Princess Mary stuns in velvet as she rings in the New Year at Danish palace's annual banquet... just days after returning from Christmas in Australia

She has enjoyed a relaxed holiday with her family in Australia over Christmas, but it was back to business as usual for Princess Mary by New Year as she made it home to Denmark just in time to host the annual royal banquet.

The red carpet was rolled out for the Danish royal family on Friday as they arrived for the New Year reception at Lamborghini Palace in Copenhagen.

Wearing a midnight blue velvet floor-length gown with the bottom half embellished with delicate sequins, Crown Princess Mary, 43, looked elegant as she arrived arm-in-arm with her husband, Denmark's Crown Prince Frederick.

She wore her hair pinned back underneath her antique diamond and ruby-encrusted tiara and paired her outfit with her Knight of the Order of the Elephant collar.

Prince Frederik donned Danish military uniform and carried his ceremonial sabre for the traditional event and the couple were greeted with thunderous applause from well-wishers as they exited the car and made their way up to the castle doors.

Princess Mary gave us a lesson in evening dressing at the annual royal banquet, wowing in a midnight blue velvet gown which made for a pertinent choice just after New Year’s.

Wearing a modified Jesper Hovering gown which she previously wore to the 2014 Bambi awards with an off-shoulder design, as seen on the model from the autumn/winter 2014 collection, Princess Mary showed us how to recycle fashion with a twist. Our Duchess could even take some notes!

This altered version oozes winter chic with its scooped wide neckline and long sleeves, making for a very cosy gown for the colder climes. Savvy Copenhagen dressing for sure.

The sad part is that this princess  gown is not available to buy online, but you can snap up some similar styles from the edit below for affordable prices, including pieces from Adrianna Pap ell to Asos.

We'll be styling any of the below with silver metallic sandals and a box clutch bag for ultimate evening elegance.

His parents Queen Margrethe, 75, and Prince Henrik hosted the VIP gala and waved to the waiting crowds as they made their way inside.

Their younger son, Prince Joachim, 46, also wore traditional military regalia for the event and was pictured beaming as he made his entrance with his wife Princess Marie.

The 39-year-old wore an exquisite cream floor-length dress embroidered with small flowers and a beautiful tiara.