Born in Hobart in Tasmania in 1972, an island located in the south of Australia, Mary Donaldson grew up among happy siblings. With her family, the little girl settled for a time in Texas, in the United States, where she attended school between 1974 and 1975 at Clear Lake City primary school, in Houston, before returning to Tasmania. Waimea Heights Primary School, then Taroona High School between 1983 and 1986, she continued her education at Hobart Matriculation College. “By all accounts, Mary’s childhood was happy with her parents: his father John Dalgleish Donaldson and his mother Henrietta Clark Donaldson, as well as his brothers and sisters” confides Natalie Oliveri, Australian royal reporter. Very early in love with the great outdoors, the young woman was fond of outdoor activities, particularly sailing, of which she was truly passionate. And for good reason. The city of Hobart is the finish line of one of Australia’s most famous sporting events, the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race, which takes place every year on Boxing Day.
But in 1997, just after earning a diploma in advertising from the Advertising Federation of Australia (AFA) and one in marketing from the Australian Direct Marketing Association, a tragedy will affect his family. His mother Henrietta died tragically on November 20 after complications following heart surgery. The young woman is only 25 years old. “Crown Princess Mary has often spoken about the loss of her mother and the impact it had on her. She is the patron of the Danish Heart Foundation, a charity in which she became interested in drawing inspiration from her mother. underlines Natalie Oliveri. In 2020, during a conference dedicated to supporting bereaved children, she could not hold back her tears. “For a while, I struggled to remember his image, his voice and his warm smile” she confided with sadness, before advising those struck by a tragedy to talk about it, to open up about their pain without taboo.
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In 2000, Mary Donaldson met a certain Frederik in a bar in Sydney…
Mary’s parents, John and Henrietta, were married in Edinburgh, Scotland, on August 31, 1963. In November of that year, they decided to emigrate to Australia. In 1975, they both became Australian citizens. Henrietta had worked for a time as executive assistant to the vice-chancellor of the University of Tasmania, when her husband was professor of applied mathematics. After her death, John would rebuild his life with Susan Elizabeth Horwood, a British author, whom he married for the second time on September 5, 2001. On this date, Mary Donaldson’s life had already taken a new turn. In 2000, she crossed paths with the heir to the Danish throne Frederik during the Summer Olympic Games in a bar in Sydney… Four years later, they said “yes” in the Lutheran cathedral of Copenhagen during a sumptuous ceremony bringing together many crowned heads. 20 years later, history continues to be written, and the discreet Mary Donaldson will take her first steps on January 14, as new queen consort…
Photo credits: Dana Press / Bestimage