Australia’s Queen Mary is set to switch her AFL allegiances in a move that flies in the face of footy tradition and has left comedian Dave Hughes outraged.
The Tasmanian-born royal showed off her Australian sporting genes on Tuesday as she slotted a close-range goal on the hallowed turf of the MCG.
Joined by her husband King Frederik of Denmark, she mingled with Hawthorn players James Sicily and Will Day, and their AFLW counterparts Emily Bates and Eliza West.
Asked if she has an AFL team, the long-time Carlton fan gave a devilish answer.
‘I do have, but maybe it will change in a few years,’ she said, alluding to the Tasmanian Devils’ looming entry to the AFL in 2028.
The news of Mary’s potential defection hasn’t been taken well by Carlton tragic Dave Hughes, who has taken aim at the royal for what he calls ‘treachery’.
Queen Mary is pictured kicking an AFL footy on the hallowed turf of the MCG on Tuesday
The Danish royal (pictured with King Frederik and Hawthorn star James Sicily) has revealed she could switch her support from Carlton to the AFL’s incoming Tasmanian team
‘What the f**k? Queen Mary’s a Carlton supporter … you can’t go to Hawthorn, Queen Mary,’ the comedian said in a video posted to Facebook.
‘Stick with us, you f**king…’
Hughes captioned the video, ‘I just found out Queen Mary supports Carlton FC then I just found out she is thinking of swapping to f**ken Hawthorn. Treachery is not taken kindly around these parts.’
The TV and radio star likely got confused and named Hawthorn as the club Mary could switch to because the Hawks have been playing some of their home games in Tasmania for several seasons.
If Mary does switch her support from the Blues to the Devils, she will be committing one of Aussie footy’s cardinal sins.
Changing your allegiance from one team to another is highly frowned upon in AFL culture, with fans expected to abide by the old rule of ‘pick and stick’ – meaning you stay loyal to your club no matter what.
The Danish royals are in Australia for a six-day visit, the first since Frederik became King in 2024.
The pair began their two-day trip to Victoria with an official reception at Government House before spending the afternoon visiting sustainable and renewable energy developments.
Carlton tragic Dave Hughes (pictured) accused Mary of treachery when he heard the news about her possibly dropping her support for his beloved Blues
Mary and Frederik (pictured in Melbourne on Tuesday) are touring Australia for the first time since he became king in 2024
Royal enthusiasts managed to catch a glimpse of the king and queen, including host mother Cris, who took her Danish high school exchange student Ulrich to see the pair in the inner-city suburb of Prahran.
‘Catch a glimpse, perhaps a wave. Tick and tick,’ Cris told AAP.
It was a special moment for the Danish exchange student who has been to the palace for the King’s birthday and during royal events at home.
‘I’ve seen them before, but not as personal as this,’ Ulrich said.
Cris said the queen clearly recognised Ulrich’s red and white Danish scarf.
‘She was walking and then she looked and then she looked again,’ she said.
For workers Sarah Muschamp and Amelia Annat, a chance to see Danish royalty was too good to miss.
‘We saw the entourage and the police and the sirens and everything in the buses and we knew something was going on,’ Ms Annat said.
‘We ran off and left our lunch behind … they are so close and this is too much of a good opportunity.’
Ms Muschamp likened Queen Mary’s story to an Australian fairytale.
‘It’s not a normal day. It’s a bit of glamour, just fun. Although my mum would kill me if I didn’t get a glimpse of her,’ she said.
The royal couple were earlier greeted by Governor Margaret Gardner and her husband Glyn Davis for an official reception and signing of the visitor’s book at Government House.
It’s their first visit to Australia since taking the throne in 2024, with the pair already meeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other dignitaries in Canberra and a visit to Uluru.
King Frederik described Australia as the couple’s second home, having met the Hobart-born Queen in a Sydney pub during the 2000 Olympics, before the pair wed in 2004.
The official aim of the trip is to deepen trade ties between Queen Mary’s adopted and home countries, with a focus on clean energy.
