Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has a full life, with a husband, two children and her royal duties, but she is determined to give more and has become a passionate campaigner for those less fortunate.
It's 2.36 in the afternoon. A gilded, high-ceilinged room inside Christian VIII’s Palace in the Amalienborg complex, the walls adorned with silk tapestry, a room used by the Crown Prince couple for representative purposes. Outside on the square, a female member of the Royal Lifeguards clicks her heels together and turns once again to the small sentry box as a group of tourists eagerly take their snapshots. An autumn sun beams down on the kingdom.
And here she is. Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Mary, recently honoured as Woman of the Year in Denmark. An elegant, steady stride across the old, wooden floor that has known its share of kings and queens. Flawless make-up highlighting the porcelain complexion. The clothes look like they’ve been sewn especially for her, directly onto her. She is barefoot inside her high heels.
Nervous? Me? Of course. I’d be deceiving myself if I claimed otherwise. But the bare feet inside the shoes, the warm, disarming eye contact of the greeting, these are good signs. Crown Princess Mary moves a photograph on the table away from the photographer’s line of view. She seats herself and makes a comment about the silk-upholstered sofa from 1873, which is “beautiful, but not very practical or comfortable to sit in”. The furniture at home in the Chancellery House at Fredensborg Palace is almost certainly a lot more user-friendly and a lot more used to children’s sticky fingers. The hour-long discussion that follows leaves the impression of a Crown Princess completely
in charge of her "this-far-and-no-further" role and who remains very much true to herself.
"It is a balancing act: the art of delivering a part of yourself without giving too much. Not only for my own sake, but also out of consideration for my husband, our children, family and friends. Being in the public eye, you have to try and create a private space for yourself, your family and your friends. It isn’t always easy."
Being yourself
Once upon a time, there was a life in Australia. There’s a before and after that momentous night of September 16, 2000 at Sydney’s Slip Inn when Crown Prince Frederik and Mary Elizabeth Donaldson both found themselves in the right place at the right time. If Crown Princess Mary in her “previous” life had ever had the opportunity to gaze into the future and see herself now, seated in this room decorated with silk tapestry, what would she have thought?
“Well, if anyone had shown me a photograph of me in my life as it is now, I would have laughed and said it had to be a joke.”
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