Crown Princess Mary Turns 40

The Crown Princess of Denmark tomorrow turns forty years old. She was born Mary Elizabeth Donaldson on February 5th, 1972 in Hobart, Australia.

Mary was the youngest of four children born to John Donaldson and Henrietta Horne, joining elder sisters Jane and Patricia, and older brother John. She spent her childhood in Houston, Texas as well as Hobart, while her father was working at a university. Mary’s primary and secondary education was undertaken in Hobart. In 1994, Mary graduated from the University of Tasmania with a Bachelor’s degree in commerce and law.

After graduating, Mary moved to Melbourne where she worked for several advertising and marketing firms. When her mother Henrietta died in November 1997 following heart surgery, Mary went backpacking in America and Europe for several months, before returning to Sydney in 1999.

It was in Sydney that Mary met Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The pair began a long-distance relationship, exchanging letters and phone calls. She moved to Paris in 2002, before a permanent move to Denmark later that year. The Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, announced Mary and Frederik’s engagement on September 24th, 2003 – they were officially engaged on October 8th.

On May 14th, 2004 at Copenhagen’s Church of Our Lady, Mary Elizabeth Donaldson became the Crown Princess of Denmark when she married Crown Prince Frederik. The wedding capped off a week of pre-wedding celebrations, including yacht races and gala dinners. The Queen hosted a gala dinner in the evening at Fredensborg Palace to celebrate the wedding. Guests included the monarchs of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Princess Mary has four children with Prince Frederik: Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John, born on October 15th, 2005; Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe, born on April 21st, 2007; and twins Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander and Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Matilda, born on January 8th, 2011.

The Crown Princess is known for her patronage of the Danish fashion industry, health issues and her work with anti-bullying networks (including her own The Mary Foundation).

Click here to read more about Crown Princess Mary.

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Tagged Biography, Birthday, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.

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