Crown Princess Mary of Denmark Will Have a Historic Royal First When She Becomes Queen This Month

Queen Margrethe of Denmark announced that she will abdicate the throne, making her son the new monarch and his wife, Mary, the new queen consort

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark is about to make royal history.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark shockingly announced on New Year's Eve that she will step down as monarch on Jan. 14. Her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, will become King Frederik X, making his wife, Crown Princess Mary, his queen consort who will be known as Queen Mary.

While there have been famous Queen Marys in the past, this one will have a distinct first as the only queen consort to have been born in Australia.

Born Mary Donaldson, the soon-to-be Danish queen was an Australian advertising executive before a chance encounter changed her life. She found herself chatting to Prince Frederik, although he introduced himself simply as "Fred," at the Slip Inn on Sydney's Darling Harbor in September 2000. The pub was filled with people from around the world who were in town for the Olympics.

"Something clicked," Crown Princess Mary said in a 2005 interview. "It wasn't the fireworks in the sky or anything like that, but there was a sense of excitement."

Related: Why the New King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark Won't Have a Coronation Like King Charles

Shortly into their conversation, Mary found out that she was talking to the Crown Prince of Denmark, heir to the 1,000-year-old Danish throne.

"The first time we met, we shook hands," she said of their introduction. "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?' "

For a year, the pair got to know each other through a long-distance relationship that flew under the radar of the media.

"She got to know and love Frederik as the man he is, not as the Crown Prince," Mary's friend Chris Meehan later told the authors of Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark.

In 2002, Mary moved to Copenhagen, converted to the Lutheran Church and learned Danish, a notoriously tricky language to master. The couple announced their engagement in 2003 and married the following year at Copenhagen Cathedral.

Crown Princess Mary's father, John, walked her down the aisle in a Scottish kilt. Mary's parents were Scottish but moved to Australia before her birth — and while she spent most of her life in Australia, she also lived in Texas for a short time during her childhood!

Crown Princess Mary, 51, and Crown Prince Frederik, 55, now have four children.

Related: Queen Margrethe, Prince Frederik and Princess Mary Step Out Together Following Change of Reign News

Unlike King Charles last year, King Frederik and Queen Mary will not be crowned in a coronation service. Instead, a proclamation of the new reign will be made at Christiansborg Palace on Jan. 14. According to Royal Central, the prime minister has proclaimed each new monarch on the balcony of the Danish palace since the early 1900s.

Queen Margrethe, 83, was announced as monarch in a similar proclamation on Jan. 14, 1972, following the death of her father, King Frederik IX. This month's change of reign will come on the 52nd anniversary of her accession. But since Queen Margrethe abdicated and the change of reign didn't come as a result of a death, it will be a much happier occasion.

Queen Margrethe cited health concerns in her New Year's speech where she announced her abdication.

"In February this year, I underwent extensive back surgery. Everything went well, thanks to the competent health personnel, who took care of me. Inevitably, the operation gave cause to thoughts about the future – whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation," she said, per an English translation of the official speech transcription. "I have decided that now is the right time. On 14 January 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I leave the throne to my son Crown Prince Frederik."

There is speculation that the unexpected move came to bolster Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary’s bond amid gossip of an affair. In November 2023, reports swirled that Frederik was having an affair with Mexican-born socialite Geneveva Casanova after they were photographed together in Madrid. Casanova denied allegations of a romantic relationship with Frederik, and the royal couple continued to display a united front in recent months.

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Author and royal commentator Phil Dampier spoke to The Telegraph about Queen Margrethe's surprise decision.

“It’s possible that the Queen took this action because she would have been terrified of the marriage breaking up and the royal family losing Mary. It would have caused major problems. The Queen has always seen Mary as a tremendous asset,” Dampier said.

“It just seems an extraordinary coincidence that she should make this unexpected announcement just a couple of months after stories emerged of the Crown Prince supposedly having an affair,” the author added. “In two weeks’ time, the prince and princess will be pitched together as king and queen and they will have to get on with it. The Queen may be thinking that they will patch up their differences and it will save their marriage.”

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