Fans go wild as Queen Mary supports 'cousin' Ariarne Titmus at 2024 Olympics

Queen Mary of Denmark has sent Aussies wild on social media after she was spotted supporting the Australian swimming team at the 2024 Paris Olympics - including her ‘cousin’ Ariarne Titmus - as they won the gold medal. Ariarne, Mollie O’Callaghan, Lani Pallister and Brianna Throssell triumphed in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay, touching the wall in seven minutes, 40.33 seconds and setting a new Olympic record.

The Tasmanian-born royal was in the crowd to watch the race and celebrated with the quartet when they won. She embraced the athletes and posed for photos, with Channel Nine commentator and former Olympian Cate Campbell pointing out that the traditional protocols of interacting with a member of the royal family had gone out the window amid the excitement.

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Fans took to social media to share their excitement at seeing Queen Mary in the crowd, with one person writing: “Mary supporting the Aussies is Gold Gold Gold.”

“How cool to see [Queen] Mary of Denmark (via Tassie) down poolside with Ariarne and then Mollie!” another added, while a third said, “Queen Mary being #1 fangirl of our Queen girls”.

“OK, Queen Mary of Denmark is still an Aussie girl at heart as she takes time to meet with the Australian Olympic team at #Paris2024,” someone else commented.

“Queen Mary hugging Arnie at the pool… just two Tasmanians doing their thing,” a different user remarked.

How are Queen Mary and Ariarne Titmus related?

Ariarne told Woman’s Day before the Games began that she and Queen Mary, who are both from Tasmania, are “actually cousins in a distant, roundabout sort of way”.

“One of dad's cousins is married to Mary's cousin, which is actually pretty funny considering the running joke that everyone born in Tasmania is somehow related!” she shared.

She added that while she’s grateful for the support of Mary and her husband King Frederik X, she wouldn’t be able to spend much time with them following the 400m freestyle final - which took place last week and saw Ariarne win gold.

“Mary may want to hang out after the race, so I hope she's OK if I duck off and not stay and mingle,” she said. “I have to rest up for the next morning when I'm back for the 200m freestyle heats - I think she will understand.”

Mary, who renounced her Australian citizenship in 2004 when she married into the Danish Royal Family, has been spotted supporting Team Australia on several occasions throughout the 2024 Olympics.

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While she is attending the event in an official capacity for Denmark, she stopped by the Olympic Village before the Opening Ceremony to meet several Aussie athletes.

“Royalty in the Village! Australian-born Queen Mary of Denmark joined athletes in the Olympic Village,” the Australian Olympic Team's official Instagram account wrote alongside a gallery of snaps.

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