Princess Mary arrives Down Under after Pacific trip

Australian-born Crown Princess Mary of Denmark is back on home shores for her first official engagement in 10 years.

During a whirlwind tour, Mary will cycle the streets of Sydney, take a ride on the Danish inspired-light rail and champion the transition towards more sustainable cities. 

The Princess is leading a delegation from her adopted country to discuss Australia's "green transition" while visiting a number of Danish-led projects related to sustainable construction and transportation, the royal family said in a statement earlier this month.

In the morning, she will hit Hyde Park bike lanes with fellow cyclists for a lap around the CBD.

The delegation will then board the light rail - a project led by renowned Danish architect Jan Gehl - to Sydney Town Hall. 

Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore is excited to host the royal "and show off some of the infrastructure they (Danes) have helped inspire".

In 2007, Ms Moore handed the keys to the city to Mr Gehl to make Sydney a greener, more connected and more attractive place to live and work.

His work has been credited for pedestrianising George Street and bringing inner-city laneways to life as well as inspiring urban design in Perth, Adelaide and Hobart.

Mr Gehl was the second Dane to be awarded the keys to the city after architect Jørn Utzon in 1998, who won a competition in 1957 to design the Sydney Opera House.

The Danish urban influence extends to Quay Quarter Towers, a 206m high building recently erected in Sydney's CBD. The project, co-designed by Danish company 3XN and BVN architects in Sydney, cinched the World Building of the Year award in 2022.

Tasmanian-born Princess Mary has long touted the connections between Denmark and her homeland since marrying into the Danish royalty in 2004. 

"I was asked by a journalist what did I know about Denmark before meeting my future husband?" she said during her last official visit to Australia in 2013.

"I replied, 'Hans Christian Anderson and the Sydney Opera House was designed by a Dane'."

Princess Mary's visit comes off the back of a trip to Vanuatu and Fiji aimed at shining a light on the impacts of climate change on Pacific island nations.

After leaving Australia, she head to London for the coronation of King Charles III on May 6.