Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark

by Karin Palshøj, Gitte Redder

The modern-day, real-life fairy tale of the young Australian commoner who became the Crown Princess of Denmark is detailed in this definitive biography. When Mary Donaldson walked into the Slip Inn restaurant in Sydney on the first Saturday of the 2000 Olympic Games, she met Frederik, the Crown Prince of Denmark, by chance, and her life was never the same again. The world watched as the Prince wooed Mary, and women everywhere swooned as Frederik shed a tear as he watched his bride walk down the aisle. This biography chronicles the incredible story of the thoroughly modern and elegant woman who has risen to the formidable challenge of being the Crown Princess of Denmark with grace and style.

Genres: Royalty, Nonfiction, Biography

203 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

2022 bk 84.Twenty years after this book was published, it reads as if it were freshly written. I admit that the marriage of an Australian businesswoman to the Crown Prince of Denmark totally escaped my attention at the time. But with the recent discovery of Viking in my ancestry - went looking for books on the Scandinavian countries and this book popped up. The journalists who wrote this book did a decent job working from secondary sources. What impressed me greatly about Mary Donelson was her ability to learn Danish is such a short period of time. The photographs were lovely and the entire book led me to look at the website listed for the Danish royal family. A good read on a rainy day.

[Ronnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final Score: 4.5 / 5

It was an amazing take on the life of such a charismatic woman.

[Karyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fascinating to see another people's princess, but its a biography that relies on secondary information rather than getting a more personal account. It then supplements the pages with past scenarios of others. In the end it felt like more fluff than anything.

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book immediately after the wedding of Australia's own Mary Donaldson to the Crown Prince of Denmark and can remember devouring every word of it over my Christmas holidays many years ago. It provided an excellent and insightful glimpse into the lives of Denmark's future Queen - and King - as well as a fascinating look at what challenges the new Princess had to overcome and the life she has to look forward to. It also gave a useful summary of previous commoner-royal weddings in Europe's various dynasties that can probably be credited with my broader interest in European royalty that continues to this day. No doubt out of date now, but a good read if you get your hands on a copy.

[Claudette · Rating 4 out of 5]

How come some people are so lucky? They have it all; intelligence, beauty and a fairy tale romance. On the other hand I didn't realise Mary had to loose her identity and her culture to become Princess Mary. The book was an interesting insight. Well after nearly 10 years of marriage and four children later, they are still going strong.