He is known as the “turbo prince,” for his love of fast cars and speeding tickets but for how much longer? With the news that Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark is currently involved in a relationship with a girl who lives on the other side of the world, perhaps his preferred mode of transport will change to jumbo jets.
The woman in question is 28-year-old Mary Donaldson, a Sydney-based estate agent, the daughter of a mathematician. The statuesque – she is six feet tall – brunette’s mother died some years ago and her stepmother is romantic novelist Susan Moody. Mary and Frederik met at a party for the Danish women’s handball team during last year’s Olympics, and since then the heir to the Danish throne has been back to Australia six times.
There is speculation, however, that Frederik’s mother, Queen Margrethe, has already given her permission for her son to make Mary his queen, after they met this spring at the monarch’s French chateau; however, this has yet to be confirmed by the Danish court. But all the signs are there that this is a serious relationship – Mary has her own personal bodyguard, as well as a security guard, and there is always someone present in the office to filter unwanted phone calls.
More of a career girl than a social butterfly, the shy real estate worker has impressed her former neighbours. “I think it’s good, it’s something we can all be pleased with,” said Lorraine Hudson, who used to live next door to Mary. “Compared to most social circles, she would be considered a normal girl.”
Modern heirs to the throne have a difficult choice to make these days. Do they marry for love, or do they choose a scion from a minor royal house? Frederik is in no doubt as to the path that he will take. “I am the one who will decide on my private life,” he said in an interview a few years ago. “There’s no law that says I have to marry blue blood. I’m sure that I will choose a woman that I love.” And perhaps there’s something about Mary that he has fallen for…
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
