Queen Mary of Denmark

## Mary

*Queen of Denmark*

*Mary in 2022*

**Queen consort of Denmark**

## Media

Official Biography at Kongehuset

Wiki Gallery

**Queen Mary of Denmark** (born *Mary Elizabeth Donaldson*; 5 February 1972) is Queen of Denmark as the wife of Frederik X.

## Early Life

Mary Elizabeth Donaldson was born on 5 February 1972 in Hobart, Tasmania. Her father John is a mathematics professor and her mother Henrietta was an executive assistant to the vice-chancellor of the University of Tasmania. Henrietta died on 20 November 1997, and John remarried to Susan Horwood on 5 September 2001. Mary was named after her grandmothers, Mary Dalgleish and Elizabeth Gibson Melrose.

She has three older siblings, Jane Stephens (1965), Patricia Bailey (1968), and John Donaldson (1970).

During her childhood, Mary was involved in a variety of sports and other extracurricular activities. She studied music, including piano, flute, and clarinet, and played basketball and hockey.

## Education

In 1974, Mary started school at Clear Lake City Elementary School in Houston, Texas, where her father was working at the time. She moved to Sandy Bay, Tasmania in 1975 and lived there until 1977. Her primary education, from 1978 to 1983, was at Waimea Heights with her secondary schooling, from 1984 to 1987, being at Taroona High School. Her matriculation was from 1988 to 1989 at Hobart College.

Mary studied at the University of Tasmania from 1990 to 1994, graduating with a combined Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degree on 27 May 1994.

From 1994 and 1996, she attended a graduate program and qualified with certificates in advertising from the Advertising Federation of Australia (AFA) and direct marketing from the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA).

In addition to English, Mary speaks Danish. She began studying the language in 2003 at Studieskolen in Copenhagen.

## Career

After graduating in 1994, Mary moved to Melbourne where she worked for Australian and global advertising agencies. She became a trainee in marketing and communications with the Melbourne office of DDB Needham, taking a position of account executive. In 1996, she was employed by Mojo Partners as an account manager. In 1998, six months after her mother's death, Mary resigned and traveled to America and Europe. While in Edinburgh, she worked for three months as an account manager with Rapp Collins Worldwide. Then, in early 1999, she was appointed as an account director with the international advertising agency Young & Rubicam in Sydney.

In June 2000, Mary moved to a smaller Australian agency, Love Branding, working for a short time as the company's first account director. She then became a sales director and a member of the management team of Belle Property, a real estate firm specializing in luxury property, until December 2001.

In the first half of 2002, Mary taught English at a business school in Paris. After moving to Denmark permanently, she was employed by Microsoft Business Solutions near Copenhagen as a project consultant for business development, communications, and marketing. She held this position from 5 September 2002 to 24 September 2003.

## Danish Royal Family

* **The King**
**The Queen**
	+ The Crown Prince
	+ Princess Isabella
	+ Prince Vincent
	+ Princess Josephine

* Queen Margrethe II
	+ Prince Joachim
	Princess Marie
		- Count Nikolai
		- Count Felix
		- Count Henrik
		- Countess Athena

* Princess Benedikte
* Queen Anne-Marie

## Extended royal family

* The Crown Prince of Greece
The Crown Princess of Greece
	+ Princess Maria-Olympia
	+ Prince Constantine-Alexios
	+ Prince Achileas-Andreas
	+ Prince Odysseas-Kimon
	+ Prince Aristidis-Stavros

* Queen Anne-Marie
	+ Princess Alexia
	+ Prince Nikolaos
	Princess Tatiana
	+ Princess Theodora
	+ Prince Philippos
	Princess Nina

* Queen Sofía of Spain
* Princess Irene

* Prince Michael

### Marriage

Dating
On 16 September, Mary met Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, at the Slip Inn in Sydney during the 2000 Summer Olympics. He was not identified by her friends as a Crown Prince until after they met. The couple conducted a long-distance relationship, and Frederik made a number of discreet visits to Australia. On 15 November 2001, the Danish magazine *Billed Bladet* named Mary as Frederik's girlfriend. Mary then moved from Australia to Denmark in December 2001.

Engagement
*Main article: Engagement of Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark, and Mary Donaldson*
On 24 September 2003, the Danish Royal Court announced that Margrethe II intended to give her consent to the marriage at a State Council meeting scheduled for 8 October 2003.

The couple became officially engaged on 8 October 2003.

Wedding
*Main article: Wedding of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and Mary Donaldson*
The couple was married on 14 May 2004 at the Copenhagen Cathedral in Copenhagen. The wedding was celebrated in Copenhagen and at Fredensborg Palace.

In connection with the wedding, Mary became *Crown Princess of Denmark*. She was given Danish citizenship by the Danish parliament, having formerly been a dual citizen of Australia and the United Kingdom. She also converted from Presbyterian to Lutheran.

The couple reportedly spent their honeymoon in Africa.

### Children

Mary and Frederik have four children.

1. Prince Christian, born 15 October 2005
2. Princess Isabella, born 21 April 2007
3. Prince Vincent, born 8 January 2011
4. Princess Josephine, born 8 January 2011

### Godchildren

Mary has multiple godchildren.

1. Baron Holger Reedtz-Thott, born 2006
2. Josephine Fleming, born 2006
3. Prince Henrik of Denmark, born 2009
4. Konstantin Johannsmann, born 24 July 2010
5. Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland, born 23 February 2012

### Residence

Mary and her family reside at Frederick VIII's Palace, one of the four palaces that make up Amalienborg. Since May 2004, they have also resided at the Chancellery House, a building in the park at Fredensborg Palace, during the summer and fall months.

## Public Life

### Activities

* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011

**Summer:** Mary and Frederik embarked upon a working tour of mainland Denmark and Greenland aboard the royal yacht *Dannebrog*.

**August**: The couple attended the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

During the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen, the royal family, including Mary, was involved in related events throughout the year. Mary and Frederik marked the anniversary in London, New York, and in Australia, where she was made an honorary Hans Christian Andersen Ambassador to Australia in the Utzon Room of the Sydney Opera House.

Mary accompanied the royal family during their visit to the Faroe Islands.

**23 - 28 September:** Mary participated in the reburial ceremonies for Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia in Denmark and Saint Petersburg.

Mary visited the disadvantaged migrant area of Vollsmose.
Mary visited the disadvantaged migrant area of Gellerup.

Mary visited Uganda.

**November:**

Mary made a surprise visit to Danish soldiers in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. One of Mary's stops was at FOB Armadillo.
Mary visited the disadvantaged migrant area of Viborg.

Mary visited East Africa.

## Titles, Styles, & Arms

* **5 February 1972 - 14 May 2004:** *Miss* Mary Elizabeth Donaldson
* **14 May 2004 - 29 April 2008:** *Her Royal Highness* The Crown Princess of Denmark
* **29 April 2008 - 14 January 2024:** *Her Royal Highness* The Crown Princess of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat
* **14 January 2024 - present:** *Her Majesty* The Queen of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat

## Honours

* National
* Foreign

Orders
* **Denmark**
	+ Knight of the Order of the Elephant (9 May 2004)
	+ Member of the Royal Family Order of Margrethe II

Medals
* **Denmark**
	+ 75th Birthday Medal of Henrik, Prince Consort (11 June 2009)
	+ 70th Birthday Medal of Margrethe II (16 April 2010)
	+ Ruby Jubilee Medal of Margrethe II (14 January 2012)
	+ 75th Birthday Medal of Margrethe II (16 April 2015)
	+ 50th Anniversary Medal of Margrethe II and Prince Henrik (10 June 2017)
	+ Prince Henrik's Commemorative Medal (11 June 2018)
	+ 80th Birthday Medal of Margrethe II (16 April 2020)
	+ Home Guard Medal of Merit

Orders
* **Belgium**
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown

* **Brazil**
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross (5 September 2007)

* **Bulgaria**
	+ First Class of the Order of Stara Planina

* **Finland**
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland

* **France**
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of Merit

* **Greece**
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of Beneficence

* **Iceland**
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon

* **Mexico**
	+ Sash of the Order of the Aztec Eagle (8 April 2016)

* **Netherlands**
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion

* **Norway**
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (2005)

* **Sweden**
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star

Medals
* **Netherlands**
	+ Inauguration Medal of Willem-Alexander (30 April 2013)

* **Sweden**
	+ 70th Birthday Medal of Carl XVI Gustaf (30 April 2016)

## References

1. ↑ Official list of honours (Danish). Kongehuset.
2. ↑ Official list of honours (Danish). Kongehuset.
3. ↑ Official list of honours (Danish). Kongehuset.
4. ↑ Publication regarding order recipients (Portugese). Jusbrasil.com.br (6 September 2007).
5. ↑ Press release regarding the Order of the Aztec Eagle (Spanish) (8 April 2016).
6. ↑ Official list of honours (Danish). Kongehuset.