Royal You Should Know About: Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
Official Title: Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat
Place in Order of Precedence: Crown Princess Mary is married to Frederik, the Crown Prince of Denmark and next in line for the Danish throne. When he becomes King, she will automatically become Queen.
Romantic History: Mary and Frederik met in Sydney at a bar called the Slip Inn. He was in Australia for the 2000 Olympics and when they met, she had no idea who he was! They dated long distance secretly until November of 2001, when a tabloid reported on her being his girlfriend. In December, she moved to Denmark, and they continued to date until their engagment was announced in October 2003, getting married in May 2004. She wore a gown by Danish designer Uffe Frank and a veil first used by Crown Princess Margret of Sweden in 1905. Her bouquet consisted of Australian eucalyptus known as Snow gum plus flowers from the palace garden.
Children:
Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John (15)
Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe (12)
Twins! Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander and Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda (9)
Work and Key Patronages:
One of her largest philanthropic vehicles is the Mary Foundation, which was founded in 2007 with an initial 1.1 million DKK, which was collected and donated for Mary and Frederik’s wedding. The Mary Foundation aims to improve lives compromised by environment, heredity, illness or other circumstances which can isolate or exclude people socially.
Mary has a wide range of patronages, that span across humanitarian aid, healthcare, fashion, athletics (golf and swimming specifically), research and science, and LGBTQIA equality. Some of her most high profile affiliations are:
Patron of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, as fashion is Denmark’s third-highest-earning export industry
Supporting anti-obesity programs through the World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe
Mary was the first ever member of the royal family to attend the Danish Rainbow Awards and in October 2019, announced she was the patron of WorldPride Copenhagen 2021, making her the first ever royal to serve as patron for a major LGBT event
Honorary Life Governor of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute based at the Garvan Institute/St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney
A member of the International Committee of Women Leaders for Mental Health
Patron of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, "to support the agency's work to promote maternal health and safer motherhood in more than 150 developing nations"
Why You Want to Have Tea with Her:
Mary was a true “commoner” before meeting Prince Frederik, with a normal, but educated and well-off family. She is the youngest of four children, and her Scottish parents both worked, her mother as the executive assistant to the vice-chancellor of the University of Tasmania (she passed away in 1997), and her father, an academic and mathematics professor. She mainly grew up in Hobart, Australia and attended the University of Tasmania from 1990 to 1994, graduating with a double Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degree. After graduating, she worked extensively in marketing, and attended a graduate program and earned certificates in advertising from the Advertising Federation of Australia (AFA) and direct marketing from the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA).
Mary has made a name for herself as one of the most composed, intelligent and hard-working royals around. She is also a decidedly modern royal - one of my favorite home office images from lockdown last spring was of her very traditional office and the very modern, black and white photos of her children as naked babies. She also has a Bravo connection - she’s the godmother to Josephine Fleming, daughter of Caroline Fleming from Ladies of London!
Since becoming a royal, Mary has been named to the Vanity Fair International Best Dressed List - I think that the other European royals tend to be a little bit looser and make edgier fashion choices along with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Mary is one of the most stylish!
