Everything to know about Mary Elizabeth, the soon-to-be Queen Consort of Denmark

04/01/2024

In her New Year’s Eve address on 31 December 2023, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announced her abdication in favour of her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik. The announcement not only brought immediate media attention to the prince but also to his wife, Mary Elizabeth, Crown Princess of Denmark, who is now set to become the Queen Consort.

The most important reason why Mary Elizabeth is in focus is that she will be the first-ever Australian-origin monarch as she was born in Australia.

The media sees her rise from a commoner to the pinnacle of a European monarchy as nothing less than a fairy tale.

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Why did Queen Margrethe II decide to abdicate?

Queen Margrethe II, 83 years old, is the longest-serving current female head of state and the longest-sitting monarch in Denmark’s history.

She is the only currently reigning female monarch in the world, which means that there will be no female monarch for the first time in over 70 years in any monarchy in the world once Queen Margrethe II abdicates.

In her New Year’s Eve address, the Danish queen commented on her successful back operation.

“The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future — whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,” she said about the operation, which was conducted in February.

“I have decided that now is the right time. On 14 January 2024 – 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father – I will step down as queen of Denmark,” she said. “I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.”

Queen Margrethe II’s husband, Prince Henrik of Denmark, died in 2018. They got married in 1967 and he served as her royal consort until his death.

All about Mary Elizabeth, Crown Princess of Denmark

Where was Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth born?

Mary was born Mary Elizabeth Donaldson on 5 February 1972 to Scottish parents in Hobart on the Australian island state of Tasmania. Her father was a mathematics professor and her mother worked as an executive assistant at the University of Tasmania.

She was raised on the island and went to local schools. After studying commerce and law in Tasmania, she made her move to the cities of Melbourne and Sydney on the Australian mainland for work.

How did she meet Crown Prince Frederik?

(Image: DET DANSKE KONGEHUS/@detdanskekongehus/Instagram)

At the age of 28, Mary Elizabeth met Crown Prince Frederik at the Slip Inn bar in Sydney in 2000 during the Summer Olympics in the city. By that time, she had worked in advertising and real estate.

Mary Elizabeth had no idea that Frederik was a prince.

“The first time we met, we shook hands and I didn’t know he was the crown prince of Denmark. An hour or so later someone came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who these people are?’” she told the media in 2003 ahead of her wedding to Prince Frederik.

“From the very first moment that we started talking, we never really stopped talking,” she told Australia’s 60 Minutes the same year. “[Due to] our geographical distance, everything was through words, so we really established a strong relationship to begin with.”

Interestingly, it was also during the interview with 60 Minutes when she was asked about her thoughts on the fact that she will one day become the queen consort.

“Not completely, no,” Mary Elizabeth replied. “As I said a few times today, today is the first day that I really begin in this role and how I move into the role would evolve.”

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When did Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth wed Crown Prince Frederik?

The two started a secret, long-distance romance soon after their meeting.

According to The Guardian, their relationship became public when a Danish royal magazine, Billed Bladet, revealed about Mary Elizabeth in 2001. It was also the magazine which first reported that Mary was “pretty, outgoing, gifted and perhaps future crown princess.”

Around two years later, on 8 October 2003, they became officially engaged.

The wedding of Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth wed Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark was held at the Copenhagen Cathedral on 14 May 2004.

The couple have since become parents to four children: Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.

Why is Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark so famous?

Crown Princess Mary is widely respected in Denmark and abroad for her social work. She has been praised for her support of humanitarian causes, including the rights of women and the LGBTQ+ community.

She established The Mary Foundation in 2007. With a focus on domestic violence, loneliness, bullying and well-being, the foundation aims to “improve the lives of children, adults and families who – as a result of their environment, heredity, illness or other circumstances – find themselves socially isolated or excluded from society.”

“I’ve always had a strong sense of justice: that everyone should have the same opportunities, no matter where you come from,” Crown Princess Mary told the Financial Times in 2022.

What is the net worth of Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark?

(Image: DET DANSKE KONGEHUS/@detdanskekongehus/Instagram)

The Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark have their royal residences in Frederik VIII’s Palace at Amalienborg and in the Chancellery House at Fredensborg Palace. But the net worth of Frederik or Mary is not known.

According to The Sun, the Danish royal family has an estimated net worth of around USD 40 million.

The family’s main source of income is appanages, a sum that the Danish Parliament earmarks every year as royal provisions from the state budget. The appanages cover everything from expenses and payments for employees of the royal family.

According to the report, the annual figure comes to around USD 12 million.

When will the Crown Princess become Queen Consort of Denmark?

(Image: DET DANSKE KONGEHUS/@detdanskekongehus/Instagram)

Queen Margrethe II said in her New Year’s Eve announcement that she will be stepping down on 14 January 2024.

It is on that date when 55-year-old Crown Prince Frederik will become King Frederik X, King of Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Crown Princess Mary, who is 51, will become Queen Consort of Denmark at the same time.

But unlike what the world witnessed with the Coronation of King Charles III in 2023, there will be no pomp and show in Denmark when Crown Prince Frederik becomes the monarch. There will, instead, be a simple proclamation made from Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen formally making Frederik the King.

Denmark has been ruled by Europe’s oldest royal dynasty going back by over 1000 years. The House of Glücksborg, the current royal family, has been on the Danish throne for nearly 160 years.

The country opted for the proclamation system in the 1800s with the introduction of the Danish constitution. King Christian VIII thus became the last crowned King of Denmark in 1840.

This is why Queen Margrethe II was proclaimed the monarch upon the death of her father King Frederik IX on 15 January 1972, there was no fanfare though thousands gathered outside Christiansborg Palace.

Juliet Rieden, editor-at-large for The Australian Women’s Weekly, told CNN that on the day of the proclamation, Mary and Frederik will likely appear on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the royal family.

(Main and featured images: DET DANSKE KONGEHUS/@detdanskekongehus/Instagram)