Denmark’s popular Australian-born Crown Princess Mary will become queen on Sunday, after her husband Crown Prince Frederik’s accession to the throne. The gorgeous 51-year-old is credited with helping to modernize the Danish monarchy over the years and is one of its most popular figures. In her traditional New Year’s Eve speech, Queen Margrethe II surprised Danes by announcing her plans to abdicate after 52 years on the throne, citing her age (83 years) and health difficulties.
The future queen, born Mary Donaldson, brought a breath of fresh air to the monarchy and dazzled Danes when she married into the royal family
The future queen, born Mary Donaldson, brought a breath of fresh air to the monarchy and dazzled Danes when she married into the royal family. “Some people think my husband is a bit in my shadow because I’m very much in the spotlight and I have a lot of engagements,” she said in a 2017 authorised biography of Prince Frederik. “But he’ll never be in my shadow, and I’ll never be in his shadow, because he reflects light on me,” she said.
Mary, who was born on February 5, 1972, in Hobart, Tasmania, was working as an advertising executive in Australia when she met Frederik, then 34, while out with friends at Sydney’s Slip Inn bar during the Summer Olympics in 2000. She only subsequently realized that he was Denmark’s crown prince, and his circle of associates included other European royals such as his younger brother Prince Joachim and cousin Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark. “The first time we met, we shook hands,” she said in an interview several years ago. “I didn’t know he was the prince of Denmark. Half an hour later, someone came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who these people are?'”
Frederik told the daily Kristeligt Dagblad that meeting her was “not only a rush of love but also the feeling of having met my soulmate”
“I didn’t know he was the prince of Denmark. Half an hour later, someone came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who these people are?'”Meanwhile, Frederik told the daily Kristeligt Dagblad that meeting Mary was “not only a rush of love but also the feeling of having met my soulmate.” After a secret long-distance courtship and multiple under-the-radar encounters, the pair became officially engaged in October 2003 and married on May 14, 2004, at Copenhagen Cathedral. They currently have four children: Prince Christian, 18, who will one day replace his father as king; Princess Isabella, 16, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 13.
Mary made a splash in Denmark from the start, impressing Danes with her ability to learn the Danish language quickly. She also won over her mother-in-law immediately. “I have to say that the first time (Frederik) allowed me to meet her, I hoped it would last,” Queen Margrethe recalled in a 2015 interview. A poll published by Danish television TV2 in December declared Mary Denmark’s third-most popular royal, behind the immensely popular queen and Frederik. “For the almost 20 years that she has been a member of the royal family, the crown princess has widened and perfected her role as spokesperson and PR official for the royal family, Denmark, and her chosen causes,” the daily Berlingske wrote recently.
“I didn’t know he was the prince of Denmark. Half an hour later, someone came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who these people are?'”She is frequently featured on the fashion pages of Danish and foreign magazines, and her sense of style and long dark hair have earned her comparisons to Britain’s Princess Catherine. She is also recognized for her efforts to combat bullying, domestic violence, and social isolation, as well as to promote mental health and women’s rights.
According to historian Sebastian Olden-Jorgensen, Mary and Frederik were a modern couple who enjoyed pop music, modern art, and sports. They have attempted to give their four children as normal an upbringing as possible, sending them primarily to state schools. Their first child, 18-year-old Prince Christian, became the first Danish royal to attend childcare. They “do not represent a potential revolution compared to the queen”, but a careful transition adapting to the times, Olden-Jorgensen said.