Queen Mary of Denmark has made her first public appearance since
the death of her father.
Mary joined her royal family in Copenhagen as they marked the
birthday of Queen Margrethe.
The father of Queen Mary, John Dalgleish Donaldson, died at the
weekend in his hometown of Hobart, Australia. The Queen of Denmark
announced his death soon afterwards, saying that her heart was
heavy and her thoughts were grey at the loss of her beloved
dad.
As Queen Margrethe marked her 86th birthday, Queen Mary and King
Frederik joined her for public events at Fredensborg Palace.
A large crowd had gathered to wish Queen Margrethe a happy
birthday and there was a military parade as well as music from the
military band.
Queen Mary was in mourning, wearing a black trouser suit with a
dark blouse. King Frederik wore a dark suit. There were also
mourning colours for Queen Margrethe who chose a purple jacket for
the occasion with mauve being an official court colour of
mourning.
The sister of Queen Margrethe, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, was
also there and wore a black dress with tan coloured jacket as her
own mark of respect.
Queen Margrethe had made another gesture of mourning at an
earlier appearance. The former monarch, who ruled Denmark from 1972
until 2024, visited the Stock Exchange in Copenhagen, one of the
city’s most iconic buildings, which was badly damaged by fire in
2024. As she toured restoration works, she wore a grey outfit,
again choosing a colour of mourning for this appearance.
John Donaldson enjoyed a good relationship with all of his
youngest daughter’s royal relations and was often seen with them as
his grandchildren enjoyed holidays and grew up.
When John Donaldson’s death was announced, the Danish royals
said that a private memorial would be held.
Queen Mary’s youngest children, Prince Vincent and Princess
Josephine, are being confirmed on April 18 and it’s understood that
the ceremony will go ahead as planned.