Being a royal means coordinating a lot of engagements and correspondence, which is exactly why Crown Princess Mary of Denmark needs an excellent right-hand woman. So when the Danish royal palace released a statement to confirm the Princess had appointed a new private secretary and lady-in-waiting, we knew she would come with a stellar resume.
Christine Pii Hansen, who will start on June 8, is no doubt a fitting choice to guide the future queen of Denmark, given her background. The 44-year-old previously worked as deputy head of the Foreign Ministry's International Law Office, the firm she has been with for the past 11 years.
After graduating from the University of Copenhagen, Christine embarked on an illustrious career, holding posts as a legal adviser followed by a lawyer of the High Court.
Her new role will see Christine organize Mary's work diary, as well as accompany the royal to high-profile events and assist her during engagements. She will replace former lady-in-waiting Tanja Elise Kjærsgaard Doky, who served Mary for seven years. The Princess could always count on Tanja and the pair soon became close friends.
The statement also revealed that Tanja will take up a position as communications manager at Maersk Container Industry on June 1.
Apart from Tanja, Caroline Heering is another lady-in-waiting and private secretary who recently left her job with the royal. She was personally chosen for the job by the beloved Princess. Her family worked closely for the Danish royals in the past, and Caroline and Mary remain good friends.
The former employee won't be far from the Princess, as Caroline is believed to be working for her charitable organization, The Mary Foundation, and is sitting on its board. All ladies tending to Mary in their new roles will certainly be busy as the beautiful royal is quite active. On Tuesday, she braved the rain while visiting the Aalborg Football Club, where youngsters were participating in a training session with Klubfidusen, a children's leisure and welfare program backed by the Princess' foundation.
Her foundation also aims to give those who feel socially isolated or excluded the sense that they belong and can contribute to society, a cause close to her heart. Mary spoke about losing her mom at the age of 25, and the feeling of loneliness that overwhelmed her.
Speaking on Danish TV and radio station DR, which was exploring the theme of exclusion, Mary admitted, "I felt alone in my pain, 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."
The 45-year-old added, "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."