Queen Mary of Denmark has made her first public appearance since the death of her father.
Mary joined her royal family in Copenhagen as they marked the birthday of Queen Margrethe.
The father of Queen Mary, John Dalgleish Donaldson, died at the weekend in his hometown of Hobart, Australia. The Queen of Denmark announced his death soon afterwards, saying that her heart was heavy and her thoughts were grey at the loss of her beloved dad.
As Queen Margrethe marked her 86th birthday, Queen Mary and King Frederik joined her for public events at Fredensborg Palace.
A large crowd had gathered to wish Queen Margrethe a happy birthday and there was a military parade as well as music from the military band.
Queen Mary was in mourning, wearing a black trouser suit with a dark blouse. King Frederik wore a dark suit. There were also mourning colours for Queen Margrethe who chose a purple jacket for the occasion with mauve being an official court colour of mourning.
The sister of Queen Margrethe, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, was also there and wore a black dress with tan coloured jacket as her own mark of respect.
Queen Margrethe had made another gesture of mourning at an earlier appearance. The former monarch, who ruled Denmark from 1972 until 2024, visited the Stock Exchange in Copenhagen, one of the city’s most iconic buildings, which was badly damaged by fire in 2024. As she toured restoration works, she wore a grey outfit, again choosing a colour of mourning for this appearance.
John Donaldson enjoyed a good relationship with all of his youngest daughter’s royal relations and was often seen with them as his grandchildren enjoyed holidays and grew up.
When John Donaldson’s death was announced, the Danish royals said that a private memorial would be held.
Queen Mary’s youngest children, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, are being confirmed on April 18 and it’s understood that the ceremony will go ahead as planned.
