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Princess Mary has welcomed a new member to the family!
The Danish royal last week confirmed in an official speech that she has a female exchange student living with her, Fred and their four children in their private home at Frederik VIII’s Palace.
Now insiders have confirmed to New Idea that the lucky young lady has become ‘like a daughter’ to Mary, revealing that she’s ‘a part of the family now’ and they ‘couldn’t imagine life without her’.
Danish magazine Se & Hor claims the exchange student is from Australia and that she’s ‘from Mary’s network’ or a ‘distant relative’.
‘Mary keeps saying that it’s just so wonderful to have a young woman in the house, and she’s become like a daughter to her,’ says a palace insider.
‘This student is fun, warm, kind and is so close to her and Fred’s children. Mary has always considered having another child, and she feels like she’s adopted this student.
‘Mary’s teaching her Danish and showing her around Copenhagen – she’s really taken her under her wing and is so happy since she started living with them.
‘Mary also thinks it’s wonderful that her children have someone new around the house. Christian, Isabella, Vincent and Josephine fell in love with her straight away – she’s like a big sister to them.’
News of Mary’s new addition to the family has rocked many royal watchers, who are shocked by the unusual announcement.
‘We’ve never heard of an exchange student living with royalty while they studied,’ said one Danish royal expert. ‘But it’s a testament to Mary’s kind heart and how she is committed to living by her own rules.’
The news comes in the same week it was revealed that Gold Coast university student Avril Francis was named a winner of The Crown Princess Mary Scholarship, which has seen her move to Copenhagen to study.
Avril was one of two Aussie winners of the prestigious award, which was offered to students from the partner universities of the University of Copenhagen in Australia.
Insiders say Mary took an immediate liking to Avril, who has achieved top marks studying sustainable urban planning at the Gold Coast’s Griffith University and has an admirable history of volunteer work that includes working with disadvantaged children in Cambodia.
In awarding the scholarships, 45-year-old Mary said: ‘In your scholarship application… you both emphasised the desire to study in Copenhagen. You wanted to improve your skills within environmental and urban planning and economics, where the University of Copenhagen has much to offer, and you wanted to gain a broader cultural understanding of Denmark and Danes.’
The princess went on to add:
‘I hope that you will benefit from your stay in Copenhagen, and a more international mindset and broaden your academic skills, but also that it will give you unforgettable experiences.’
For the full story, see this week’s New Idea – Out now.
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