Queensland’s strict nanny state laws have been slammed following Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik being refused entry to a Brisbane bar last Friday night.
Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls questioned whether the prince would have met his Australian wife, Princess Mary, under the strict laws.
Mr Nichols used a joke to help get his point across: ‘Have you heard the one where a Danish prince walks into a Queensland bar?’
MP Tim Nicholls has questioned whether Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik would have met his Australian wife, Princess Mary, under Queensland’s strict nanny state laws
‘You know what, Mr Speaker, he doesn’t, he can’t even get in the door.’
The Denmark royal was visiting Australia during the 2000 Olympic Games when he met Mary at Sydney’s Slip Inn bar.
But Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath has hit back at critics, telling parliament the event had ‘not created a diplomatic incident’.
The two (pictured) famously met in a Sydney pub during the Olympics in 2000
Prince Frederik and his entourage were denied entry to the Jade Buddha Bar (pictured) just before midnight on Friday evening because they did not have identification
She defended the right of the bar to turn the prince away and suggested the events of the evening had been blown out of proportion.
Prince Frederik, 49, and his entourage were denied entry to the Jade Buddha Bar just before midnight on Friday because they did not have identification, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The group were granted entry 15 minutes later after they returned to the establishment with Queensland Police Service’s dignitary protection unit.
Australia’s draconian liquor laws are sure to now attract international attention after Danish Crown Prince Frederik was turned away from a Brisbane bar
Ms D’Ath argued there had been no official complaints made by the prince and therefore alterations to the State’s strict security measures weren’t necessary, The Brisbane Times reports.
‘The prince obviously did not take great offence to this as he returned a short time later and was granted entry,’ she told parliament.
‘The fact is this has not caused a diplomatic incident as some would have you believe.’
Prince Frederik, Princess Josephine, Prince Vincent, Princess Mary pose before the children’s first school day (pictured)
In a press conference on Tuesday, Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart defended the need for identification scanning and confirmed staff at the establishment had full intentions of allowing Prince Frederick entry into the bar.
‘It is normal protocol that we operate in this particular way, that we don’t put anyone at risk,’ Mr Stewart said.
‘The club certainly knew that his royal highness was who he was and that he was going into their club.
‘It was certainly my understanding that they had no concern as long as we vouch for his profile.’