Denmark isn’t the only country celebrating the accession of its new king and queen. Across the ditch, people are also celebrating the world’s first Australia-born queen.
Hobart’s own Mary Donaldson became queen of the oldest monarchy in Europe earlier today, 24 years after a chance meeting with a chap named “Fred” in a Sydney pub.
That man was, of course, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, a young, eligible European royal who up until that point had been known for rather enjoying his status as a young, eligible European royal.
As the story goes, Frederik was in Sydney for the 2000 Olympics when he saw Mary at a pub called the Slip Inn.
He was there with other European royals, including his brother, Prince Joachim, and the future King of Spain, Felipe VI.
The 32-year-old prince introduced himself as “Fred” to Mary, who was then a 28-year-old advertising executive.
Mary maintains she was blissfully unaware that he was heir to the Danish throne for all of an hour before somebody at the pub said to her, “Do you know who these people are?”
The pair went on to have a secret, long-distance relationship for about a year before a Danish magazine sent a reporter to Australia to find out who Frederik’s “secret” girlfriend was – and the cat was out of the bag.
Mary moves to Denmark
Mary then moved to Copenhagen to study Danish at the Studieskolen language school, impressing people with how quickly she picked up the language.
She and Frederik became engaged in 2003 and wed in May 2004, making Mary officially part of a monarchy that could trace its origins as far back as the 10th century, when Gorm the Old was Denmark’s Viking king. The future queen of Denmark wore a long-sleeved wedding dress by Danish designer Uffe Frank, and carried a bouquet that included eucalyptus in a nod to her homeland.
The royal couple welcomed their first child, Prince Christian in 2005. His sister, Princess Isabella, was born in 2007, with their twin siblings, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, arriving in 2011.
The world gets its first Australia-born queen
A little over two weeks ago, Denmark’s very popular Queen Margrethe II announced she was abdicating to make way for Frederik.
The move came as a shock, given it had been nearly 900 years since a Danish king or queen had voluntarily given up the throne.
Some royal “experts” speculated Queen Margrethe was abdicating to quell infidelity rumours surrounding Frederik and Mary’s marriage, however the 83-year-old said health issues had prompted “thoughts about the future” and “now [was] the right time” to step aside.
Denmark doesn’t have a coronation ceremony, meaning Frederik and Mary became the new king and queen after Margrethe officially signed her abdication at Christiansborg Palace today.
Now known as King Frederick X and Queen Mary, the couple appeared together on the balcony of the palace after Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, made the official proclamation in front of thousands of people.
An emotional Frederik told those gathered that he hoped “to become a unifying king of tomorrow”.
“I want to return the trust I meet,” he said. “I need trust from my beloved wife, you and that which is greater than us.”
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