AFP
Mary, future queen and asset of Denmark
Princess Mary, a citizen of Australia, a beautiful future queen, is a key figure in the Danish royal family, which she helped to modernize. She will assume the title of Queen of Denmark upon her accession to the throne. Husband Frederik, who will become Frederik, had repeatedly expressed his desire to stay on the throne “until she falls.” With Mary Donaldson, the future king can count on a solid ally. “Some people think that my husband is a bit in my shadow because I am very prominent.” “I am a celebrity and have a lot of commitments. But he will never be in my shadow, and I will never be in his shadow, because he shines the light back to me,” she confided in an authorized biography of Crown Prince Frederik published in 2017.Mary Donaldson was born on February 5, 1972 born in Hobart, Tasmania, the daughter of a Scottish academic who emigrated to Australia. She was working as an advertising executive when she met the future king during an outing with friends at the Slip Inn Bar in Sydney, during the 2000 Summer Olympics; “Not only a rush of love, but also the feeling of having met our soul mate,” Crown Prince Frederik recalled to daily Kristeligt Dagblad. Only later did Mary discover that the then 34-year-old young man was the Crown Prince of Denmark and that his circle of friends consisted essentially of other members of European royal families, including his younger brother, Prince Joachim, and his cousin, Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark. “I didn't know he was the Prince of Denmark. Half an hour later someone came to me and said: +Do you know who these people are?+ A discreet long-distance relationship and numerous secret visits followed before the event in October 2003 Engagement and wedding on May 14, 2004 in Copenhagen Cathedral, where Maria is led to the altar by her father in a kilt. – Modern and avant-garde – When she arrived in the Scandinavian country with 5.9 million inhabitants, Maria caused a stir and impressed especially the Danes Her ability to learn the language quickly, which was notoriously difficult. She also quickly convinced her mother-in-law. “I have to say that he (the future King Frederik, editor's note) taught it to me the first time “Meet her, I hoped it would stay that way,” Queen Margrethe recalled in 2015. A poll published in December by television channel TV2 found that she is the third most senior member of the royal family in Denmark, behind the very popular queen and her husband Frederik. Hard-working, diligent, the fifty-year-old leaves nothing to chance.” In the almost twenty years that she has been part of the royal family, the Crown Princess has expanded and refined her role as spokesperson and PR manager for the royal family, Denmark and her chosen causes “, notes the daily Berlingske. Mary is credited with helping her husband accept his role and is also known for her work in combating bullying, domestic violence and social isolation, as well as promoting mental health and women's rights. Because of her fashion sense and long brown hair, the mother of the family is often compared to the Princess of Wales, Kate. She regularly appears on the pages of Danish and international magazines, where her style is appreciated. Athletes, Pop Fans According to historian Sebastian Olden-Jorgensen, Mary and Frederik, who love music and modern art, are decidedly modern. The couple, who describe themselves as equals, tried to give their four children as normal an education as possible and sent them to public schools. Their eldest, Prince Christian, was the first member of the Danish royal family to attend kindergarten. However, they “did not represent a potential revolution in relation to the queen”, but a cautious transition, he told Mr Olden to AFP-Jorgensen. Over the years, Mary regularly traveled with her husband and children to Australia, where her family lives.po-cbw/nzg/ref