Danish palace insiders say “distraught” Queen Mary, 53, is experiencing yet more heartache after a judge ordered a Spanish magazine to pay Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova over $300,000 – far less than the millions of dollars she’d hoped for – and ruled that the images of her with King Frederik in Madrid were of public interest.
“Mary was trying not to think about this case and wished it wasn’t going ahead at all, but it’s fair to say that a big win for Genoveva would have been the ideal scenario. It would have stopped all this speculation for starters,” an insider exclusively tells Woman’s Day.
“So you can imagine how disappointed both she and Frederik are feeling. Genoveva’s become more of a laughin stock and now the entire world’s media is talking about THAT midnight stroll in Madrid again,” they continued.
“She’s deeply upset and it’s reopened old wounds, but it’s not all bad news. In fact, Mary’s finding that she’s dealing with these horrible rehashes a lot better than before. Frederik has been making a big effort this year and it helped put some quality distance between that dark period in their marriage. As much as this will always hurt, he’s not just her husband, she’s his queen and she’s chosen to walk this path and support him during his reign. Just as long as he keeps up those surprise date nights and weekends away she’s really enjoyed this past year.”
According to new reports, 48-year-old TV star Genoveva reportedly sued Spanish media for “millions of dollars” for breach of “rights to privacy and image” after she became the focus of intense media scrutiny when Spanish publication Lecturas published photos of her and Frederik, 57, together in October 2023.
The release of the images – 14 in total – showed Fred and Genoveva spending a day and evening together, including a visit to a Picasso exhibition, as well as dinner out and returning to the same building.
Genoveva consistently denied any rumours that there was more to the images than just two friends catching up, and was claiming $1.7 million in damages, after she says she was forced “into hiding” during King Frederik and Queen Mary’s proclamation ceremony in January 2024, after Queen Margrethe’s shock abdication.
The socialite’s lawyers reportedly filed a 400-page lawsuit against Lecturas, claiming the publication irreparably damaged her reputation. However, a judge ruled the photos were in the public interest and protected by “freedom of expression and information”.
The magazine was still ordered to pay her over $300,000 for using her Instagram photos.
MARY’S PAIN
Earlier this month, palace insiders said Mary was struggling to cope with the renewed media attention on the case.
“Of course Mary wants Genoveva to be successful, as she’s hoping it will put an end to speculation once and for all, and what was a really tough time for the Danish monarchy, but she also hates it all being brought up again,” they said.
“As painful as it is to be reminded of that frustrating moment, so much has happened since then. It’s true Margrethe’s astonishing move to step aside forced them to work through their problems – and this year has been much better for them.”
“Fred has been much more attentive [to Mary] and she’s been more open to it. Two years ago we rarely saw him put his arm around her waist, so there’s a new intimacy between them he’s hoping will get them through these awful blasts from the past.”
MOVING FORWARD
For Mary and Fred though, they just want to focus on the future, not the past.
“They’ve made new memories now, together as king and queen, and the whole family is looking forward to lighting the Amalienborg Palace tree on December 1.”
“They have so much to be proud of with their beautiful children and while some scars may not heal, for Mary and Frederik unity is a daily act of grace.”
