Princess Mary Donaldson of Denmark is of Australian descent. Photo: Getty.
83-year-old Queen Margrethe II of Denmark – Europe’s oldest serving monarch – suddenly announced on New Year’s Eve 2024 that she will abdicate on January 14.
According to the Royal Family, this is an extremely rare move in Denmark, where a king has not abdicated since 1146 when King Eric III gave up the crown to join a monastery.
Queen Margrethe’s eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, will become King, and his wife, Princess Mary, will be the first Australian to become Queen, a development that has angered her supporters at home. very happy.
For Mary’s many Australian admirers, it was a fitting end to a famous romance that began in a rowdy Sydney pub around the time of the 2000 Olympics.
At that time, the two fell in love at the Slip Inn pub, considered an unlikely place to find a member of the Danish royal family, let alone the starting place for a couple who would later become King and Queen. post-future Denmark.
The family of Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary and their children. Photo: AP.
Millions of people watched the couple marry in 2004. Two decades later, their accession to the throne is expected to attract audiences around the world – from Copenhagen to Tasmania’s capital Hobart, where Mary was born .
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said in a statement on Monday that the state “could not be more proud of Her Royal Highness the Princess Mary”.
Rockliff praised the humility, grace and kindness shown by Her Royal Highness and said: “I look forward to seeing the next generation and a Tasmanian-born Queen lead the future of Denmark.”
In her abdication speech, Queen Magrethe addressed the tragedy of war, the innocent lives lost in Gaza, the spread of anti-Semitism and the importance of Denmark’s support for Ukraine. . She also spoke about climate change, the challenges of artificial intelligence and how proud she is of her grandson, Prince Christian, who just turned 18.
She then talked about her own life and how her recent successful back surgery had her thinking about the future. More specifically, she said she considered “whether now is the right time to pass on responsibility to the next generation” and she concluded that “now is the right time.”
“On January 14, 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,” Queen Margrethe said.
The announcement brought New Year’s celebrations in Denmark to a halt as reporters watching the royal family rushed to the air. No one knew in advance about the Queen’s statement – reporters said.
Juliet Rieden, editor-in-chief of the Australian Women’s Weekly, said most Danes expected Margrethe to hold the job for life, like Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned until her death in September 2022.
“The royal family has an approval rating of 82% in Denmark – these are political figures’ dreams,” says Rieden.
The Danish royal family has a limited role under the country’s constitution, with power remaining with the parliament. Monarchs hold important ambassadorial positions as well as signers of new laws.
Photo: Getty.
Mary was born in 1972, the child of a Scottish mathematics professor and an English executive assistant. According to her official biography, she began her studies in Houston, Texas before returning to Hobart to attend high school and university.
Mary’s work included stints as an advertising executive and traveling throughout Europe before she landed a sales director position at a Sydney-based real estate company. It was there that she met the young Danish Prince Frederik, whom she later married at Copenhagen Cathedral in a lavish ceremony televised live around the world.
They have four children, including Prince Christian, currently heir to the throne.
Besides being praised for her poise and fashion sense, Mary is also followed by many for her strong commitment to social causes through the Mary Foundation, established in 2007.
“She is a fierce advocate for the gender rights of women and girls. She is a fierce advocate for refugees. So she has proven her worth as a serious role model and leader in Denmark, and I think Australia can be very proud of the royal style that she has shaped.” – said Mrs. Rieden.
Late last year, media around the world reported that there was a romantic relationship between Prince Frederik and Mexican-born actress Genoveva Casanova. But Casanova issued a statement vehemently denying the claims and threatening legal action against Lecturas, the Spanish magazine that published images of them on a night out. The royal family has not commented on this.
When the new generation of the Danish Royal Family takes the throne, there will be no pageantry that accompanies the coronation.
Details have not been confirmed but the Royal Family said Queen Margrethe will abdicate in the presence of the Council of State, the advisory body to the monarchy.
On January 14, Rieden said, it is likely that the new King and Queen will appear on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace with the Danish prime minister, and perhaps also wave from Amalienborg, the official residence of the Danish Prime Minister. royal family in Copenhagen.
“I think we’ll see Mary and Frederik on the balcony and I think we’ll see all their family around them. This is the introduction of the new modern Danish monarchy and I think it will be a very strong image,” she said.
