Almost 20 years after officially being named Crown Princess, Australian-born Mary Donaldson has become the Queen of Denmark.
From a balcony at Copenhagen’s Christiansborg Castle, she waved to a crowd of tens of thousands of people alongside her husband King Frederik X minutes after a ceremony took place that saw the former queen, Margrethe, II abdicate.
The crowd roared when Mary, the new Queen, took to the balcony moments after her husband proclaimed he would be a unifying force for Danes.
The newly proclaimed King Frederik was visibly overcome with emotion while he delivered a speech from the balcony.
“My hope is to become a unifying king of tomorrow,” he said.
“It’s a task I’ve approached all my life. It’s a task I’ve taken on with pride, respect and joy.”
Mary smiled while holding the King’s hand and then delighted the throng by kissing Frederik.
It’s been only a fortnight since Margrethe II, 83, announced her decision to step down from the throne after more than half a century.
The moment Frederik X became King was low key. He and his mother signed the official documents and then the outgoing queen rose, gave her seat to her son, and said “God Save the King”.
She then turned and left the room, symbolically leaving her regal role behind.
In comparison to the lavish, full-scale royal spectacle for King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation last year, the formalisation of Frederik and Mary’s ascension to the throne has been a remarkably scaled-down affair, as the Danish monarchy scrapped such ceremonies in the 1800s.
The formalities began at 1.35pm local time (11.35pm AEDT), when Frederik, 55, and Mary, 51, began their short journey by car from Frederik VIII’s Palace to Christiansborg Castle.
Just minutes later, Queen Margrethe II travelled along the same route from Amalienborg’s Christian IX’s Palace to join them at the Castle. The outgoing monarch was in a carriage, escorted by the Horse Squadron of the Guard Hussar Regiment.
While the coronation was more muted than King Charles III’s, thousands still lined the streets of Copenhagen.
At around 2pm (midnight AEDT), the council of state for the change of throne joined Margrethe as she signed the declaration of her abdication.
The historic moment was witnessed by Frederik and his eldest son, Prince Christian, 18 – who is now known as the Crown Prince and heir to the throne.
It was relatively brief affair, lasting approximately 15 minutes, and Margrethe then departed Christiansborg Castle, bound for Christian IX’s Palace.
Balcony wave
Frederik and Mary then held an intimate reception for special guests, before emerging half an hour later, at 3pm (1am AEDT) on the castle balcony.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen officially proclaimed the change of throne from the balcony three times, in three directions, so symbolically, all of Denmark could hear.
The new King then gave a short speech and shortly after the Queen and their children emerged to cheers from the city below.
Frederik and Mary then travelled by carriage from Christiansborg Castle, escorted by the same Horse Squadron, back to Frederik VIII’s Palace in Amalienborg.
The ascension of Queen Mary is an incredible milestone in the “fairytale” story that’s captivated millions all over the world for more than two decades.
Mary – who grew up in Tasmania, the daughter of an executive assistant and maths professor – famously met Frederik during a night out at Sydney’s Slip Inn during the 2000 Olympics.
Sparks flew immediately between the advertising executive and handsome European stranger, there to support the Danish sailing team – but Mary later admitted she’d had absolutely no idea she was chatting with the heir to his country’s throne.
“The first time we met, we shook hands,” she recalled during a 2005 interview.
“I didn’t know he was the Prince of Denmark. Half an hour later someone came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who these people are?’”
After dating long-distance and in secret for more than a year, Danish local media finally got wind of the popular prince’s new relationship and published the story in November 2001.
But by then, the couple had already fallen in love.
“She got to know and love Frederik as the man he is, not as the Crown Prince,” Mary’s friend Chris Meehan later told the authors of Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark.
She moved to Copenhagen in 2002, where she converted to the Lutheran Church and dedicated herself to learning the notoriously tricky Danish language – an act which quickly endeared her to the nation.
Millions tuned in from all over the world on May 14, 2004, when Mary, an elegant and classic bride in a wedding gown by local designer, Uffe Frank, walked down the aisle to marry her prince in a lavish royal ceremony.
Since then, the down-to-earth Aussie has rapidly increased and maintained her popularity in her adopted home, working with various charities and remaining outspoken about helping migrants and combating bullying.
Mary and Frederik are also parents to four teenage children: Crown Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 16, and 13-year-old twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
Thousands are currently gathering in her country’s capital to celebrate Mary and Frederik’s ascension to the throne.
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It’s undoubtedly a significant day for the 1,000-year-old Danish monarchy – but for Australia, it’s truly historic.
“I don’t recall wishing that one day I would be a princess,” as Mary, now our first-ever Australian-born Queen of a European monarchy once famously said.
“I wanted to be a veterinarian.”
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2024-01-14 20:52:50Z
CBMipwFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9lbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50L2NlbGVicml0eS1saWZlL3JveWFscy9wcmluY2UtZnJlZGVyaWsteC1wcmluY2Vzcy1tYXJ5LXRvLWJlLXByb2NsYWltZWQta2luZy1hbmQtcXVlZW4vbmV3cy1zdG9yeS8xMDhiZTVkNGRhYWVhM2ZlZGU0ZWY1NmVhMmM5MDMzM9IBAA
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