Daily Mail
Princess Mary takes part in a marathon in Morocco – in her first outing since Queen Margrethe made the historic step of making her a ‘regent’ moving her one step closer to becoming the first Australian-born monarch
- Crown Princess Mary is one step closer to being first Australian-born queen after she was named regent
- Danish palace made the announcement on Thursday and on Friday Mary took part in a marathon in Morocco
- Princess Mary was all smiles in stylish jogging gear as she ran with other participants in Rabat, the capital
- The Princess has come a long way since her days as an advertising executive in Tasmania in the 1990s
- Princess Mary famously met Denmark’s Prince Frederik at the Slip Inn during the 2000 Sydney Olympics
- Mary has mastered the Danish language and become a loyal patron of some 25 international organisations
By CHARLIE COË and ALICE MURPHY FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has taken part in a marathon in Morocco in her first outing since she moved one step closer to becoming the first Australian-born queen.
Tasmania-born Princess Mary, previously known as Mary Donaldson, was made regent by Queen Margrethe this week – meaning she can perform duties as head of state when Margrethe is otherwise engaged.
And just a day after the significant announcement by the Danish Palace on Thursday, the former advertising executive showed off her fitness prowess as she took part in a marathon in Morocco.
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Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has taken part in a marathon in Morocco in her first outing since she moved one step closer to becoming the first Australian-born queen this week
The 47-year-old was a picture of smiles as she ran with other participants in the country’s capital of Rabat dressed in navy blue and blue jogging gear and a grey Under Armour cap
Tasmania-born Princess Mary, previously Mary Donaldson, was made regent by Queen Margrethe this week – meaning she can perform duties as head of state when Margrethe is otherwise engaged
And just a day after the significant announcement by the Danish Palace on Thursday, the former advertising executive showed her fitness prowess as she took part in a marathon in Morocco
The 47-year-old was a picture of smiles as she ran with other participants in the country’s capital of Rabat dressed in navy blue and blue jogging gear and a grey Under Armour cap.
Later that day she also attended the Youth Innovation Summit 2019 as part of a two-day visit to the African country.
Princess Mary addressed other attendees on the first day of the five-day event – which focuses on engaging the country’s youth in some of Morocco’s most pressing social and economic issues.
That same day she attended the Youth Innovation Summit 2019 in the city as part of a two-day visit to the African country
Arriving at the event, the Tasmanian-born former advertising executive glowed in a white blouse and an elegant multi-coloured floral skirt
Mary, 47, will become Queen of Denmark when Frederik ascends to the throne, following the death or abdication of his mother
The Danish queen, 79, is gradually handing over the reins to other members of the royal family, and Frederik, his brother Prince Joachim, and the Queen’s sister Princess Benedikte are also official stand-ins for the monarch (Princess Mary pictured at event)
Arriving at the event, she glowed in a white blouse and an elegant multi-coloured floral skirt.
Princess Mary will become Queen of Denmark when Frederik ascends to the throne, following the death or abdication of his mother.
The Danish queen, 79, is gradually handing over the reins to other members of the royal family, and Frederik, his brother Prince Joachim, and the Queen’s sister Princess Benedikte are also official stand-ins for the monarch.
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Long before she was named Danish regent, she was simply Mary Donaldson, the Tasmanian advertising executive whose life has played out as a modern-day fairy tale after catching the eye of Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik at Sydney’s Slip Inn during the Olympics in 2000.
From humble Hobart beginnings to dazzling Danish palaces, Princess Mary has become a truly consummate royal by mastering diplomacy, regal decorum and even the Danish language – all while cementing herself as a global style icon and raising four adorable children.
As she moved one step closer to the Danish throne, FEMAIL took a look back on the incredible evolution of Crown Princess Mary.
Crown Princess Mary’s life has played out as a modern-day fairy tale, and today a historic move by her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe sees her one step closer to becoming the first Australian-born queen (pictured in 2013)
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Mary was born on February 5, 1972, in Hobart, Tasmania, the youngest of Scottish maths professor John Donaldson and university secretary Henrietta Clark Donaldson’s four children.
The captain of the girls’ hockey and swimming teams, she studied at Hobart Matriculation College and later the University of Tasmania, where she graduated with a Bachelors degree in Commerce and Law in 1994.
She quickly dived into professional life, moving first to Melbourne, then Sydney, to work in advertising and public relations.
Then 28, Mary met Prince Frederik at the Slip Inn during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. With the royal introducing himself simply as ‘Fred’, Mary had no idea she’d just met a Danish royal.
After a chance meeting at the Slip Inn during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Mary and Frederik embarked on a long distance relationship with Fred making secret trips Down Under (pictured together at the Melbourne Cup in 2002)
Frederik and Mary made their first public appearance together for the first time at the Tasmania Yacht Club ahead of the Dragon Boat World Championship in January 2003’He’s charming’: Princess Mary speaks about Frederik in 2003.
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A FAIRY TALE ROMANCE
The pair quickly hit it off and maintained a long-distance relationship for one year, with Frederik making secret trips Down Under, before Mary moved to Denmark to study Danish language at Copenhagen’s Studieskolen.
In April 2003, Queen Margrethe publicly acknowledged the relationship, and the couple announced their engagement on later that year on October 8.
Frederik and Mary married on May 14, 2004 at Copenhagen Cathedral, with the newly minted Crown Princess opting for a beautiful gown by Danish designer Uffer Frank and a veil first used by Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden in 1905.
In a nod to her heritage, Mary carried a bouquet of Australian snow gum eucalyptus and blooms from the Palace garden.
One week before her wedding to Prince Frederik in May 2004, Mary already looked every inch a princess waving to crowds at the Danish Navy Parade in honour of their marriage at Copenhagen Harbour
The newly minted Crown Princess wore a beautiful gown by Danish designer Uffer Frank and a veil first used by Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden in 1905
At the altar, Prince Frederik announced: ‘From today, Mary is mine and I am hers. I love her, and I will protect her with all my love.’
The couple’s first child, Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John, was born October 15, 2005; Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe followed on April 21, 2007.
Mary and Frederik welcomed adorable twins Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda and Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander on January 8, 2011.
Mary and her family regular holiday on the ski slopes in Verbier, Switzerland, and at Chateau de Cayx in Luzech, France.
The Princess has returned to Australia on many occasions with her husband and children in tow, even spending Christmas Down Under in 2015.
Over the space of six years, Mary and Frederik welcomed four adorable children, Prince Christian (far right), Princess Isabella (second right) and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine (front of photo)
Mary and Frederik juggle royal responsibilities with the full-time job of parenting to be present for key events like the twins first day of school in 2017 (left); family holidays are often spent at Chateau de Cayx in France (where Mary is pictured with Princess Josephine in 2014)Danish royals visit Sydney’s Sculpture by the SeaLoaded: 0%Progress: 0%0:00PreviousPlaySkipMuteCurrent Time0:00/Duration Time2:26FullscreenNeed Text
Princess Mary’s greatest achievements
2003: Studied Danish as a foreign language at Copenhagen’s Studieskolen.
2004: Married Crown Prince Frederik at Copenhagen Cathedral.
2007: Launched The Mary Foundation, a charity focused on stamping out domestic violence, bullying and loneliness.
2005, 2007 and 2011: Welcomed four children, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella and twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent.
2005 – 2013: Acted as Patron of Copenhagen International Fashion Fair.
2014: Received a Bambi Award for her charitable work.
2016: Delivered a speech on LGBT rights at a Danish government forum in Copenhagen.
2018: Named patron of Global Fashion Agenda, which runs Copenhagen Fashion Summit.
2019: Appointed Captain of the Danish Home Guard.
THE PEOPLE’S PRINCESS
Between raising her children and appearing at diplomatic events, Crown Princess Mary has worked tirelessly to prove her commitment to charity, becoming a patron of more than 25 international organisations.
Mary’s patronages include the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe and the United Nations Population Fund, where she supports their work to promote maternal health in more than 150 developing nations.
In 2007, the Princess launched The Mary Foundation, a charity focused on stamping out domestic violence, bullying and loneliness.
Each year The Mary Foundation hands out 2,000 rucksacks for children in shelters with their mothers in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
In November 2014, the Tasmanian-born Princess accepted the prestigious Bambi Charity Award in Berlin, which honoured her work against domestic violence.
‘I accept this Bambi as a torch of hope for every girl who lives with violence or fear of violence,’ Princess Mary famously said in her acceptance speech.
Other women and children-focused organisations that have named Princess Mary as patron include The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, the Children’s Aid Foundation and the Royal Danish Academy of Music Children’s Choir.
A woman of many talents, Mary looks equally at home promoting Denmark on the world stage, visiting hospitals in Ethiopia, playing soccer in the rain with schoolchildren and participating in muddy military exercises.
In March 2019, the Princess was appointed Captain of the Danish Home Guard under the proud gaze of Queen Margrethe.Princess Mary takes part in Home Guard Land Exercise parade in 2016Loaded: 0%Progress: 0%0:00PreviousPlaySkipMuteCurrent Time0:00/Duration Time0:14FullscreenNeed Text
The Princess often speaks at forums on gender equality and is a passionate advocate for the rights of marginalised women and children
Equally at home in designer dresses and military fatigues, Princess Mary participates in muddy military exercises (seen here in 2009) and was appointed Captain of the Danish Home Guard in March 2019Princess Mary dances with women and children during trip to Kenya.
STYLE ICON
In the midst of mingling with world leaders and managing school runs, Mary has made a name for herself as a global style icon.
Known for her sleek and sophisticated dress sense, the Crown Princess’ has enjoyed a string of sartorial successes over the years and is known for recycling expensive pieces and restyling them with effortless flair.
Mary’s fashion sense is so widely appreciated that a public vote named her the World’s Most Stylish Royal twice, beating the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge and Queen Letizia of Spain.
The future queen consort has posed for Vogue Australia and German Vogue.
A natural fashionista, Princess Mary is known for her elegant ensembles and her ability to mix expensive high end pieces with patriotic Danish choices, as she did for Queen Margrethe’s Traditional New Year’s Banquet at Amalaienborg Palace on January 1, 2019
In the midst of mingling with world leaders (seen right with French First Lady Brigitte Macron), Mary has made a name for herself as a global style icon (left, in a Claes Iversen coat dress at the opening of the Danish parliamentary term in October 2019)Princess Mary greets fans in Munich during her German tour.
The consummate modern royal, Mary mixes high fashion pieces with budget-friendly buys and patriotic Danish choices for her hectic calendar of official engagements.
The late Karl Lagerfeld once called Mary and Kate Middleton ‘royal sisters’ thanks to their strikingly similar appearance and comparable taste in fashion.
Mary’s signature wardrobe is made up of neat silhouettes, midi-dresses, quirky tailored coats and statement colours.
Her favourite labels include Chloe, Prada, Bottega Veneta and sustainable giant Stella McCartney, as well as Danish designers David Andersen and Mark Kenly Domino Tan.
Culturally, the Princess is a patron of Global Fashion Agenda which runs the annual Copenhagen Fashion Summit.
