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Crown Princess Mary of Denmark attends a reception at Buckingham Palace for overseas guests ahead of the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla © Getty

Queen Mary could be her daughter Princess Isabella in unearthed student photo

The Queen of Denmark looked strikingly similar to her daughter in a photo taken before she was royal  

Katie Daly
Lifestyle Writer
February 20, 2024
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Followers have become used to seeing Queen Mary in an array of glamorous ballgowns and historic tiaras in her royal role as the wife to the King of Denmark, Frederik X. But before her time on the throne, Queen Mary was a student at Waimea Heights secondary school and later, of the University of Tasmania. 

A recently unearthed set of photos of a young Queen Mary show what she looked like way before she was part of the Danish royal family and you can see each of her four children in her. 

Queen Mary as a teen© Instagram
You can see Queen Mary's daughters in this unearthed photo from her youth

In the first, Mary is seen smiling in a black and white shot which looks like it was taken towards the end of her teens. She is wearing a black and white check jacket and has her hair down. The likeness between the royal and her 13-year-old daughter Princess Josephine is undeniable.

Queen Mary with her youngest daughter Princess Josephine as well as vincent and frederik© Getty
Queen Mary and her youngest daughter Princess Josephine bear an uncanny likeness

In another, a young Mary seems to be smiling for a prom photo or special occasion. She has her hair in a half updo with minimal makeup and is wearing a cobalt blue Queen Anne neckline gown. 

Young Mary in cobalt dress© Instagram
Mary's throwback photo looked like Princess Isabella at Prince Christian's 18th birthday gala

Mary's blue gown from her youth may remind royal fans of her daughter Princess Isabella's royal blue look that she wore to the gala dinner that was held for Prince Christian's 18th birthday at the Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen last October. 

 Prince Vincent of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Princess Isabella of Denmark, Prince Christian of Denmark, Princess Josephine of Denmark and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark attend the gala dinner © Getty
Queen Mary and Princess Isabella wore co-ordinating blue for a special evening at the palace

The 16-year-old royal wore a dress with a sash of satin material around the neck and a dress with a ballgown silhouette with ruched material across the top much like the number her mother had worn years earlier.

Princess Isabella with margrethe and josephine © Getty
Princess Isabella wore a similar cobalt dress to her brother's 18th birthday gala

Her mother also wore blue for the occasion, opting for a dazzling one-shoulder gown in midnight blue with a cinched waist that showed her ability to rock blue at any age. She teamed the garment with a blue satin clutch, diamond jewellery, and the same glistening tiara she wore on her wedding day in 2004.

Queen Mary seems to defy age in unearthed photos from before she was royal. Take a look at our favourites…

Mary in coral and Frederik from before they were married © Getty

A future queen in coral

In August 2022 Mary was photographed alongside Frederik in a coral satin ruched dress with a trendy French manicure and classic 2000s skinny brows.

Mary Elizabeth Donaldson of Australia (3rd-L), with (L-R) her stepmother Susan Moody, father John, her fiancee Crown Prince Frederik, Prince Consort Henrik and Danish Queen Margrethe, stand together after the official announcement of Donaldson's engagement to Prince Frederik during a media conference © Getty

A future queen in neutrals

To announce her engagement to King Frederik on 8 October 2003, Mary wore a dress that was somewhere between taupe and mauve that had a built-in double belt.

Mary Donaldson talking to frederik at palace© Getty

A future queen in teal

Queen Mary was seen talking quietly with her then-fiance Crown Prince Frederik during the extended State Council gala dinner at the royal palace of Fredensborg after the official announcement of their engagement earlier the same day. She looked so youthful at the age of 31 in a deep teal one-shoulder satin gown with her brunette locks piled on top of her head in a chic bun.

Prince Frederik kissed his girlfriend Mary Donaldson for the first time in public on the deck of the Tasmania Yacht Club © Getty

A future queen in jeans

The royal was spotted on the deck of the Tasmania Yacht Club before the start of the first race of the 2003 Dragon Boat World Championship in a pair of trendy low-rise jeans, a pair of flip-flops, and a pair of typically noughties rectangular sunnies.

DISCOVER: Royals recycling wedding tiaras: Sarah Ferguson's post-divorce outing, Duchess Sophie's wedding guest look & more 

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