Princess Mary
“It was important for me to be able to talk about my grief”
© Dana Press
At a young age, Princess Mary had to learn to live with the death of her mother. Her four children never had the opportunity to meet their grandmother. She has now addressed this heavy loss during her trip to Greenland.
Princess Mary, 50, will never forget November 20, 1997: On this day, the wife of Prince Frederik of Denmark, 54, lost her beloved mother Henrietta Clark Donaldson. She died at the age of 55 when Mary was just 25. During her three-day visit to Greenland 25 years later, she remembered the great loss.
Princess Mary delivers a thoughtful speech in Greenland
According to the palace website, the Crown Princess travels through Greenland with her Mary Fonden Foundation to take care of the well-being of children and young people, their handling of grief, biodiversity and nature conservation, among other things. On August 25, 2022, she will attend the conference “Together in mourning”. There, Princess Mary gave a thoughtful speech. The reason? Suicide cases are increasing in Greenland.
“I lost someone myself”
“In Greenland, unfortunately, sudden and traumatic deaths are something that is common. Almost two out of ten deaths are due to unnatural causes such as homicide, accidents and suicide,” the Crown Princess began her speech. Many lost a loved one as a result.
Princess Mary in her mother Henrietta Clark Donaldson’s arms in 1972
© Dana Press
However, very little is said about the grief. Mary also had to learn to live with the death of a loved one: “I lost someone myself and I know how important it was for me to be able to talk about my grief. When we meet someone who has died, we will be there Confronted with our own mortality and feeling slightly powerless – and not knowing what to say.”
Mary “very much hopes” that her speech will give “an insight” into “how grief is experienced and processed in Greenland”. She also wants to help “break a taboo” so that others can better talk about their grief.
Sources used: Dana Press, kongehuset.dk