On Sunday, January 14, Princess Mary will become a Danish queen — but her father won’t be there to witness the historic occasion.
Former maths teacher John Donaldson will remain at home in Tasmania as his 51-year-old daughter becomes Her Majesty Queen Mary.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Preparations underway for Danish coronation.
Stream the world’s best reality, entertainment and true crime shows for free on 7Bravo on 7plus >>
Her husband Frederik will become His Majesty King Frederik X, after his mother Queen Margrethe announced her decision to abdicate.
John Donaldson is 82 and unable to travel to Denmark because of his age and health, the Royal House’s head of communications, Lene Balleby, told local media.
Mary’s father was also unable to attend another major family event, the recent confirmation of his granddaughter Princess Isabella, for the same reason.
Addressing his absence at the time, Princess Mary explained her dad was not in the best of health.
“Unfortunately, my father is not coming,” she said.
“He is getting to be an elderly gentleman and he is not well enough to take the long trip back to Denmark for a confirmation, but he is with us in our hearts.”
In the earlier years of her marriage to Frederik, her father and his second wife, British author Susan Moody, lived in Denmark for a number of years, to support her as she made the transition from Mary Donaldson to Princess Mary.
Mary’s mother, Henrietta Donaldson, died from a heart condition in 1997.
At the time, Mary was just 25 years old; four years later, she would marry Frederik and her life would change forever.
The Danish coronation comes at an interesting time for the Danish monarchy, with Queen Margrethe reducing the number of titled royals early in 2023.
The children of Frederik’s younger brother, Prince Joachim, were stripped of their royal titles, prompting rumours of a split between the two sides of the family.
It’s understood Joachim will be in attendance at the coronation, while his wife and children will not.
Apart from that controversy, late last year a Spanish publication aired unsubstantiated allegations that Frederik was having an affair with Mexican actress and socialite, Genoveva Casanova.
The claims emerged after Frederik was photographed with Casanova on a solo trip to Spain, where she resides.
The rumours were furiously denied by Casanova, and Frederik and Mary have since presented a united front at various official engagements.
For more engaging royal content, visit 7Life on Facebook.
