Princess Mary is devastated that politics may derail her planned holiday to Australia to visit family and friends in August.

Mary is homesick and wants to catch up with her loved ones, as well as introduce one-year-old daughter Isabella to her homeland for the first time.

But her plans to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games and go on to Australia are up in the air as
the Danish government decides whether to boycott the games.
If the politicians decide not to attend in protest at China's treatment of Tibet, a royal presence in the form of Prince Frederik and his Tasmanian-born wife would be inappropriate.

'Princess Mary has been speaking of nothing but this forthcoming holiday, but now she speaks only of perhaps not being able to get back home for another year,' a friend of Mary's tells New Idea.

If Mary had her way, she'd attend the opening ceremony and leave Frederik in China to cheer on the Danish athletes while she makes the trip to Australia with two-year-old Christian and Isabella.

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen is among those to have concerns over attending the Olympics.

Mary and Frederik's roles may be ceremonial, but it's vital they don't rock the boat. Attending the opening ceremony when their government chooses not to would be the ultimate insult.

The family is now likely to spend a good portion of the coming European summer on their French wine estate and join friends for a private yacht cruise on the Mediterranean.

It sounds delightful, but Mary would prefer to avoid the family gathering.

'It will be the new French-born Princess Marie's first summer holiday with the Danish royal family at the chateau [she is to marry Frederik's younger brother Prince Joachim on May 24], and Mary thinks that she should allow Marie to bask in the limelight during this time,' Mary's friend says.

Frederik and Mary's Olympic Games no-show could also jeopardise his opportunity of becoming Denmark's delegate to the International Olympic Committee when the country's current representative Kai Holm retires from the position in 2009.

On top of that, he'd miss out on seeing the world's best sailors compete at Qingdao.

'It's so frustrating. I don't want to get involved in the political side of the Olympics,' Frederik tells sailing friends.

However, he knows he can't have it both ways.

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