On January 4—five days after announcing her abdication—Queen Margrethe made her final appearance as the ruling monarch of Denmark. Thousands of people lined the streets (and many more waved flags) as she rode through Copenhagen in a horse-drawn coach from the Amalienborg Palace to the Christiansborg Palace, where she then held a New Year’s celebration for members of the armed forces and emergency services.
Still, most eyes—and cameras—were firmly trained on another prominent pair of figures accompanying her: Crown Prince Frederik and his wife, Crown Princess Mary.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark arrives at a New Year’s celebration in Copenhagen on January 4, 2024.Photo: Getty Images
In the days since Margrethe announced her surprise decision to step down from the throne, via a statement made to the Danish public as part of her annual New Year’s Eve address, Frederik and Mary have experienced an unprecedented wave of international press attention, generating a newfound fascination with these next-gen rulers.
But that level of interest is not unfounded: the Prince and Princess have one of the most fascinating romantic origin stories of any modern royal couple.
Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark arrive at a New Year’s celebration in Copenhagen on January 4, 2024.Photo: Getty Images
In 2000, Princess Mary, then Mary Donaldson, was living in Sydney during the Olympic Games. One evening during the once-in-a-lifetime sporting event, the 28-year-old, Tasmanian-born advertising executive decided to go to a local bar, the Slip Inn, along with her roommate. Little did she know it would be the night that changed her life forever.
Crown Prince Frederik and his friend, the Prince of Asturias (now King Felipe of Spain), were headed there too. Mary’s roommate and the Spanish royal already knew each other, however, leading the two friendship groups to combine. The pair immediately hit it off, despite Mary not knowing who the Prince was at first. “The first time we met we shook hands,” she recalled to Australian comedian Andrew Denton in 2005 during an interview. “I didn’t know he was the Prince of Denmark. Half an hour later someone came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who these people are?’” Soon after, they exchanged numbers, and a long-distance relationship began.
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark in Sydney, Australia, in 2013.Photo: Getty Images
The two kept their relationship under wraps for well over a year. Yet, in November 2001, a Danish tabloid reported that Frederik was dating an Australian named Mary Donaldson. At the time, the Danish royal family declined to comment. However, the rumor mill began to swirl incessantly—and three months later, they confirmed Mary and Frederik’s relationship. By early 2003, Mary had relocated to Copenhagen to work for a subsidiary of Microsoft. Come September, the palace formally announced their engagement.
Before their wedding, Mary took de-facto “princess lessons” taught by Frederic’s head of court, Lord Chamberlain Per Thornit, which included intensive language and history courses.
On May 14, 2004, the two wed at Copenhagen Cathedral. Mary wore a long-sleeved ivory silk wedding dress by Danish designer Uffe Frank and an Irish lace veil. A 400-person reception was later held at Fredensborg Palace on the island of Zealand.
Danish Crown Prince Frederik and his bride, Crown Princess Mary, on their wedding day in May 2004.Photo: Getty Images
Throughout their courtship, the press portrayed the affair as a modern-day fairytale, citing Mary’s “commoner” status and the Sliding Doors nature of their initial encounter. As Mary prepares to wear the crown two decades later—even in the face of growing rumors about the couple’s marriage—it’s a narrative of love conquering all that still resonates.
