Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark will become the country’s Queen Consort later this month, completing the fairy tale climb of an Australian sales executive to the upper ranks of European royalty. The sudden abdication of Queen Margrethe II, who declared her intention to step down on January 14, cleared the final stretch of Mary’s road from Tasmania to the Danish throne on New Year’s Eve. It’s an extremely rare move in Denmark, where a monarch hasn’t abdicated since King Eric III gave up the throne in 1146 to join a monastery, according to the Royal House.
Crown Prince Frederik, Margrethe’s eldest son, will become King, while his wife, Crown Princess Mary, will become the first Australian to become Queen
Crown Prince Frederik, Margrethe’s eldest son, will become King, while his wife, Crown Princess Mary, will become the first Australian to become Queen, a development that has delighted her supporters at home. It’s a fitting conclusion for many of Mary’s Australian fans to a courtship that famously began in a boisterous Sydney pub around the time of the Olympics in 2000. According to legend, the two caught eyes in the Slip Inn, an unusual location to discover a Danish royal, let alone the origins of a couple who would later become Denmark’s future King and Queen.
Millions of people watched the couple marry in 2004. Two decades later, their ascension to the throne is expected to captivate audiences worldwide – from Copenhagen to the Tasmanian capital of Hobart, where Mary was born. Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said in a statement on Monday that the state “could not be prouder of Crown Princess Mary.” “With her demonstrated humility, grace and kindness I am sure Crown Princess Mary will be embraced as Queen alongside her husband, King Frederik, once proclaimed later this month,” Rockliff said. “I look forward to watching the next generation, and Tasmania’s own-born Queen, lead Denmark’s future.”
In her speech, she discussed the misery of war, the loss of innocent lives in Gaza, and the significance of Denmark’s support for Ukraine
For the most part, Queen Margrethe’s New Year’s Eve speech covered familiar ground: a monarch summarizing the highs and lows of the previous year. She discussed the misery of war, the loss of innocent lives in Gaza, the growth of antisemitism, and the significance of Denmark’s support for Ukraine. She discussed climate change, the problems of artificial intelligence, and her joy in her 18-year-old grandson, Prince Christian. Then the monarch turned to her own life and how recent successful back surgery had given her cause to think of the future. More specifically, she said she considered “whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation,” and she concluded that “now is the right time.”
“On 14th January 2024 – 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father – I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I will hand over the throne to my son Crown Prince Frederik,” Margrethe said. The announcement temporarily paused New Year’s celebrations in Denmark, as royal correspondents rushed to fill in the gaps. “Nobody knew,” Kristian Ring-Hansen Holt told ABC Breakfast television in Australia. Juliet Rieden, editor-at-large for The Australian Women’s Weekly, said most Danes expected Margrethe to be in the job for life, much like Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled until her death in September 2022.
Reiden told CNN that in retrospect, certain moves indicated that Queen Margrethe was planning to stand down. For example, her decision to reduce the royal family size and remove royal titles from the children of her youngest son, Prince Joachim, and his wife, Princess Marie, who were unhappy with the decision and recently relocated to the United States. “I think she did it so her son, Crown Prince Frederik, didn’t have to do it in the early stages of his monarchy, so she could get it all out of the way and then he could start with a fresh slate,” Rieden told the BBC.
Mary was born in 1972, the daughter of a Scottish math professor and a British executive assistant
It also reflects the reasoning of a pragmatic monarch who wanted to present the royal family as offering value for money, led by two of their most popular members, Rieden said. “The royal family is running at 82% popularity in Denmark – these are the sorts of figures politicians dream about,” said Rieden. Denmark’s royals have a limited role under the country’s constitution, with power resting with parliament. Monarchs play an important ambassadorial role as well as signing off on new legislation.
Mary was born in 1972, the daughter of a Scottish math professor and a British executive assistant. Her official biography states that she began her schooling in Houston, Texas, before returning to Hobart to attend school and university. Mary began her career as an advertising executive and travelled throughout Europe before landing a position with a Sydney-based property firm. She met Frederik, a young Danish royal whom she subsequently married in a grandiose ceremony broadcast internationally at Copenhagen Cathedral. Four children followed, including Prince Christian, who is currently the heir apparent.
