Princess Mary has never been heard so openly about her life, love and family: On the occasion of her 50th birthday, Prince Frederik’s wife reports completely openly in a new illustrated book and in interviews about her unusual lifestyle as a member of the Danish royal family . The upbringing of her children and letting go were also discussed in detail
On February 5, 2022, Princess Mary, 49, reached a milestone in her life: the wife of the Danish heir to the throne, Prince Frederik, 53, was celebrating her birthday. Not an ordinary one, because she will be 50 years old. One gets the impression that the Royal approached this day with a certain ease. She seems to have found her center. The past has been kind to her. Since May 14, 2004 she has been happily married to one of the most sought-after bachelors in Europe. The marriage produced four children who fill her with pride – and for whom she hopes to be a “normal” mother who, despite her special task as the wife of the future Danish king, shares the joys and sorrows of all loving parents.
Princess Mary: Own childhood laid the foundation for her parenting style
One thing was clear to Mary right from the start, as she explains in the book “Kronprinsesse Mary af Danmark”: “I want to be a mother 100 percent. I don’t want my children to be raised by nannies. Certainly not.” The biography was published in 2005, shortly before the birth of her son Prince Christian, 16, who will one day ascend the throne after his father.
A heartfelt wish that, in addition to the need to have many children of her own, certainly stems from her own childhood. Mary grew up in Australia as the child of the Scottish couple John Dalgleish and Henrietta Clark Donaldson with three other siblings. With her father a professor of applied mathematics and her mother an assistant to the vice chancellor at the University of Tasmania, she lived a middle-class life with a focus on family. “Family is the place where I feel most at home and most myself,” quotes the Danish magazine “Her & Nu” the princess from the illustrated book “Mary HKH” published for her day of honor.
Mary’s children need to be aware of their position
Her upbringing concept is based on the values of her parents and the requirements of the royal family. “I assume that children become strong through love and security. Growing up in a royal family also means that the children have to do some thinking because of the public that surrounds them,” the 49-year-old sums up the basic principle at home together.
New portraits for the 11th birthday of the Danish royals
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Growing up in a royal environment is certainly not always easy for Prince Christian, 16, Princess Isabella, 14, Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent, both 11 – but their parents are constantly raising awareness of the special position that comes with obligations, but also privileges comes along. “We are very aware of that – including how important it is to be proud of who you are, what family you belong to and what that family wants to be for the Danish people.”
self-confidence and empathy
Of course, royal descent alone is not enough to be successful in life, Princess Mary explained in a 2016 interview with the magazine “Eurowoman”: “But it’s just as important to always make an effort. At school, with the You have to do your best with friends, in the community and so on. I remember that from my own childhood.”
Her main goal: to raise the children to be self-confident people who at the same time show empathy towards other people. “I think it’s important for kids to know themselves well enough to be who they are and have the empathy to empathize with other people.”
“You only have them on loan”
Even then, she felt wistful at the thought that one day her children would leave home. “Even if I sometimes want to press the pause button myself, you can’t stop time.” However, Mary only realized how difficult it would be for her to let go of the first child after her eldest son, Prince Christian, had made the decision to do so. The 16-year-old moved to Herlufsholm boarding school in Næstved in August 2021, where he will complete his high school education.
Parents and son are now about 90 kilometers apart. Not an easy step. “When the decision was made, I said to myself that I shouldn’t think about it until he went to boarding school,” Mary recalled in an interview with the Danish magazine Billed Bladet. She admits it was tough for her as the farewell approached. “Up until his first day of school, I felt like it was tough,” she admits. “But that’s the way it is with children. You only have them on loan.”
Respect for the media, but room for error
The future heir to the throne emancipates himself from his parents’ home – and now has to prove that he can deal responsibly with his special position. This applies above all to dealing with social media and the press. A challenge for young adults, as Mary knows, but especially for her offspring: “When you have two teenage children in the house, it makes you think a little bit about the time we’re living in, where everyone, everywhere, in every possible way way to photograph or film,” she says. “They are more exposed and it’s important that they are aware of that. And they are, because they grew up with the media image that we have today,” she explains in the interview.
Still, the princess doesn’t demand perfection: “The teenage years are very tough, and they’re also vulnerable years. They’re also the years when we learn and make mistakes. And it’s okay to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them ,” Mary adds. “And so I hope that they continue to have the freedom and space to make those mistakes and that they get through the searching and exploring teenage years well.”
Sources used: Karin Palshøj, Gitte Redder: “Kronprinsesse Mary af Danmark”, Politikens Forlag: “Mary HKH”, herognu.dk, eurowoman.dk, billedbladet.dk