When Mary Donaldson was born in a quaint Tasmanian hospital in February 1972, no one could predict that she would one day become Queen Mary of Denmark and sit on the throne of one of Europe’s oldest monarchies.
In a story that could be a fairytale, Mary met her future husband, Prince Frederik, now King of Denmark, in September 2000 during the Sydney Olympics, and the trajectory of her life changed forever.
Her family was also thrust into the global spotlight alongside Mary as billions of eyes watched the love story of a Prince falling in love with a “commoner” play out, and win hearts across the world.
Whilst the royal family she married into shares much of their life with the world, her family back home in Australia was left unprepared for the attention that came their way.
Over the years, Queen Mary’s extended family back home in Australia has done their best to live ordinary lives, even though they are now in-laws to the royal family of Denmark.
Who are Queen Mary’s parents?
In 1963, Queen Mary’s parents, John Dalgleish Donaldson and Henrietta Clark Donaldson, were wed in their native Scotland.
That same year, the young couple immigrated to Australia, where, after two years, they became Australian citizens.
Sadly, however, in November 1997, when Mary was just 25 years old, her mother passed away after complications from a heart surgery.
Her father went on to remarry in 2001 to British crime novelist Susan Horwood, who writes under the pen name of Susan Moody.
John Donaldson passed away on April 11, 2026 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 84.
Does Queen Mary of Denmark have any siblings?
Queen Mary has two older sisters, Jane Alison Stephens, born in 1965, and Patricia Anne Bailey, born in 1968, and an older brother, John, who was born in 1970.
Jane shares three children with her husband Craig Stephens, whilst Patricia has two children with her first husband Ken Woods and a third with an undisclosed partner.
John and his wife Leanne share two daughters together.
Notably, Jane and Patricia were bridesmaids alongside Mary’s longtime best friend, Amber Petty, at her 2004 nuptials.
Does Queen Mary of Denmark have any nieces or nephews?
As a result of her marriage to King Frederik X of Denmark, Queen Mary is the aunt to her brother-in-law, Prince Joachim’s four children: Count Nikolai, Count Felix, Count Henrik, and Countess Athena.
Her children, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent, and Princess Josephine, also have eight cousins spread across Australia.
These include Jane’s son Alexander and daughters Erin and Kate who were raised in Mary’s native Tasmania, as well as Patricia’s (known as Trish by her loved ones) son Michael daughter Maddy and her daughter from her second marriage Mollie.
Completing the crew of cousins are John’s Perth-based daughters Cherie and Michelle.
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