Denmark’s popular Australian-born Crown Princess Mary will become queen on January 14, when her husband Crown Prince Frederik takes the throne following his mother’s abdication, capping a real-life fairy tale.
Born on February 5, 1972 in Hobart, Australia, Mary Donaldson met the future King of Australia during the 2000 Summer Olympics while out with friends at the Slip In Bar in Sydney. He worked as an executive at an advertising company.
Only later did she learn that he was the Crown Prince of Denmark and that his group of friends consisted of other European royalty—including his younger brother Prince Joachim; His cousin, Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark, was also included.
“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?'”
After a cautious long-distance relationship and many discreet visits, the couple became officially engaged in October 2003 and married on May 14, 2004 at Copenhagen Cathedral.
The couple are now parents to four children. Prince Christian, 18, will one day succeed his father, Princess Isabella, 16, as king, and his twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine will turn 13 next week.
Mary will become queen on January 14 after Queen Margrethe II announced in her traditional New Year’s Eve speech on Sunday that she would abdicate in favor of her son, citing age and health issues.
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The announcement came as a surprise, as Margrethe had repeatedly insisted over the years that she would never step down.
She is currently the longest-reigning monarch in Europe, having reigned for 52 years until the day she steps down.
Mary attracted attention in Denmark from the beginning, impressing the Danes with her ability to quickly learn the Danish language.
A poll published by Danish television TV2 in December declared her the third most popular royal in Denmark, behind the hugely popular Queen and Mary’s husband Frederick.
She is often compared to Britain’s Crown Princess Kate, thanks to her sense of fashion style and long dark hair, and regularly graces the best-dressed pages of Danish and international magazines.
She is also known for her work fighting bullying, domestic violence and social isolation, and promoting mental health and women’s rights.
According to historian Sebastian Olden-Jorgensen, Mary and Frederick are considered a modern couple who loved pop music, modern art, and sports.
They try to give their four children as normal an education as possible, sending them primarily to state schools.
The couple’s eldest son, Prince Christian, 18, became the first Danish royal to attend nursery school.
Olden-Jorgensen said they “do not represent as much revolutionary potential as the Queen”, but they are a prudent transition in keeping with the times.
Mary has been visiting Australia regularly over the years with her husband and children and is closely followed by the media.
