A New Queen Mary

Queen Mary of Denmark

Photo by Hasse Nielsen

Europe's Queens Consort gained a new soror with the accession of King Frederik X of Denmark on January 14, 2024. None of today's consorts were born into royalty. Only one, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, was even born into the nobility. Two were not born in the countries they now help to lead: Queen Silvia of Sweden was born in Germany while The Netherlands' Queen Maxima hails from Argentina. Most of them come from the workaday world of modern women: Silvia was a translator, Maxima a banker, Mathilde a speech therapist, Queen Letizia of Spain a television journalist, and Queen Sonja of Norway a designer and dressmaker.

The new queen has come farther than all the others. Today's Queen of Denmark was born more than 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) away from Denmark. Although her parents were of Scottish descent, she was thoroughly Australian. Her father, John Donaldson, was a math professor and her mother, the former Henrietta Horne, was an executive assistant, both working at the University of Tasmania. When they named their youngest child for her grandmothers, they gave her the very regal name of Mary Elizabeth, without having any thought of her ever becoming the latest in a long line of Queens named Mary (or Marie/Maria) across Europe. 

Mary Elizabeth Donaldson was born on February 5, 1972, just three weeks after her future mother-in-law became Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. The hospital where she made her first appearance was named for her future husband's great-great-great aunt, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, who had been Princess Alix of Denmark. As a very young child, Mary briefly lived with in Texas in the United States, while her dad worked at the Johnson Space Center. The family soon returned to Tasmania, where she would earn a combined Bachelor's degree in commerce and law. Before going on to a graduate program in advertising. Her career in marketing a communications took her to Melbourne, Edinburgh, and Sydney. During the Sydney Olympics in 2000, her flatmate invited her along for an evening out with her friend, Felipe. Felipe brought along his first cousins Nikolaos, Joachim, and Frederik and more distant cousin named Martha Louise. In her Cinderella moment, Mary did not know that she was meeting the future King of Spain, a Prince of Greece, two Princes of Denmark, and Princess of Norway!

Mary and "Fred" clicked immediately, as Mary described it. "It wasn't the fireworks in the sky or anything like that, but there was a since of excitement." Fred planned to stay in Australia for a little while but did not reveal his true identity until after they dated for a bit. Unfortunately, his Australian interlude was cut short by the final illness and death of his beloved grandmother, Queen Ingrid, who had been born a Swedish princess. However, Frederik could not stay parted from Mary for long. He made several secret trips to visit her before the press finally caught wind of the romance over a year later. By then, plans were already in place for Mary to move to Europe. She took a job teaching English at a business school in France. She had learned French as a second language in school but she soon needed to learn a third language. As quickly as she could, she moved to Copenhagen in Denmark, took a job with Microsoft Business Solutions, and enrolled in Danish classes. 

A year later, Frederik's mother, Queen Margrethe II, gave the couple official permission to marry. Frederik presented Mary with a ruby and diamond engagement ring, representing the colors of the Danish flag. They married on May 14, 2004. Unlike other royal brides, Mary opted to have adult bridesmaids, choosing her instead to have her two older sisters, Jane and Patricia, and her best friend from back home, Amber Petty. The wedding party did include children: Mary's three nieces, Frederik's cousin's son, and his nephew Prince Nikolai (now Count Nikolai, who is now a model currently living and working in Australia).

The couple soon built a family with four children. The new Crown Prince Christian was born in 2005, Princess Isabella in 2007, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine in 2011. The names of her younger children were all surprises, with very little to no precedents in the Danish Royal Family. Christian's name, however, was a pretty sure bet. The Danish kings had alternated between Frederiks and Christians for generations. When Margrethe succeeded her father, King Frederik IX, she said she had taken the place of Christian, which is why she named her oldest son Frederik. Mary and Frederik simply followed the tradition. 

Photo by European Commission via Wikimedia

As Crown Princess, Mary took on a wide range of patronages in health care, sport, fashion, culture, humanitarian work, anti-bullying, and science. She serves the World Health Organization's anti-obesity program and is a Patron of the United Nations Population Fund, which is focused on maternal health across the globe. She is also an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ community. Her own Mary Foundation launched in 2007 with money raised as wedding gifts to her and Frederik from across Denmark and Greenland. It focuses on issues like that can isolate people, including the environment or illness.

Mary is popular in her new homeland. Several places have been named for her there, including Mary Elizabeth's Hospital for children, teens, and expectant mothers at the national hospital in Copenhagen and Mary's Australian Garden at the Copenhagen Zoo. The Zoo had received four Tasmanian devils from Mary's native Tasmania in honor of her wedding in 2004. Their Australia collection has grown to include wallabies, kangaroos, and wombats.

Mary's ties to Australia have remained strong. She travels there for private holidays as often as she can, enabling her children with Frederik to connect with their Australian family and heritage. She and the twins even completed the Harbour Bridge climb in Sydney at the end of 2023.

With four teenagers at home and Christian heading to university in the fall, Queen Mary has a very full plate. The pride she feels for her family was apparent as they joined the newly proclaimed King Frederik X on the balcony. Then, the couple who will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in May, shared a loving kiss before the exuberant crowd. These two were born on opposite sides of the planet and yet they found each other. Their future together seems as bright as it ever has been. Long live the newest Queen Mary!

The new King Frederik and Queen Mary on the balcony after his proclamation
Screenshot of the livestream from DR1