Mary (born Mary Elizabeth Donaldson; 5 February 1972) is

Queen of Denmark The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark was alrea ...

as the wife of

King Frederik X Frederik X (Frederik André Henrik Christian, ; born 26 May 1968) is King of Denmark. He acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2024. Frederik is the eldest son of Margrethe II and Prince Henrik. He was born during the ...

. Mary met Frederik (then

Crown Prince of Denmark This is a list of heirs to the Danish throne. Notes {{DEFAULTSORT:Heirs to the Danish throne Monarchy of Denmark Lists of Danish people Danish throne Danish Denmark history-related lists ...

) while attending the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. They married on 14 May 2004 at

Copenhagen Cathedral The Church of Our Lady () is the Lutheran cathedral of Copenhagen. It is situated on the Frue Plads public square in central Copenhagen, next to the historic main building of the University of Copenhagen. The present-day version of the church was ...

. They have four children:

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpo ...

Vincent Vincent (Latin: ''Vincentius'') is a masculine given name originating from the Roman name ''Vincentius'', which itself comes from the Latin verb ''vincere'', meaning "to conquer." People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003) ...

and Josephine. Since her marriage, she has carried out engagements on behalf of the Danish monarchy, and she serves as patron of over 30 charitable organisations, including the

United Nations Population Fund The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is a United Nations System, UN agency aimed at improving reproductive health, reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies and protocols, incr ...

, the European regional office of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

, the

Danish Refugee Council Danish Refugee Council (DRC) () is a private Danish humanitarian nonprofit organization, founded in 1956. It serves as an umbrella organization for 33 member organizations. Formed after the Second World War in response to the European refugee c ...

and

Julemærkefonden Julemærkefonden (literally "The Christmas Seal Foundation") is a Danish charity that operates four so-called Christmas seal homes for children with social challenges. It issues an annual Christmas seal to finance its activities. History T ...

. She founded her award-winning social organisation, the Mary Foundation, in 2007. In 2019, Mary was made a ''rigsforstander'', which allows her to act as regent when the monarch is abroad. She became the first Australian-born queen consort of any country upon

the abdication ''The Abdication'' is a 1974 British historical drama film directed by Anthony Harvey and starring Peter Finch and Liv Ullmann. The film's score was composed by Nino Rota. It tells a fictionalized version of the rumored love affair between C ...

of her mother-in-law,

Queen Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until her abdication on 14 January 2024. Having reigned for exactly 5 ...

, on 14 January 2024. She has the additional title of

Countess of Monpezat Count of Monpezat (Danish language, Danish: ''Greve af Monpezat''), or Countess of Monpezat (Danish: ''Grevinde af Monpezat'') when the holder is female, is a hereditary title of Danish nobility. It was granted on 30 April 2008 by Margrethe II ...

after her husband was given the title in 2008.

Early life

Mary Elizabeth Donaldson was born 5 February 1972 at

Queen Alexandra Hospital The Queen Alexandra Hospital (commonly known as QA Hospital, QAH or simply QA) is a large NHS hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire. Located in Cosham, it is run by Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and has a Ministry of Defence Hospital Un ...

Battery Point Battery Point (; ) is a suburb of the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is immediately south of the central business district. It is in the Local Government Areas of Tasmania, local government area of City of Hobart. Battery Point is name ...

, a suburb of

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. She is youngest of four children to

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

parents, Henrietta (née Horne), an executive assistant to the vice-chancellor of the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...

, and John Dalgleish Donaldson, an academic, mathematics professor and member of the

Clan Donald Clan Donald, also known as Clan MacDonald or Clan McDonald ( ), is a Highland Scottish clan and one of the largest Scottish clans. Historically the chiefs of the Clan Donald held the title of Lord of the Isles until 1493 and two of those chiefs a ...

. Her paternal grandfather was Captain Peter Donaldson (1911–1978). She was named after her grandmothers, Mary Dalgleish and Elizabeth Gibson Melrose, and was born and raised in Hobart. She has two older sisters, Jane Stephens and Patricia Bailey, and an older brother, John Stuart Donaldson. Her mother died from complications following heart surgery on 20 November 1997, when Mary was 25. In 2001, her father married the British author and novelist

Susan Moody Susan Moody (born 18 January 1940), is the principal pen name of Susan Elizabeth Horwood, an English novelist best known for her suspense novels. After marrying, as her third husband, Professor John Dalgleish Donaldson, at Oxford on 5 Septembe ...

(née Horwood). During her childhood, Mary was involved in sports and other extracurricular activities both at school and elsewhere. She studied music, playing piano, flute, and clarinet, and played basketball and hockey.

Education

Mary began schooling at Clear Lake City Elementary School in Houston, Texas, when her father, a professor of applied mathematics, worked at the

Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight in Houston, Texas (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight controller, flight control are conducted. ...

. She then moved to

Sandy Bay, Tasmania Sandy Bay is a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, situated immediately south of the city's central business district and adjoining Battery Point, Tasmania, Battery Point. Bordered to the east by the River Derwent (Tasmania), River Derwent, ...

, from 1975 to 1977. Her primary education, from 1978 to 1983, was at Waimea Heights with her secondary schooling (1984–1987) being at Taroona High School, and at Hobart College (1988–1989). She studied at the

from 1990 to 1994, graduating with a combined

Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (BCom or B Com) is an undergraduate degree in commerce, accounting, mathematics, economics, and management-related subjects. The degree is mainly offered in Commonwealth nations. Structure Bachelor of Commerce The Bac ...

and

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree on 27 May 1995. From 1994 to 1996, she attended a

graduate program Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

and qualified with certificates in advertising from the Advertising Federation of Australia (AFA) and direct marketing from the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA). Her native language is English, and she studied French during her secondary education. In 2002, she briefly worked as an English tutor in Paris while dating Crown Prince Frederik. After moving to Denmark and before her marriage, Mary studied Danish as a foreign language at

Studieskolen Studieskolen is a language school in Copenhagen, Denmark. The school has been teaching languages to adults under the name Studieskolen since 1977. Studieskolen provides courses in Danish as well as in 30 other languages, with courses starting all ...

in Copenhagen in 2003.

Career

Mary worked for Australian and global advertising agencies after graduating in 1995. Upon graduation she moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

to work in advertising. She became a trainee in marketing and communications with the Melbourne office of DDB Needham, taking a position of

account executive Account executive is a role in advertising, marketing, sales, and finance involving intimate understanding of a client company's objectives and products and a professional capability to provide effective advice toward creation of successful pro ...

. In 1996, she was employed by Mojo Partners as an

account manager An account manager (AM) is a person who works for a company and is responsible for the management of sales and relationships with particular customers. An account manager maintains the company's existing relationships with a client or group of cli ...

. In 1998, six months after her mother's death, she resigned and travelled to America and Europe. In

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. 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 VMLY&R was an American marketing and Marketing communications, communications company specializing in advertising, Digital media, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting, formed from the 2020 mer ...

in Sydney. In June 2000, Mary moved to a smaller Australian agency, Love Branding, working for a short time as its first account director. In the (Australian) spring of 2000, she became sales director and a member of the management team of Belle Property, a real estate firm. In the first half of 2002, Mary taught English at a business school in Paris, but upon moving to Denmark permanently, she was employed by

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

Business Solutions (5 September 2002 – 24 September 2003) near

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

as a project consultant for business development, communications and marketing.

Personal life

Courtship and engagement

Mary met Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark at the Slip Inn in 2000 during the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

in Sydney. Frederik was at the bar with his brother Prince Joachim, his cousin Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark, as well as the then

Felipe, Prince of Asturias Felipe VI (; Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. In accordance with the Spanish Constitution, as monarch, he is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed F ...

and

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (born 22 September 1971) is a Norwegian self-described clairvoyant, businesswoman and a member of the Norwegian royal family, although she is not a member of the royal house and has no public role. She is marri ...

. Felipe knew Mary's flatmate. Frederik was not identified by her friends as the Crown Prince of Denmark until after they met. They conducted a long-distance relationship and Frederik made several discreet visits to Australia. On 15 November 2001, the Danish weekly magazine ''

Billed Bladet ''Billed Bladet'' () is a Danish weekly entertainment and royal magazine based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1938, it is one of the oldest magazines in the country. It was started as a conservative political magazine, but later it was redesi ...

'' named Mary as Frederik's girlfriend. She moved from Australia to Denmark in December 2001, while she was working as an English tutor in Paris. On 24 September 2003, the Danish court announced that Queen

Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until her abdication on 14 January 2024. Having reigned for exactly ...

intended to give her consent to the marriage at the

State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative authority of China, headed by the Premier * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of S ...

meeting scheduled for 8 October 2003. Frederik had presented Mary with an engagement ring featuring an emerald-cut diamond and two emerald-cut ruby

baguettes A baguette (; ) is a long, thin type of bread of French origin that is commonly made from basic lean dough (the dough, not the shape, is defined by French law). It is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust. A baguette has a diameter ...

, which are similar to the colour of Denmark's flag. The couple became officially engaged on 8 October 2003.

Marriage and children

Mary and Frederik married on 14 May 2004 in

. The couple reportedly spent their honeymoon in Africa. The couple have four children: * Crown Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John, born 15 October 2005 at

Rigshospitalet Rigshospitalet (meaning ''the National'', ''State'', ''Kingdom'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital ...

in Copenhagen * Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe, born 21 April 2007 at Rigshospitalet * Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander, born 8 January 2011 at Rigshospitalet * Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda, born 8 January 2011 at Rigshospitalet The Danish

Folketing The Folketing ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark — Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland. E ...

(parliament) passed a special law (Mary's Law) giving Mary Danish citizenship upon her marriage, a standard procedure for new foreign members of the royal family. She was previously a dual citizen of Australia and the United Kingdom. Formerly a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

, she converted to the

Evangelical Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church ( , or unofficially ; ), sometimes called the Church of Denmark, is the established, state-supported church in Denmark. The supreme secular authority of the church is composed of ...

upon marriage. As a native English speaker, Mary's priority from the time of her engagement was to become fluent in Danish, and she acknowledged in several interviews at the time of her engagement and marriage that this was a challenge for her. Mary and her family reside at

Frederik VIII's Palace Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family and is located in Copenhagen. Frederick VIII's palace complex has four identical Classical façades, effectively four palaces, with Rococo interiors, laid around an octagona ...

, one of the four palaces that make up the

Amalienborg Palace Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family and is located in Copenhagen. Frederick VIII's palace complex has four identical Classical façades, effectively four palaces, with Rococo interiors, laid around an octagona ...

complex. Since May 2004 they have also resided at the Chancellery House, a building in the park at

Fredensborg Palace Fredensborg Palace (; ) is a palace located on the eastern shore of Lake Esrum ( Danish, ''Esrum Sø'') in Fredensborg on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in Denmark. It is the Danish royal family’s spring and autumn residence, and is o ...

, during the summer months. Mary is a keen equestrian and has competed at several dressage events. Mary is the godmother of, among others, Princess Estelle of Sweden, who was also given the secondary name Mary in her honour, and her nephew, Count Henrik of Monpezat (then Prince Henrik of Denmark).

Queen consort

Mary became Queen of Denmark upon the abdication of Queen Margrethe II and the subsequent accession of her husband as King Frederik X on 14 January 2024. After he was proclaimed king from the balcony of

Christiansborg Palace Christiansborg Palace (, ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament (), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark. Also ...

, Mary joined Frederik on the balcony to wave to the crowds. The next day, 15 January, the royal family attended a ceremony at the

to mark the change of monarch, and on 21 January, they attended a service at

Aarhus Cathedral Aarhus Cathedral () is a cathedral in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the longest and tallest church in the country, at in length and in height. The construction of Aarhus Cathedral began in the 12th century and it is the main edifice of the diocese of ...

. The King and Queen made their first state visits from 6–7 and 14–15 May 2024 when they visited

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. In June, they toured one of the autonomous territories of the Kingdom of Denmark,

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

. In 2025, they will tour the other territory, the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

Public life, charities and patronages

Following the wedding, the Crown Prince couple embarked upon a summer working-tour of mainland Denmark aboard the royal yacht ''Dannebrog'', then travelled to

and the

2004 Athens Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

. In 2005, during the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

, the royal family was involved in related events throughout the year. Frederik and Mary marked the anniversary in London, New York, and in Australia, where she was made Honorary Hans Christian Andersen Ambassador to Australia in the Utzon Room of the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

. After becoming Crown Princess, Mary made a number of international visits, and Frederik and Mary participated in the reburial ceremonies for Empress Maria Feodorovna in Denmark and

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in 2005. In November 2009, Mary made a surprise visit to Danish soldiers in

Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto language, Pashto/Dari language, Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering ...

, Afghanistan. One of her stops was FOB Armadillo. During a

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

on 2 October 2019, the Queen's request to appoint Mary a ''rigsforstander'', a functioning regent when the monarch or the heir is out of the country, was approved by

the government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

. After having sworn to respect the

Danish constitution The Constitutional Act of the Realm of Denmark (), also known as the Constitutional Act of the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply the Constitution (, , ), is the constitution of the Kingdom of Denmark, applying equally in the Realm of Denmark: Denma ...

, she became the first person not born into the royal family to assume the position of rigsforstander since Queen Ingrid in 1972. Mary was voted Woman of the Year 2008 by the Danish magazine ''Alt for damerne'', donating her cash reward to charity. She was interviewed by ''

Parade Magazine ''Parade'' was an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 700 newspapers nationwide in the United States until 2022. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., ''Parade'' had a circulation of 32 million and a read ...

'' (US), on television programs of

Andrew Denton Andrew Christopher Denton (born 4 May 1960) is an Australian television producer, comedian, Gold Logie–nominated television presenter and former radio host, and was the host of the ABC's weekly television interview program '' Enough Rope'' ...

(Australia),ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton – episode 66: Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark (28/02/2005)
Abc.net.au (28 February 2005). Retrieved on 30 November 2011. and by ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' (US). She serves on the board of directors of The Royal Danish Collection.

Patronages and interests

Since 2004, Mary has steadily worked to establish her relationships with various organisations, their issues, missions, programmes and staff. Her patronages range across areas of culture, the fashion industry, humanitarian aid, support for research and science, social and health patronages and sport. The organisations of which she is patron have reported positive outcomes through their relationships with her and there are various reports in the Danish media and on some of the organisations' websites about her being quite involved in her working relationship with them. She is currently involved in supporting anti-obesity programs through the

, Regional Office for Europe. In the context of immigrant issues in Denmark, Mary has visited the disadvantaged migrant areas of Vollsmose (2006), Gellerup (2007), and Viborg (2010), and has participated in integration projects including the teaching of the Danish language to refugees. As patron of the Danish

Refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

Council, Mary visited Uganda (2008) and East Africa (2011) and supports fundraising for the region. Mary has played an active role in promoting an anti-bullying program based on an Australian model through the auspices of Denmark's

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919; its goal is to improve the lives of children worldwide. The organization raises money to imp ...

. She is also involved in a campaign to raise awareness and safe practices among Danes about skin cancer through The Danish Cancer Society. Mary is also an Honorary Life Governor of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute based at the Garvan Institute/

St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney is a leading tertiary referral hospital and research facility located in Darlinghurst, Sydney. Though funded and integrated into the New South Wales state public health system, it is operated by St Vincent's Hea ...

, a member of the International Committee of Women Leaders for Mental Health and a member of various sporting clubs (riding, golf and yachting). In June 2010, it was announced that Mary had become Patron of UNFPA, the

, "to support the agency's work to promote maternal health and safer motherhood in more than 150 developing nations". Mary lends her support to a number of other "one-off" Danish causes, industry events, and international conferences. In 2011, the Westmead Cancer Centre at

Westmead Hospital Westmead Hospital is a major teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia. Opened on 10 November 1978, the 975-bed hospital forms part of the Western Sydney Local Health District, and is a teaching hospital of Sydney Medical School at the University of ...

in Sydney was renamed the Crown Princess Mary Cancer Care Centre Westmead. Mary is an active patron of Denmark's third-highest-earning export industry, the fashion industry, and is Patron of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit.

The Mary Foundation

On 11 September 2007, Mary announced the establishment of the at an inaugural meeting at

. The foundation's aim is to improve lives compromised by environment, heredity, illness, or other circumstances that can isolate or exclude people socially. The initial funds of DKK 1.1 million were collected in Denmark and Greenland and donated to Frederik and Mary as a wedding gift in 2004. Mary is Chairwoman of eight trusts. In 2014, she received a

Bambi Award The Bambi, often called the Bambi Award and stylised as BAMBI, is a German award presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognize excellence in international media and television to personalities in the media, arts, culture, sports, and oth ...

for her work with the foundation.

LGBT rights

In 2016, on the

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) is observed on 17 May and aims to coordinate international events that raise awareness of LGBTQ rights violations and stimulate interest in LGBTQ rights work worldwid ...

, Mary gave a speech on LGBT rights at a forum in Copenhagen hosted by the Danish government. She called for an end to discrimination, oppression, and violence against people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. In January 2018, Mary delivered her speech on LGBTQ+ equality at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. On 25 April 2018, she was invited to present the honorary award to LGBT Danmark at the Danish Rainbow Awards – AXGIL 2018. She thus became the first ever member of the royal family to attend the Danish Rainbow Awards. She also attended the awards ceremony in 2019 and 2020. In 2020, Mary spoke at

Copenhagen Pride Copenhagen Pride is Denmark's largest annual Human Rights festival, focused on LGBTQ issues. It involves the entire capital Copenhagen and is held in August. A colourful and festive occasion, it combines political issues with concerts, films and a ...

's virtual pride festival. In October 2019, it was announced that Mary would serve as patron of WorldPride Copenhagen 2021, making her the first ever royal to serve as patron for a major LGBT event. She carried out numerous engagements in connection with the event and also gave the closing speech of the week-long celebrations on 21 August 2021.

Public image and style

Mary has been named one of the world's most fashionable people in ''Vanity Fair'' annual International Best-Dressed List and has posed and given interviews for magazines including ''

Vogue Australia ''Vogue'' ''Australia'' is the Australian edition of '' Vogue'' magazine. Prior to becoming a stand-alone edition, the Australian edition operated as a supplement to British Vogue from 1952. The magazine is published by News Corp under a licence f ...

'' (where she used pieces of foreign designers, such as Hugo Boss, Prada, Louis Vuitton or Gaultier, and Danish designers, like Malene Birger and Georg Jensen), ''Dansk'' (Danish Magazine, dedicated to Danish fashion) and German ''Vogue'' (where she was photographed between pieces of Danish modern art in Amalienborg Palace). Mary also posed for other magazines during her life as a royal, such as ''The Australian Women's Weekly'' (to which she spoke on several occasions about her life as a royal and her family), and ''Parade''. In 2010 her elegance was praised by designer

Tommy Hilfiger Thomas Jacob Hilfiger ( ; born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger (company), Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's P ...

, who remarked "I've seen pictures of her and she dresses really well. Mary has a very sophisticated, European style that is also worthy of a princess".

50th birthday celebrations

Numerous official events were planned for the week of Mary's 50th birthday on 5 February 2022. Several of these, including a gala dinner at

Rosenborg Castle Rosenborg Castle () is a renaissance castle in Copenhagen, Denmark. The castle was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 and is an example of Christian IV's many architectural projects. It was built in the Dutch Renaissance style, t ...

, were cancelled due to the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, but several hundred Danes showed up at Amalienborg's courtyard at noon on Mary's birthday. Rather than stepping out onto

's balcony as is customary for birthday celebrations in the Danish royal family, Mary and her three oldest children came out onto the courtyard to thank the people who had shown up. The day after her birthday, the Crown Prince family attended a televised concert held in her honour named ''Mary 50 – we’re celebrating Denmark's Crown Princess'' hosted by TV2. For Mary's 50th birthday, several places in Denmark were named in her honour: The

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

created a knowledge centre named the ''Crown Princess Mary Centre'' in which Mary will be part of the Advisory Committee;

, the Copenhagen University Hospital, named their new department for children, teenagers, expecting mothers and their families ''Mary Elizabeth's Hospital'' in honour of Mary's extensive work with the well-being of children and youths, maternal health and the hospital's network for children with cancer; and

Copenhagen Zoo Copenhagen Zoo () is a zoological garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1859, it is one of the oldest zoos in Europe and is a member of EAZA. It comprises and is located in the municipality of Frederiksberg, sandwiched between the parks of ...

named the Australia-themed section of their garden ''Mary's Australian Garden''.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

Upon marriage to Frederik on 14 May 2004, Mary assumed the title "Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Denmark". When Margrethe II created the title Count of Monpezat for her male-line descendants on 29 April 2008, Mary became known as "Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat". Since the accession of her husband, Mary has been styled "Her Majesty The Queen, Countess of Monpezat".

Military ranks

;

Danish Home Guard The Danish Home Guard () (HJV) is the fourth service of the Danish Armed Forces. It was formerly concerned only with the defence of Danish territory, but since 2006, it has also supported the Danish military efforts in Afghanistan and Kosovo. Th ...

* 24 January 2008:

Officer cadet Officer cadet is a rank held by military personnel during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by personnel of University Service Units such as the University Officers' Training Corps. Th ...

* 1 March 2009:

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

* 20 February 2009:

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

* 18 September 2015:

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

* 31 March 2019:

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

* 4 May 2023: Honorary Major

Honours

National honours

=Orders and appointments

= *

Knight of

Order of the Elephant The Order of the Elephant () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in ...

(9 May 2004) * DNK Order of Danebrog Grand Cross BAR

Grand Commander of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

(26 May 2024) (S.Kmd.)

=Medals and decorations

Foreign honours

*: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown *: Grand Cross of the National Order of the Southern Corss *: Grand Officer of the Order of the Balkan Mountains *: Grand Cross of the Order of Virtues *: Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The ...

*: ** Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honour ** Grand Cross of the Order of National Merit *: Grand Cross of the

Order of Beneficence The Order of Beneficence () is an order of Greece which was established in 1975 by law no.106/1975, using the same name and same insignia as that of the order instituted in the previous governance of the Kingdom of Greece, although a separate o ...

*: Grand Cross of the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon () is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by Christian X of Denmark, King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. Nowaday ...

*: Grand Cross of the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle *: **Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands **Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal *: Dame Grand Cross of the

Order of Saint Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

*: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic *: **Knight of the

Royal Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim (; '' Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is the highest order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Sweden. It was created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Ord ...

(6 May 2024) **Commander Grand Cross of the

Royal Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order o ...

https://www.kongehuset.dk/den-kongelige-familie/hm-dronningen/#dekorationer **Recipient of the 70th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf **Recipient of the King Carl XVI Gustaf Golden Jubilee Medal

Honorific eponyms

Structures

*: ''Crown Princess Mary Cancer Care Centre Westmead'',

, Sydney (2011) *: ''Crown Princess Mary's Bridge'', Roskilde Fjord (2019) *: ''Mary's Australian Garden'',

, Copenhagen (2022) *: ''The Crown Princess Mary Centre'',

, Copenhagen (2022) *: ''Mary Elizabeth's Hospital'',

, Copenhagen (2026)

Arms

With the marriage in 2004, Queen Mary was invested with the

, and her father John Dalgleish Donaldson with the

. In accordance with the statutes of the Danish Royal Orders, both Mary and her father were granted personal

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic ac ...

, displayed on a stall plate in the Chapel of the Royal Orders at

Frederiksborg Castle Frederiksborg Castle () is a palatial complex in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for Christian IV of Denmark, King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway in the early 17th century, replacing an older castle acquired by Frederick II ...

. The main field of Mary's coat of arms is Or-

coloured Coloureds () are multiracial people in South Africa, Namibia and, to a smaller extent, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Their ancestry descends from the interracial mixing that occurred between Europeans, Africans and Asians. Interracial mixing in South ...

and shows a MacDonald

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...

eagle and a

Sable The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaz ...

-coloured boat both symbolising her Scottish ancestry. The Chief is

Azure Azure may refer to: Color * Azure (color), a hue of blue ** Azure (heraldry) ** Shades of azure, shades and variations Arts and media * ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987 * Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 * ...

-coloured and shows two

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

Commonwealth Star The Commonwealth Star (also known as the Federation Star, the Seven Point Star, or the Star of Federation) is a seven-pointed star symbolising the Federation of Australia which came into force on 1 January 1901, originally as a six-pointed star ...

s from the arms of Australia, and a gold

rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

in between, depicting her personal symbol. The shield is surmounted by the Royal Crown of Denmark, and surrounded by the

Collar Collar may refer to: Human neckwear *Clerical collar (informally ''dog collar''), a distinctive collar used by the clergy of some Christian religious denominations *Collar (clothing), the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck ...

of the

. The coat of arms of her father, Professor John Donaldson, is almost identical to that of the Queen, but a gold

infinity symbol The infinity symbol () is a mathematical symbol representing the concept of infinity. This symbol is also called a ''lemniscate'', after the lemniscate curves of a similar shape studied in algebraic geometry, or "lazy eight", in the terminolo ...

symbolises his career as an Australian mathematician, instead of her gold Rose. Above his shield is instead placed a barred helmet topped with a gules rampant lion, which is turned outward. The lion is derived from the arms of Scotland and also from the

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

and

. Both armorial bearings were granted in 2006 and installed in the Chapel of the Royal Orders in 2007. File:Royal Monogram of Princess Mary of Denmark.svg, Royal monogram File:Dual Cypher of Frederik and Mary of Denmark.svg, Joint monogram of Frederik and Mary

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Mary Of Denmark, Crown Princess 1972 births Australian expatriates in Denmark Australian LGBTQ rights activists Australian Lutherans Australian people of Scottish descent Converts to Lutheranism Countesses of Monpezat Crown princesses of Denmark Danish LGBTQ rights activists Danish Lutherans Danish people of Australian descent Danish people of Scottish descent Princesses of Denmark Danish royal consorts Former Presbyterians House of Monpezat Living people Naturalised citizens of Denmark People from Hobart Princesses by marriage University of Tasmania alumni Grand Crosses of the Order of Beneficence (Greece) Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite Dames Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Grand Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour