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CoronavirusDenmarkEuropean Royals

Crown Princess Mary meets young people to discuss loneliness during lockdown

Crown Princess Mary has held a meeting with the youth panel of the Mary Foundation to hear how they were feeling in the midst of a second coronavirus lockdown in Denmark.

In a Facebook post on the Mary Foundation’s page, the Crown Princess spoke about the meeting on February 11th 2021, and shared a personal message: “The meeting with the young people touched me a lot.

“It was obvious that since we met last time in October, young people have become much more pressured by the situation they are in. And the atmosphere at the meeting was different and more burdened this time.”

Crown Princess Mary wrote that younger people are struggling during the second lockdown because they’re having a hard time seeing the end of the pandemic. “They struggle with preserving both motivation and spirit, and loneliness has started to fill more for more of them.

“There was no doubt less optimism to track in the panel this time, but there were small lights and an exemplary focus on those who are struggling.

“Some of the young people mention, among other things, that the good thing that might come out of this is that we can talk more openly about loneliness in the future.”

The last time the Mary Foundation’s youth panel met they provided a series of recommendations on how to make life during the pandemic easier for their peer group.

Their suggestions included increased accessibility to communities and the realisation amongst older age groups that young people are allowed to feel displaced due to the restrictions. They also suggested that people should be encourage to look for signs of loneliness in young people and that social media and the cultivation of new habits that fit within the lockdown restrictions should be encouraged.

“Many thanks to the young people in our panel for sharing your thoughts, experiences and good advice with us in the Mary Foundation,” Crown Princess Mary concluded her Facebook post.

“We will convey and pass on your messages in the coming time. It is important that your voices are heard.”

About author

Jess Ilse is the Assistant Editor at Royal Central. She specialises in the British, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish Royal Families and has been following royalty since Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. Jess has provided commentary for media outlets in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Jess works in communications and her debut novel THE MAJESTIC SISTERS will publish in Fall 2024.