however, Mary’s expected pay slip is going to change now that she has earned her title as Queen.
Last year, the former Queen Margrethe was paid a grant of A$13m, which included a private allowance of A$2.9m.
While it is suspected that Frederik and Mary’s salaries will increase by a large sum thanks to their new titles, their financial future is not set in stone, seeing as though Denmark has vocalised plans to overhaul the royals’ appanage system.
The new legislation will calculate the amount of money the royal couple will be allocated, and how much they can spend “as they please”.
Meanwhile, Mary’s ascension to the throne came after 19 years of proving herself as Crown Princess of Denmark, a title bestowed upon her when she wed Danish royal Frederik in 2004.
Since the Australian-born Mary joined the royal family, she has been adored globally for her commitment to public duty and her best efforts in learning the Danish language, which is renowned for being challenging to pick up.
Denmark's King Frederik and Queen Mary wave to well-wishers after the announcement of Queen Margrethe's abdication. Photo / AP
King Frederik was overwhelmed with emotion as he spoke during January’s proclamation from the balcony.
“My hope is to become a unifying king of tomorrow,” he said.
“It’s a task I’ve approached all my life. It’s a task I’ve taken on with pride, respect and joy.”
Mary grinned and held his hand prior to kissing him as she demonstrated her support for her husband.
The royal pair’s accession came only two weeks after Margrethe II, 83, announced her decision to abdicate the throne after more than 50 years.
Frederik and Mary are popular among the Danish people, with a poll conducted in January by news publication Ritzau revealing 82 per cent of subjects believed Frederik was well suited to be King and 86 per cent backed his wife Mary as Queen.
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