A near-disaster reminds the troubled royal couple what’s important.
Flying high above the Atacama Desert in Chile, Princess Mary could sense something wasn’t right. The mother-of-four was in a helicopter, on her way to an official engagement, when her pilot, with a look of confusion and concern on his face, began fiercely working the controls. Abruptly he announcedthey would have to make an emergency landing.
Crown Prince Frederik, flying in a separate chopper, was beside himself with worry when his own pilot explained they’d lost all communication with Mary’s crew. He could only wait anxiously on the landing strip for news of his wife’s predicament – a situation no husband would wish on anyone.
As Danish magazine Her & Nu reports, Mary was finally reunited safely with Fred on the ground, but it wasn’t without drama. “As they flew over the Atacama Desert the GPS signal was lost. Mary and Frederik were supposed to land at the same time,” the publication reports. “No-one was able to get in contact with the helicopter, and Frederik and the other visitors were very worried. The Crown Princess finally arrived an hour late.”
As many couples will attest, there’s nothing like a near-tragedy to bring you closer. Rumoured to be butting heads over Fred’s party-boy ways, the helicopter saga clearly provided a reality check for the future King of Denmark and his Australian bride.
Read more about Mary’s close call in this Woman’s Day on sale Monday March 25, 2013.
