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PRINCE Frederik of Denmark and his Australian-born wife Princess Mary are set to inherit the throne in weeks after his mother's surprise abdication.

Queen Margrethe II, 83, announced her plan to give up the throne during a New Year's Eve speech on Sunday.

Prince Frederik with Princess Mary on their wedding day in May 2004
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Prince Frederik with Princess Mary on their wedding day in May 2004Credit: AFP
Frederik and Mary with their four children
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Frederik and Mary with their four childrenCredit: Hasse Nielsen
Queen Margrethe II announced her abdication on New Year's Eve
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Queen Margrethe II announced her abdication on New Year's EveCredit: The Mega Agency

The Queen has two sons, Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, with her late husband, Prince Henrik.

In her New Year's Eve speech, the Queen said: "I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik."

Frederik, 55, has been married to Australian Princess Mary, 51, since 2004.

Now they are set to become King and Queen regent - with Mary being the world's first Australia-born queen.

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The pair, who met in a pub in Sydney in 2000, are known for their low-key lifestyle.

There has been reported speculation about Frederik and Mary's marriage, particularly in recent months.

But no claims about the details of the royal couple's relationship have been confirmed.

Prince Frederik first set eyes on his future wife, dubbed a Kate Middleton lookalike, at a bar called the Slip Inn during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Although he was at the bar with other high profile royals including the future king of Spain, Mary reportedly had no idea who he was.

He even introduced himself to her as Fred, and left out the fact that he was the heir to the Danish throne.

Mary and Frederik soon began a long distance relationship - with the prince often sneaking off to Australia to spend time with her.

In May 2004, the couple married in an emotional ceremony, with Prince Frederik captured wiping away tears as his bride walked down the aisle.

They share four children, who they chose to send to normal schools after a documentary revealed a culture of bullying and abuse at their former school - the elite Herlufsholm.

Mary has previously been compared to Kate Middleton, as neither were aristocrats but both came from well-connected families before marrying their respective royal husbands.

They also bear a striking resemblance and have a similar taste in clothes.

When Mary met Frederik, Felipe VI of Spain - then Prince of Asturias - was friends with her flatmate.

Both Kate and Mary, sometimes referred to as commoners before their marriages into royalty, have shown off a more casual off-duty style while with their kids and away from cameras.

The pair, both brunettes with stunning smiles, are even the same body type, although at 51, the Aussie-born addition to Denmark's royal family is a decade older.

Mary's appreciation of Kate's stylish threads may have started as early as 2011, when they met in Copenhagen.

There Kate wore a long red £345 LK Bennett coat and Italian Vecceli belt - a look later replicated by Mary, who is married to Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik.

Kate has long been a fashion trail-blazer whose outfits sell-out within minutes of her wearing them in public.

But Australian-born Princess Mary, was touted as the most stylish - after the mum-of-four once took the title ahead of nine others including Duchess of Cambridge and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.

The 2016 award - decided by a readers’ poll created by celebrity magazine Hello! - put Kate, mum to Charlotte, George and Louis, in second place.

The result didn't surprise fans of the Danish Princess, who is known for her fashion-forward style and makes regular appearances on global fashion lists.

Just last year the Danish royal family was divided over a row about royal titles.

Queen Margrethe chose to strip four of her grandchildren of their royal titles.

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She removed the titles from her youngest son, Prince Joachim's, children.

But Mary and Frederik's children, who will soon move up in the line of succession, kept theirs.

Princess Mary has been dubbed a 'commoner'
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Princess Mary has been dubbed a 'commoner'Credit: Jonas Lysholdt Ejderskov/WWF World Nature Foundation©️
Princess Mary is a dead-ringer for Kate Middleton - here they both show more casual off-duty looks with their kids
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Princess Mary is a dead-ringer for Kate Middleton - here they both show more casual off-duty looks with their kidsCredit: Exclusivepix Media
Both have similar styles and have been widely compared before for their fashion choices
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Both have similar styles and have been widely compared before for their fashion choicesCredit: Rex features/Reuters
And they have both been dubbed commoners before marrying into royalty
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And they have both been dubbed commoners before marrying into royaltyCredit: Getty
Frederik tearing up as Mary walked down the aisle at their wedding
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Frederik tearing up as Mary walked down the aisle at their weddingCredit: Getty
Princess Mary with her kids
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Princess Mary with her kidsCredit: AFP
Mary and Frederik with their children
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Mary and Frederik with their childrenCredit: Getty
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