Queen Mary of Denmark and her father, Professor John Donaldson, shared many things but among them is a moment of history. For on May 14 2004, John Dalgleish Donaldson walked with his youngest daughter, Mary Elizabeth, through one of the most famous churches in Europe as she prepared to marry the heir to one of the oldest kingdoms in the world. And they gave us one of the all time best royal wedding photos while they were there.
The image was snapped just as Mary, on the brink of becoming Crown Princess of Denmark, made her way to Copenhagen Cathedral for her marriage to the then Crown Prince Frederik. The two had met in a bar in Sydney in 2000 and almost as soon as their romance was known about, Mary became one of the most talked about people in Denmark as speculation grew that she might end up as the country’s queen consort. Her engagement to Frederik in October 2003 set in motion a series of very royal events that culminated in a spectacular wedding. Inside the cathedral, waiting for her big entrance, were the crowned heads of Europe along with rows of politicians and dignitaries. Unsurprisingly, the bride looked a little nervous. And that’s when the photo happened.
A royal photographer captured the moment that Mary and her father made their journey. The bride looks a little anxious and is clearly concentrating on the details she needs to nail for her arrival for her wedding. What really grabs the attention in the image is her dad. He looks calm as anything and proud beyond measure but, most of all, he appears to be about to spring into action to look after his daughter as the world turned its attention on her. It must have worked. As the car approached the cathedral, through tens of thousands of cheering people, Mary was the image of calm.
(Kongehuset)
As she stepped out to greet the crowds, there were plenty of happy waves and then she took hold of her father’s hand and walked into the church. It was a very personal moment on a very public day. But for a few seconds, they shared that special time that every bride and her father know about, those strange few moments on a day of celebration which are just about a dad and his daughter.
They made a spectacular entrance to the cathedral. As is traditional at Danish royal weddings, Zadok the Priest was played for the entrance of the bride and the doors swung open for her as it reached its zenith. Professor Donaldson and his Mary timed their walk to perfection to be able to bow and curtsey to Queen Margrethe just as the choir sang of royalty and the father of the bride, dressed in his family tartan, took his seat at the front of the cathedral to watch his daughter marry the future King of Denmark.
On her tenth wedding anniversary, Queen Mary shared the image of her with her father. It was part of a set of special photos released by Denmark’s royals for the anniversary. And it showed just how strong a bond there was between Mary and her dad. That was underlined again when she selected a photo of the two of them together to mark the first birthday she celebrated after becoming Queen of Denmark. On April 12 2026, Queen Mary announced that her beloved father had died at home in Australia after a long illness.
John Donaldson wasn’t well enough to travel to Denmark in January 2024 when Mary became the country’s queen. However, watching on TV, back in Australia, he would have heard the cheers which were louder for the new queen than for any other royal that day. In the two decades since her marriage, Queen Mary has become the most popular member of the Danish royal family and raised a new generation who look set to start their regal roles with confidence. And it all began on a day in May 2004 when a daughter and her dad drove to church and gave us one of the all time great royal wedding photos.
