The canvas, painted by Thomas Kluges, features three generations of the Danish royal family including Mary, her husband Frederik and their four children.
Mary’s eldest Prince Christian is front and centre in the portrait, but the “spooky” way he and the other children have been painted has provoked widespread criticism.
“It’s a creepy gathering of demon-children, a possessed little girl and adults with vacant stares,” wrote the UK’s Daily Mail, likening the picture to an “Addams family holiday snap”.
Twitter users seem to feel the same way, with one person posting: “Is the Danish royal family starring in a sequel to The Omen?”
But art critic Dennis Dahlqvist has brushed off the criticism of the portrait, saying the “creepiness” wears off the longer you look at it.
“It is a bit creepy with the children, but that disappears when you have studied the image for a while,” Dennis told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
“It is an interesting image which is partly very photographic but which has borrowed light and colour from Dutch 17th century painting.”
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