“But adolescence is a period of transition, during which we are most vulnerable. These are the years in which we learn a lot and make mistakes. I hope they continue to have the freedom and space to make these mistakes.”
Several Danish royal commentators this week described Mary's role in changing her husband's public image as vital. The man who would become King Frederick X was seen as a lost and sometimes rebellious teenager who did not want to take the throne.
He once told a journalist that his father would sometimes subject him to blows — a French word meaning a slap — although he later denied ever hitting him. In the late 1980s and 1990s, Frederick had a public persona not unlike that of Britain's Prince Harry.
He was clearly more bothered by the media attention and cozy parties than by giving speeches. In 1988, he broke his collarbone and needed stitches to his head after his car ran off the road in southern France, and he fell from the car and landed in a creek.
“He had a very difficult, unhappy, very strict upbringing,” says royal expert Trine Fellman, who wrote her book. 1015 Copenhagen K – named after the postcode of the Danish royal palace – is widely viewed as the definitive biography of the prince's childhood. “He was raised by a distant mother and Frederick would hide in the hallways if he heard his father's voice.”
Velleman says that for most of their marriage, Frederick enjoyed partying and spending time with his large group of friends, while Mary was often left at home to care for their children. She locked herself in the royal palace and threw away the key. “For a long time we didn't know much about it,” she says.
“But Queen Margaret is grateful to her daughter-in-law for the steady hand she has given her son and does not want to lose her. Without her, Frederick is lost.
Then-Prince Charles, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, and Crown Prince Frederik attend the inauguration of Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in 2019.credit: AP
As a young mother, Marie was still fluent in Danish and was subjected to some satirical criticism in the media. While she put effort into her eponymous foundation and charitable events, the spotlight was, more often than not, on her husband.
But it was Marie's speech at a dinner at Christiansborg Palace on May 26, 2018 that ensured the Danes fell in love with the Australian woman again.
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“People still talk about the speech,” Fellman says. “It was personal and gave us an insight into her and her family life that we Danes had never seen before.”
Speaking in her approved language, Mary lifted the lid on their domestic life, painting her husband as a devoted father adored by his children, while also acknowledging the complexities of his childhood and his reluctance to fulfill his destiny.
“And according to your children, you are also a very successful father,” she said. “They describe you as kind, funny, wonderful, wise, brave, helpful, wonderful and handsome.
“You're their hero. They know you believe in them.” [even] When they doubt themselves. You encourage them to believe in themselves. And when you get angry on the rare occasion, you quickly put it behind you, just like your father did.
Days before the couple became king and queen, Mary had to confront rumors in a Spanish newspaper that Frederick was having an affair with a Mexican socialite.
Marie and Frederick in 2003.credit: AP
In November, Read %s She posted pictures of the prince walking around Madrid with Genoveva Casanova. She claimed the photos showed him leaving Casanova's apartment in the morning after an alleged dinner date. Casanova denied any romantic relationship and threatened legal action.
Aside from a mysterious social media post, Mary has remained quiet.
She was particularly protective of her eldest son, Prince Christian, who was destined to succeed his father but seemed reluctant to launch himself fully into royal life. Royal commentators now agree that he is more confident and comfortable in public than his father ever was. Mary gets credit for this.
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After allegations of sexual assault and bullying emerged at Christian's boarding school, Herlovsholm, in 2022, his parents announced that the 16-year-old would leave and that his sister Princess Isabella would not start as planned. Christian was not connected to these accusations.
“Bullying, violence and insults are completely unacceptable. We must respond to traumatic and devastating events by insisting on changes that ensure a safe environment for everyone,” they said in a statement at the time. “We must recognize the courage of those who shared their violent experiences.”
Mary once said that being a royal came more naturally to her children than people expected. From a young age, children accompany the couple, when necessary, to give them an idea of their future work.
“It is essential that they are proud of who they are, of belonging to this family and what it means to Danes,” she said in 2022. She added: “Prince Christian has a more defined path than his brother and sisters, but it is up to him to build that destiny the best he can.
Mary's 50th birthday was celebrated nearly two years ago on national television with a short film featuring her children. Prince Vincent, Princess Josephine, Isabella and Christian praised their mother for her ability to sing and dance.
“I think she's very good at dancing,” Vincent said. “She is especially fond of the air guitar when playing rock music,” Christian added. “She's good at playing the drums,” Isabella replied.
The children also made fun of their mum's Australian accent, admitting that after 20 years she still has some expressions that sound funny in Danish – words like 'apple' and 'short'. But Christian said his mother focused too much on doing her job “meticulously.”
“It has to be absolutely perfect,” he said at the time. “If she's on a trip, she comes home and tells us what she's experienced, what she's done, where she's been. If she goes to Africa, she tells us a little bit about the schools. How the kids experience it. This gives the four of us an insight into how good we are here in Denmark.” “.
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Isabella said she was always on hand for support. “If you're having a hard time with something, or it's a tough day at school, she's always good about talking about it,” she said.
Marie lost her mother when she was in her mid-twenties, and has said on several occasions that Henrietta remains a guiding light in her life. “Losing my mother changed my outlook on life, my way of thinking. It also helped me shape the person I am today, in more depth,” she once said.
“If my mother looked at me, I thought she wouldn't really need to say anything – her warm smile would speak for her better than anything else.”
