“I don’t recall wishing that one day I would be a princess,” Mary said back in 2003. “I wanted to be a veterinarian.”
It may not have been her endgame but Mary had to be brought up to speed as a royal fast, undergoing the equivalent of monarchy boot camp.
It was a huge undertaking, but the early hard work and sacrifice paid off, with Mary now embraced as a beloved Danish princess.
Goodbye bachelor days
Prince Frederik also reportedly had to make an effort to split from his old ways, while Mary had to make peace with his past as a ladies’ man.
Mary wasn’t Frederik’s first serious girlfriend –and according to a royal commentator, a former flame nearly derailed their relationship.
Prior to meeting Mary, Frederik had numerous other girlfriends – and veteran royal reporter turned author Trine Villemann says this presented a problem during their courtship. “Frederik has had a (galaxy) of beautiful, intelligent, strong Danish girlfriends and he’s still in touch with them,” Trine said in a sensational 2009 book about the Danish royals.
In fact, Trine believed Frederik held a candle for one ex in particular – former model, Katja Storkholm.
She claims Frederik and Katja had secretly got engaged in 1995 and that the prince may have been better off marrying “the true love of his life”. So why didn’t he?
“In the royal Danish family there’s this tradition of you get your spouse from abroad, you don’t marry a Dane,” the reporter explained.
Ready for the throne
After 19 years together, Mary and Frederik have come a long way. As they prepare to become king and queen their lives will be increasingly separate as they undertake solo engagements and split their time as a family.
With their children entering their pre-teen and teenage years, the couple are preparing for the next stage of their lives as ruling monarchs.
With an unshakeable bond, they appear readier than ever to take over the throne.
For more, see the latest issue of New Idea ROYALS MONTHLY out now!
WATCH: Princess Mary pretty in pink as she curtseys to Queen
