Crown Princess Mary leads Danish royals as they greet huntsmen taking part in annual event at their 18th century lodge north of Copenhagen

• Crown Princess Mary of Denmark was joined by her 10-year-old twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent at Hermitage Castle
• Danish royals greeted tens of thousands of people who had turned up to watch the iconic cross-country horse race which marks the end of the hunting season in Denmark
• Royals watched the traditional race from the balcony of the 18th century hunting lodge north of Copenhagen

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark led the Danish royals as they greeted huntsmen taking part in an annual event at their 18th century lodge. 

The mother-of-four, 49, was joined by her 10-year-old twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent on the balcony of Hermitage Castle, in a woodland north of Copenhagen, for the Hubertus Hunt. 

The Danish royals were there to greet tens of thousands of people who had turned out to watch the iconic 13 kilometre cross-country horse race which marks the end of the hunting season in Denmark.

The trio were pictured waving at spectators as they rode past in a horse-drawn carriage ahead of the race before taking to the balcony to watch the race.   

Princess Mary was seen embracing Prince Vincent on the balcony as Princess Josephine smiled and waved to the crowds.  

The Hubertus Hunt is an annual cross-country horse race held on the first Sunday of November in Deer Park in Klampenborg, north of Copenhagen. 

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark (pictured with her twin children Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent) led the Danish royals as they greeted huntsmen taking part in an annual event at their 18th century lodge

The Hubertus Hunt is an annual cross-country horse race held on the first Sunday of November in Deer Park in Klampenborg, north of Copenhagen

Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary, right, poses for a photo with the winner of the Hubertus Hunt, Frederikke Blixencrone-Moeller and her horse Danglo’s Top Elan in front of the Hermitage Castle

The Danish royals were there to greet tens of thousands of people who had turned out to watch the iconic 13 kilometre cross-country horse race which marks the end of the hunting season in Denmark

Princess Mary, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine were pictured waving at spectators as they rode past in a horse-drawn carriage ahead of the race

Crown Princess Mary is seen smiling with her twins Vincent and Josephine as they sit in a horse-drawn carriage

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and the twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent of Denmark (centre) are seen on the balcony of the Hermitage Castle as the public is gathered during Hubertus Hunt

Dating back to the 1900s, the event marks the end of the Danish hunting season, with 160 hunters on horseback riding over hedges and water features across the park.

It was once a real hunt but now the traditional fox and stag have been replaced by a set course for the riders in red jackets and their horses – with two leading riders wearing a fox tail on their shoulders. 

Princess Mary became patron of the Hubertus Hunt’s Honorary Prize following the death of her father-in-law Prince Henrik in 2018. 

The royal was all smiles as she awarded the prize, the Hubertus Chain, to the winner Frederikke Blixencrone-Moeller in front of the Hermitage Castle on Sunday. 

The mother – who shares Prince Christian, Princess Isabella and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine with husband Crown Prince Frederik – wore a tailored black coat coupled with a grey hat.

The riders jump in the Magasindammen pond during during Hubertus Hunt 2021 in Dyrehaven near Klampenborg

Princess Mary became patron of the Hubertus Hunt’s Honorary Prize following the death of her father-in-law Prince Henrik in 2018. Pictured: Princess Mary with the winning horse (left); and with her son Prince Vincent (right) 

Crown Princess Mary and her children clap as they concentrate on watching the horse race on the balcony of their castle

Danish Crown Princess Mary and the twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent in front of the Hermitage Castle

Dating back to the 1900s, the event marks the end of the Danish hunting season, with 160 hunters on horseback riding over hedges and water features across the park

The riders at the end of the 1st stage during Hubertus Hunt 2021 in Dyrehaven near Klampenborg, Denmark

In order for the riders to qualify for the Hubertus Hunt, the riders must have completed eight of this year’s hunts in order to make sure they are able to jump the high obstacles.

May Britt Kattrup, the winner of the Hubertus Hunt in 1992, told Danish Radio: ‘The horses are often turned on in the surroundings with many horses and the large audience, therefore it is important to be able to control his horse, but it is the rider’s own responsibility to be qualified for the task.’  

The Danish royal family have sparked controversy in the past over their traditional annual hunts. 

In 2019, they were pictured in front of a lawn-full of slain deer on the eve of their annual hunt.    

Prince Frederik of Denmark hosted the ‘King’s Hunt’, leading an entourage of prominent guests and other members of the royal family through the Gludsted Plantation in central Jutland.

After the hunt, the prince, his wife Princess Mary, Queen Margrethe, and their guests, stood outside the Fredensborg Palace for a traditional hunting parade. 

Princess Josephine is seen waving to the crowd as her brother and mother watch on from the balcony of Hermitage Castle

In order for the riders to qualify for the Hubertus Hunt, the riders must have completed eight of this year’s hunts in order to make sure they are able to jump the high obstacles

Princess Mary was seen embracing Prince Vincent on the balcony as Princess Josephine smiled and waved to the crowds

Crown Princess Mary became patron of the Hubertus Hunt’s Honorary Prize following the death of her father-in-law Prince Henrik in 2018. Seen embracing her daughter Princess Josephine (left) and waving to the crowds (left)

The Danish royal family were all smiles during the annual event, with Princess Josephine enthusiastically waving to the crowds (right) 

Among the images from the event is the prince walking through rows of slaughtered deer and the Queen shaking hands with the huntsmen. 

According to a Danish law, the royal family are given the sole right to hunt in around one third of the country’s forests.  

During the ceremony, it is traditional for the yield from the hunt to be read aloud, followed by a toast to the hunters. 

Official royal hunts in the Danish state forests take place every year during the hunting season, which run from the start of October to mid January. 

Princess Mary will become Queen of Denmark when Frederik ascends to the throne, following the death or abdication of his mother. 

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