With her doting husband Crown Prince Frederik and the couple's four children by her side, it's hard to imagine that Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has suffered a battle with loneliness in the past – something that she experienced when she lost her mother at the age of 25.
The gorgeous royal is frequently pictured smiling and laughing away at public engagements, and has built a whole new life for herself in a foreign country, having left her native Australia in her twenties.
Recalling the sad period she went through after her mum Henrietta Donaldson died in 1997 from a heart condition, Mary has given a candid and frank interview.
© Photo: Getty Images"I would have liked to have spent more time with her," said Princess Mary of Denmark of her mum Henrietta
"I felt alone in my pain," the royal told Danish TV and radio station DR, who were exploring the theme of loneliness this week. "As if nobody understood what I was going through and I had come to a standstill while the whole world around me kept moving forwards."
"I would have liked to have spent more time with her," added Mary.
© Photo: Getty ImagesHenrietta never got the chance to see her daughter turn into a princess
The princess' mother passed away two years before Mary met her future husband Frederik at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. The pair quietly dated before marrying in 2004.
Henrietta did not have the chance to see her daughter Mary – who has four children including young twins Vincent and Josephine – embark on her charmed life in Denmark, and become one of the country's most popular royals.
Mary added of her mum's death: "When you feel alone, you feel as if you don't belong anywhere, like you're alone in the world. It's a real and big problem that's gone unnoticed, so I'm glad that it's drawing some attention now. There's still a lot of taboo around it, it's an issue we have to talk about."
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Mary and Prince Frederik have four children together
The future queen of Denmark set up the Mary Foundation in 2011, which aims to give those who feel socially isolated or excluded the sense that they belong and can contribute to society.
"We have to be able to recognise people who are lonely and reach out to them," added Mary. "Loneliness in the short term is perfectly normal, but in the long term, it can destroy social and interpersonal skills."
