King Frederik X and Queen Mary
They have been married for 20 years
There are 20 years between these pictures: newly married, Mary and Frederik presented themselves to the people on May 14, 2004. Now they are queen and king.
© Steen Evald, Kongehuset / ATYPIX
The year 2024 is very special for Frederik and Mary of Denmark: they ascended the throne in January and are now celebrating their marriage anniversary.
It will never be forgotten how the Danish Crown Prince once waited for his bride in the Cathedral of Copenhagen, shed a few tears and thereby touched many people around the world. 20 years have passed since then – and the happy bride and groom have become a proud royal couple. On May 14, 2024, King Frederik X (55) and Queen Mary (52) will celebrate their big marriage anniversary.
They matured together
The 20th wedding anniversary is also called the porcelain wedding, which means that a stable and lasting marriage increases in value and beauty over time – similar to fine porcelain. Frederik and Mary also managed to stick together and mature together for many years. They had and raised four children. A few months ago there were unpleasant headlines about a marital crisis, but when the throne changed in January they symbolized unity and even kissed on the castle balcony to the delight of thousands of spectators. Even on their first state visit as a royal couple to Sweden at the beginning of May, they appeared familiar and thus refuted all the bad rumors. Signal: We continue to stand by each other and work together for the crown and Denmark.
A chance encounter on the other side of the world
However, the fact that the couple even met is pure coincidence. On the other side of the world, the then crown prince met the love of his life and brought her to his little kingdom. It sounds like a fairy tale – and it probably was for Mary. After all, she was born in Australia, worked as an advertising specialist and for a long time had only dreamed that she would one day become a princess and now even a queen, far away from her homeland.
But during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney there was the fateful encounter that changed everything: in the Slip Inn bar on Darling Harbor in Sydney she started chatting with Prince Frederik, who simply introduced himself as “Fred”. At first, Mary is said not to have known that she was speaking to a royal. “Something clicked,” recalled she said in an interview five years later. “It wasn’t the fireworks in the sky or anything like that, but it was exciting.” It was only half an hour after they had shaken hands for the first time that someone informed her who she was dealing with.
For Frederik, Mary left her home behind
A long-distance relationship followed – initially without the public knowing about it. Mary and Frederik managed to develop, maintain and become secure in their love over the distance. For the Australian in particular, the relationship meant a huge change, which she finally decided on: in 2002 she changed her entire life, moved to Copenhagen for her prince and put herself entirely at the service of the royal family. The Danes welcomed the pretty young woman from Down Under with open arms, and Mary did everything right: she showed adaptability, converted to the Lutheran Church and quickly learned Danish. The fact that she often wore Danish brands was also well received.
With Crown Prince Christian (18), Princess Isabella (17) and the twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine (13), Frederik and Mary have also done their part to ensure the continued existence of the royal family. When the eldest and heir to the throne came of age in October 2023 and with it his first official duties, they proudly presented themselves to the people with their son. Frederik had previously celebrated his wife’s 19th wedding anniversary a touching declaration of love via Instagram made: “It’s my wife and I’s wedding anniversary today. A very special day for both of us, which we like to mark – also with our four children. This year it coincides with Mother’s Day. So a special greeting to you, Mary, as as a wife and as a mother.”
After the surprising announcement by Queen Margrethe II (84) in her New Year’s speech that she was vacating the throne for her son after 52 years, Frederik and Mary have once again faced completely new tasks. Since January 14th, they have been in first place in the royal family and therefore have much more responsibility. However, in the past four months they have already proven that they make a worthy royal couple for Denmark – and that their marriage can overcome many challenges.