The new Queen of Denmark has chosen a very special image to mark her first birthday since becoming consort.
Queen Mary shared a photo from her private album showing her with her beloved father, John Donaldson.
The image was taken by her younger son, Prince Vincent, as the family enjoyed time in Australia at the end of 2023, just before Mary found out she was about to become queen.
The photo shows her looking happy and relaxed next to her smiling father.
It was shared by Denmark’s royals as Queen Mary celebrated her 52nd birthday and the first since the accession of her husband as King Frederik X.
In recent months, there has been speculation about the state of John Donaldson’s health after he was absent from two major celebrations in Denmark. He didn’t make the trip for the 18th birthday of his grandson, Crown Prince Christian, in October 2023 and was also unable to travel to Copenhagen for the day that his daughter became Queen Mary as her husband took the country’s throne on the abdication of Frederik’s mother, Queen Margrethe II.
The choice of birthday photo puts John Donaldson firmly at the centre of the new queen’s story once more and is a special moment for a proud daughter and equally proud father.
