Fairytale wedding for Ozzie Mary

Months of planning, hundreds of guests and thousands of police in the streets will give way to a royal wedding redolent of the fairy tales written by Denmark’s Hans Christian Andersen.

Less than four years after they met in a Sydney bar, Danish Crown Prince Frederik and Australian Mary Donaldson are set to exchange vows at Copenhagen’s Our Lady Lutheran Cathedral today at 3pm before 800 guests, including European and Asian royals, Danish and Australian dignitaries and close friends.

The Earl of Wessex and his wife Sophie will be among the guests.

After Copenhagen Bishop Svend Norman Svendsen weds the pair, Donaldson will become Crown Princess Mary, a Danish citizen and member of Denmark’s state Lutheran Church.

Squads of street sweepers were out in force today clearing away rubbish and debris as the skies overhead turned ominously grey.

“The joker will be the weather,” said Lord Chamberlain Ove Ullerup, head of the royal household.

The forecast indicated a slight chance of rain, but he was optimistic it would hold.

Police expect 250,000 people to jam the streets of city to get a glimpse of the newlyweds’ horse-drawn carriage. In recent days, at least 50,000 Danish and Australian flags were handed out by tourist officials.

On some parts of the two mile route, crowds were already gathering.

“I have been standing here since 2 a.m. so I will try to stay awake for this afternoon,” said Kit Brandt, a Danish woman who lives in Texas, who was standing outside the cathedral.

Many areas of the town will be closed to cars – except for the fleet of nearly 100 Volvo limousines and dark buses that will ferry the guests to and from Our Lady Church and later to the Fredensborg Palace, where the evening party will be held.

With memories of the deadly terrorist bombings in Madrid still fresh, the Danish capital of 1.8 million people is taking no chances. One-third of Denmark’s 10,000-strong police force is expected to be on security duty while the air space over Copenhagen will be closed for the duration of the event, except for a lone television news helicopter.