Queen Mary of Denmark with her father, John Donaldson, in a photo the Danish Royal House shared on her Feb. 5 birthday.Photo:DET DANSKE KONGEHUS/Instagram
DET DANSKE KONGEHUS/Instagram
Queen Maryof Denmark ringing in her first birthday since her husbandKing Frederik’s accession.
“Her Majesty The Queen has a birthday and turns 52 today 🇩🇰,” the court captioned the personal photo. “On this occasion, the Queen has chosen an image of a special moment with her father from her recent trip to Australia in December. His Royal HighnessPrince Vincentis the photographer behind it.”
Prince Vincent, 13, is Queen Mary and King Frederik’s youngest son, and the detail that he snapped the candid made the memento extra special. The King and Queen are also parents toCrown Prince Christian, 18,Princess Isabella, 16, andPrincess Josephine, 13, who is Prince Vincent’s twin.
In December 2023, weeks before Frederik’s mother,Queen Margrethe, announced herunexpected abdication, then-Crown Princess Mary traveled to her native Australia with the twins to visit family, Danish outletBilled Bladetreported. Princess Isabella and then-Crown Prince Frederik later joined the trio, while son Prince Christian stayed back due to school.
The royal family went abroad a month afterspeculation surfacedthat Frederik was having an affair with Mexican-born socialite Geneveva Casanova after they were photographed together during his private trip to Madrid that October. Casanova denied allegations of a romantic relationship with the royal, and the Danish Royal House did not comment.
Frederik, Mary and three of their children were off duty from royal responsibilities during their private trip to Australia, where Mary was born andlater mether husband. The future Queen Mary was born Mary Donaldson in Hobart, Tasmania in 1972, almost a decade after her parents, John and Henrietta, emigrated from Scotland.
Queen Mary of Denmark waves as she arrives for a church service on the occasion of the change of throne at Aarhus Cathedral on Jan. 21.MIKKEL BERG PEDERSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty
MIKKEL BERG PEDERSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty
At 28, Mary was working as an advertising executive before achance encounter changed her life. She found herself chatting to Prince Frederik, although he introduced himself simply as “Fred,” at the Slip Inn on Sydney’s Darling Harbor in September 2000. The pub was filled with people from around the world who were in town for the Summer Olympics.
“Something clicked,” Mary said in a 2005 interview. “It wasn’t the fireworks in the sky or anything like that, but there was a sense of excitement.”
For a year, the pair got to know each other through a long-distance relationship that flew under the radar of the media. In 2002, Mary moved to Copenhagen, converted to the Lutheran Church and learned Danish, a notoriously tricky language to master. The couple announced their engagement in 2003 and married the following year at Copenhagen Cathedral.
Crown Prince Frederik and Mary Elizabeth Donaldson in August 2002.KELD NAVNTOFT/SCANPIX/AFP/Getty
KELD NAVNTOFT/SCANPIX/AFP/Getty
In a nod to his Scottish heritage, John Donaldson walked his daughter down the aisle in a kilt, and the bride became Crown Princess Mary when she wed then-Crown Prince Frederik. Mary’s mother Henrietta sadly was not at her royal wedding day, as she died in 1997 following complications from heart surgery — and without knowing her daughter’s royal destiny ahead.
“I’m sure she would be very happy to see me where I am, not only happy in my family life and as a mother, but also to see that I’ve used my new situation and the resources and skills I have to form a platform to make a difference where I can… And I think she’s probably smiling,” Mary toldThe Australian Women’s Weeklyin 2013.
John Donaldson and his daughter Mary on her Mary 14, 2004 wedding day to Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark.Sean Gallup/Getty
Sean Gallup/Getty
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Two weeks after Queen Margretheshocked Denmarkwhen she announced in her annual New Year’s Address that she would abdicate on Jan. 14, 2024, the 52nd anniversary of her accession to the throne, her eldest son Frederik succeeded her as sovereign. Queen Margrethe, 83, cited health concerns and the extensive back surgery she had earlier that year as factors in the decision, and the change was made official when she signed adeclaration of abdicationduring a Council of State at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen on Jan. 14.
Queen Margrethe signs a declaration of abdication as Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark becomes King Frederik X of Denmark and Prince Christian of Denmark watches on during the Council of State at the Christiansborg Castle on Jan. 14.MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty
MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty
As Frederik became the new monarch, Prince Christian became the Crown Prince, taking his father’s former title. Like Crown Prince Christian, the couple’s three younger children Isabella, Vincent and Josephine each moved up a spot in the line of succession as well.
Queen Mary became theonly queen consort to have been born in Australia.
King Frederik’s family was front and center on his accession day, and his wife and kids joined him on the balcony of the palace after the prime minister proclaimed his accession to the throne. The new King and Queen even shared asurprise kiss, which was met with cheers from the crowd.
King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark make first appearance of reign on Jan. 14, 2024.JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty
source: people.com
