<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The energy in the room shifts the moment Australia's very own Queen Mary and her husband King Frederik X of Denmark walk in.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>You can hear a pin drop despite eager reporters and photographers, including myself, quietly jostling for the perfect shot inside the tiny room in South </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/melbourne" rel="" target="_blank" title="Melbourne."><span>Melbourne.</span></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/videos/national/queen-mary-and-king-frederik-kick-off-australian-royal-tour/cmmq5s42t000m0hnoul5xkxye" rel="" target="" title="The Danish royals are touring Australia this week"><span>The Danish royals are touring Australia this week</span></a><span> – their first visit to Mary's ancestral home since becoming King and Queen in 2024 – and today embarked on a tour of headspace, a national youth mental health foundation.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>PETROL PRICES:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/fuel-crisis-australia-how-rideshare-fares-may-increase-driver-wear-cost-of-petrol-explained/827f5cf7-6f6c-43eb-9672-e79a77459ec7" target="_blank"><strong><span>Rideshare giant increases fuel surcharge as petrol prices bite</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Despite their packed schedule, the couple appear relaxed and happy in Mary's native Australia.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's no surprise – the couple famously met at the Slip Inn in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mary and Fred demonstrated an easy rapport with each person they met and with every hand they shook, the tangible excitement in the room grew.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/queen-mary-king-frederik-australia-tour-2026-royal-couple-visit-headspace-in-melbourne/dc8aa54a-058b-4736-80c7-0192278496a8" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While Mary was whisked away during the visit for a private meeting, Frederik bravely challenged some of the youth advisors in a heated game of ping pong.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Fred played doubles and, despite channelling his inner Marty Supreme with a promising early lead, lost at the final hurdle.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Headspace's Matt was part of the lucky winning team who played a round against the King of Denmark.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He told </span><a href="https://www.nine.com.au/?rf=true" rel="" target="_blank" title="Nine.com.au"><span>Nine.com.au</span></a><span> he was "very nervous" squaring up against the royal but said Fred was a "gracious" loser.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I've already told about 10 people that I won and it's been five minutes, I'm very happy with ourselves," Matt said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They're both quite lovely," he added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"You wouldn't pick that they were King and Queen."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Fred sheepishly admitted to his wife that he lost the game 5-4 when Queen Mary returned to the room later on.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"So disappointing," she joked, prompting a ripple of laughter throughout the press pack.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>WEATHER:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/queensland-weather-news-tropical-low-could-develop-into-cyclone-off-the-far-north-coast-by-the-end-of-the-week/22d36efb-98ef-470e-99de-fe9a23cda346" target="_blank"><strong><span>Cyclone barrelling towards Queensland coastline</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Earlier, the royal couple listened intently as the headspace crew spoke about the state of mental health in Australia and the barriers for seeking help.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mary expressed surprise upon learning it is still hard for some young people to admit they are not OK.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Is it still very stigmatised?" she asked headspace chief executive Jason Trethowan.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Danish Queen is a long-time advocate for mental health and wellbeing, having championing the cause through her anti-bullying organisation The Mary Foundation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Today marks the monarch and his wife's final day in Melbourne, after visiting Uluru in the Northern Territory and Canberra.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The couple will head to Mary's hometown of Hobart in Tasmania tomorrow, where a warm welcome is expected.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>One royal fan had a split-second opportunity to remind Mary of her Tassie roots as she left headspace and greeted the waiting crowd.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"You'll get a great response in Hobart," he told the Queen.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The royals will also host a reception in Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens later today.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your 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