All About Crown Prince Frederik and Mary of Denmark: Europe’s New Royal Couple
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, the longest currently-serving monarch in Europe, sent shockwaves through her country and much of the world as she unexpectedly announced that she would abdicate the throne after more than a half-century. The Royal, 83, is the first Danish monarch to step down from the throne in over 500 years.
During her speech delivered on New Year’s Eve, Margrethe announced that her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, would succeed her on January 14th. Unlike their Royal counterparts in Britain, the Danes will not stage a lavish coronation for their new King and Queen (their constitution banned such ceremonies in the 1800s). Instead, Frederik and Crown Princess Mary will be transferred power via the nation’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. As Europe waits for their new Royal couple, here’s everything to know about the future King and Queen Consort of Denmark, below.
Mary is a former advertising executive
Before she was part of one of Europe’s most prominent Royal families, Mary had a career as a sales executive in her native Australia. The Royal, born in 1972 to a Scottish father and British mother, began her education in Houston, Texas before moving back to Hobart, Australia to finish her degree. She has dual Australian and British citizenship and was granted Danish citizenship upon her marriage.
Mary would later draw comparisons to another future Queen, Princess Kate Middleton. Aside from their striking resemblance (they were even dubbed unofficial “Royal sisters” by Karl Lagerfeld), they both defied odds as “commoners” when they married their respective heirs.
Frederik was known as the “Party Prince”
Although Frederik was always destined for the throne, he had a rebellious reputation throughout the 1990s. He developed a passion for “fast cars and fast living” as “he was very uncomfortable with the media attention and the knowledge that he was going to be king.”
That later changed as the Crown Prince became the first Danish Royal to obtain a university education upon his graduation from Aarhus University in 1995. He also studied at Harvard and later served in the Danish navy.
They met in 2000
During his trip to Sydney, Australia for the 2000 Olympics, Frederik met his future wife (then Mary Elizabeth Donaldson) at a local pub, Slip Inn. The two started a secret, long-distance romance shortly after until their relationship was made public in 2001. “The first time we met, we shook hands and I didn’t know he was the crown prince of Denmark,” Mary told 60 Minutes Australia in 2003. “An hour or so later someone came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who these people are?’”
They got married in 2004
The couple became engaged in 2003 and married one year later during a ceremony held at the Copenhagen Cathedral and Fredensborg Palace. Onlookers waved Danish and Australian flags and the fete garnered widespread international attention as the press dubbed an Aussie marrying the Danish Crown Prince a “Fairytale romance.”
Mary wore a gown by Danish designer Uffe Frank, a veil first used by Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden, and a crown gifted to her by Queen Margrethe and the late Prince Henrik. Mary’s marriage to Frederik meant that she would become the first Australian-born person to become the Queen of a European monarchy.
They share four children
Frederik and Mary share four children together. Their eldest, 18-year-old Prince Christian, is currently second in line for the throne and will become the heir apparent upon his father’s ascension. The couple also share Princess Isabella, 16, and 12-year-old twins Josephine and Vincent.
