ROYAL WORTH

The Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark are in Australia at the moment, attending the 50th anniversary celebrations of the opening of the famous Sydney Opera House (which was designed by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon). One of the reasons for sending them is that the Crown Princess, formerly Mary Donaldson, is herself an Australian, and hugely popular as the country's first and only ever royal.

While there, the couple will do the usual round of flying the flag and supporting Danish businesses. People are always questioning whether this sort of thing justifies the expense of having a royal family. In the case of Denmark and Australia, it does. Since she appeared on the horizon, Danish exports to Australia have doubled, not least because people there now know where Denmark is.

Walter Blotscher