When Mary Donaldson tied the knot with Crown Prince Fredrik in 2004, the Australian-born marketing executive joined one of the world’s oldest surviving monarchies. Taking on her new role, Crown Princess Mary tackled the job with gusto, proving to be one of Denmark’s best assets. Steeped in history and rich in tradition, Mary has transformed the role of the Crown Princess with her own twist, making it very modern and relevant in today’s world.
Spending her early years in the small Australian city of Hobart, the Crown Princess’s childhood was about as far removed from the glittering court of Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen as you can get. While her move halfway across the globe to marry the man she loved is hailed as a “modern-day fairytale,” jumping into her new life didn’t come without any hardship. Culture shock and having to learn a difficult new language left the Crown Princess initially feeling very lonely.
The mum-of-four told the Australian Women’s Weekly in 2017: “I did experience a feeling of loneliness – short-term – when I first moved to Denmark. Moving to Denmark was a huge change in my life – a new culture, new language, new friends, and another way of life.”
Eventually, Mary was able to turn those feelings of isolation into her best asset, realising she could “be a voice for those who are not usually heard.” In 2007, she founded The Mary Foundation, a program of charity projects that aim to tackle social problems such as bullying, domestic violence and loneliness.
In her new pictorial memoir, Mary H.K.H., which was released in January to celebrate her milestone birthday, the Crown Princess said: “I have always been very aware that being Crown Princess is a position that comes with unique possibilities. From the very beginning, I was given the freedom and support to shape my own role and figure out how I could contribute to making a difference for the Danish people.”
Her projects are designed to be practical and make a difference. Among the foundation’s initiatives is the Together Without Violence program, where midwives are trained to look out for early signs of abuse in relationships while a couple is expecting. In August last year, the Crown Princess served as the patron of WorldWide Copenhagen, making her the first-ever royal to act as a patron for a major LGBT event.
But it isn’t just in Denmark where the Crown Princess has made a difference. Mary has become a celebrated humanitarian on an international scale for her work promoting women’s rights with the United Nations. In October, she made an unannounced visit to a refugee camp in Burkina Faso, West Africa, to meet the women and girls who have been victims of sexual violence. The Crown Princess told them: “You have the power to say yes; you have the power to say no.”
Throughout it all, Mary has chosen to do it in “her own way.” She admitted early in her marriage that she hadn’t been given a lot of guidance on what she should do or how she should act as a new royal – which is just how she liked it.
The Crown Princess said in an Interview on Enough Rope with Andrew Denton in 2005: “I’ve been given quite a lot of freedom to try and find my own way because it’s very important to continue to be yourself; otherwise you can’t be Crown Princess Mary and Mary.”
Her “humble” Australian upbringing, which at first glance wouldn’t seem to do much to prepare Mary for her role on the world’s stage, is what her husband has credited with her success. Crown Prince Fredrik said of the ease in which Mary appears to have adapted to royal life: “[My wife] comes from an entirely different background, and it’s fantastic to be able to mix our values – and like lego, brick by brick. The Crown Princess wants to do better all the time. I’m very proud of that attitude and her achievements in general.”
