Queen Mary
“44 day break”? Sharp criticism of her work as a monarch
© Dana Press
Queen Mary is actually considered a royal favorite among fans of the Danish royal family. The new monarch seems to lead her family almost perfectly – but now, just a few weeks after the change of throne, the first criticism of Mary’s work is being heard.
Queen Mary: Your silence will be interpreted as convenience
It is the Danish website “SE og HØR” that sharply criticizes Mary’s work. When it was published, one would have looked at the monarch’s calendar – and would have noticed that Queen Mary apparently allowed herself a whole “44 day break”! There is indignation at the supposedly comfortable 52-year-old, and the certainly busy editorial director and head of the news department, Heine Jørgensen, lets his anger out: “It must be exhausting to watch your own husband become King of Denmark. Mary, who is the same “The time she became queen has been resting ever since.” In Jørgensen’s eyes, the matter seems clear: “As queen, Margrethe was by far the most active member of the royal family, but Mary has not – so far – shared the hard-working attitude of her predecessor to the same extent.”
© Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images
Jørgensens identifies Queen Mary’s appearance at the “EliteForsk-priser 2024” as the first official date after her accession to the throne. On February 26, 2024, the Queen presented the award from the Ministry of Higher Education and Science to numerous proud winners and beamed with a winning smile. For the journalist Jørgensen, that wasn’t enough convincing. He further condemns Queen Mary: “Since her accession to the throne, she has gone on skiing holidays with her family and otherwise stayed away from the people she will now rule with her husband.”
Lazy Queen? None! Mary toiled behind the scenes
What Jørgensen overlooks in his accusation, however, is Queen Mary’s visit to Germany. On January 28th – exactly 14 days after the change of throne – the 52-year-old was at the final of the European Men’s Handball Championship in Cologne. Although the Danish team was unable to win the title, they were able to enjoy the presence of their newly crowned queen. Mary not only sat in the audience, but also handed out medals.
Jørgensen also does not seem to have taken into account the fact that just a few days after the change of throne, aristocratic experts were sure that a large part of the work would initially take place behind the scenes. Not only was Queen Mary’s foundation put to the test, the work of the entire palace and royal household was turned upside down by Margrethe’s abdication and had to be reorganized. Against this background, it almost seems logical that Queen Mary refrained from performing for a while. But that doesn’t automatically mean convenience.
Sources used: seoghoer.dk, getty-images.de