![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_66018a230c093.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a64581d632d.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a652c2d3189.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649e303cfe.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649e364ba2.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649ee02af2.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649e25d221.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649e7c550d.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649e889d8c.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a6517c2a624.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a6517bb606c.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649eadf100.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a654ed5225b.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649e78343e.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649eb5ebf8.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649ee35dea.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649ed2817a.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649efafb5e.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a65b8e69e16.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649f2cc550.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649f38d4dd.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649f366273.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649f425a60.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649f090cef.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a652c492b1f.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649f29ad3c.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649f4a4e2f.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649f69d9b1.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649ff00e57.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a649ff2e564.jpg)
![The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/gallery/1080/na_65a64a00b0c58.jpg)
See Also
See Again
© Getty Images
0 / 31 Fotos
The Danish King and Queen Consort
- King Frederik of Denmark and Queen Consort Mary have been together for over 20 years. But their relationship began in the most unlikely of ways (for a royal couple, that is).
© Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
2000 Summer Olympics - Sydney
- In 2000, the Summer Olympics took place in Sydney, Australia. The then-Prince Frederik was in the city to support the Danish Olympic sailing team.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
2000 Summer Olympics - Sydney
- Mary Donaldson, a 28-year-old advertising executive from Tasmania, was living in Sydney at the time. Little did she know what would happen next!
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
First meeting - The Slip Inn
- The couple first set eyes on each other at the Slip Inn bar in Sydney's Darling Harbor. The 32-year-old prince struck up a conversation, introducing himself simply as "Fred."
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
First meeting - The Slip Inn
- Australian-born Mary later said of the meeting, "Something clicked. It wasn’t the fireworks in the sky or anything like that, but there was a sense of excitement." Fred took Mary's number that evening.
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
A secret romance
- The couple began a secret, long-distance romance. For two years, Fred made trips to Australia to see Mary. The couple successfully kept their relationship under wraps for a year before a Danish tabloid broke the news in 2001.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
Moving to Denmark
- In 2002, Mary moved from Sydney to Copenhagen to live with the prince. She began to learn Danish and converted to the Lutheran Church.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
Moving to Denmark
- All the signs were there that this would be for the long haul. A year later, Queen Margarethe gave her consent for the couple to become engaged.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Engagement
- Three years after that fateful first meeting at the Slip Inn in Sydney, Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson announced their engagement in October 2003.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
Engagement
- The prince proposed to his Australian bride-to-be with an emerald-cut diamond. In an apparent nod to the colors of the Danish flag, the diamond was flanked by a pair of ruby baguettes.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
Wedding day
- The future King Frederik and Queen Mary married on May 14, 2004, at Copenhagen Cathedral, followed by a reception at Fredensborg Palace.
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Mary's dress
- Mary's long-sleeve ball gown was a piece by Danish designer Uffe Frank. Her tiara was gifted to her from her in-laws Queen Margarethe and Prince Henrik, while Mary gave a nod to her native Australia with a eucalyptus adorned bouquet.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
The happy couple
- In his wedding speech, Prince Frederik said of his new bride: "From today, Mary is mine and I am hers. I love her, and I will protect her with all my heart."
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
A tarot reader predicted Mary's future
- Mary once visited a tarot reader at a Sydney flea market, years before she ever set eyes on the prince. She was told she would meet a man from abroad, become famous, and move to Europe.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
A tarot reader predicted Mary's future
- Mary has said, "I left there and thought, ‘Well yes, that was a lot of fun, but nothing more.' But I’ve always been interested in the spiritual. In mystery and fate."
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
Return to the Olympic Games
- The Olympic Games brought the couple together in the first place, and they've been returning together ever since, traveling to Athens in 2004 (just a few months after their wedding), Turin in 2006, Beijing in 2008, Vancouver in 2010, London in 2012, Sochi in 2014, and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
First child
- The couple's first child, Prince Christian, was born October 15, 2005. Now that Frederik is king, Christian is first in line for the throne.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Princess Isabella
- On April 21, 2007, the couple's second child, a daughter, was born. Princess Isabella is second in line to the throne following a change to the Act of Succession in Denmark in 2009, that was ratified by referendum. Since then, males are no longer given preference over females to ascend the throne.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
A different way to be together
- "Time becomes more precious when you have children," Mary told Berlingske Tiende in 2008. "It’s not like you lose each other because you are with the children. It’s just a different way to be together and that’s some of the best part of it all."
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
Welcoming twins
- Twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine were born on January 8, 2011. A beaming Frederik declared, "It's a miracle!" as he stood on the hospital steps.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Welcoming twins
- Vincent is older than his sister by just minutes. This makes him third in line to the throne, while Josephine is fourth in line.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
Family time
- The Danish royals are admired for their down-to-earth approach to royal life, and are quite open about how they spend their holidays as a family.
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
A popular couple
- Mary seemed to have adapted to her role as Princess Consort with ease, attending countless state gala dinners with her husband.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
A popular couple
- As well as raising their children and appearing at diplomatic events, Mary has been committed to her charity work, becoming a patron of more than 25 international organizations since the couple's marriage.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
A real-life Cinderella story
- Adapting to Danish royal life, Mary's fluency in the language, which is notoriously difficult, has been lauded. She has even undertaken training in the Home Guard, achieving honorary major status in 2023. Undoubtedly, her life changed completely when she met Frederik.
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
Return to Oz
- The pair have returned to the country they first met, Mary's homeland of Australia, on several occasions. While there, they've visited landmarks as a royal couple.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
Return to Oz
- They've traveled to Sydney, Canberra, and the Northern Territory, even spending Christmas 2015 with their family Down Under.
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
2024 coronation
- At the end of 2023, Queen Margarethe announced she would be stepping down from her role, taking everyone by surprise. It meant there would be a new royal accession in Denmark, the first in 52 years. The royal couple arrived to the coronation in a horse-drawn carriage.
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
2024 coronation
- Frederik and Mary were proclaimed King and Queen of Denmark on January 14, 2024. Mary became the first Australian-born Queen Consort, making history. Frederik became King Frederik X.
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
The Danish royal family
- Tens of thousands of Danes gathered amid scenes of jubilation and national pride in Copenhagen, as the King and Queen were joined on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace by their four children, including the new Crown Prince and heir apparent, Christian. Sources: (People) (Tatler) (Daily Mail) See also: Is the Danish royal family descended from Vikings?
© Getty Images
30 / 31 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 31 Fotos
The Danish King and Queen Consort
- King Frederik of Denmark and Queen Consort Mary have been together for over 20 years. But their relationship began in the most unlikely of ways (for a royal couple, that is).
© Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
2000 Summer Olympics - Sydney
- In 2000, the Summer Olympics took place in Sydney, Australia. The then-Prince Frederik was in the city to support the Danish Olympic sailing team.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
2000 Summer Olympics - Sydney
- Mary Donaldson, a 28-year-old advertising executive from Tasmania, was living in Sydney at the time. Little did she know what would happen next!
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
First meeting - The Slip Inn
- The couple first set eyes on each other at the Slip Inn bar in Sydney's Darling Harbor. The 32-year-old prince struck up a conversation, introducing himself simply as "Fred."
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
First meeting - The Slip Inn
- Australian-born Mary later said of the meeting, "Something clicked. It wasn’t the fireworks in the sky or anything like that, but there was a sense of excitement." Fred took Mary's number that evening.
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
A secret romance
- The couple began a secret, long-distance romance. For two years, Fred made trips to Australia to see Mary. The couple successfully kept their relationship under wraps for a year before a Danish tabloid broke the news in 2001.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
Moving to Denmark
- In 2002, Mary moved from Sydney to Copenhagen to live with the prince. She began to learn Danish and converted to the Lutheran Church.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
Moving to Denmark
- All the signs were there that this would be for the long haul. A year later, Queen Margarethe gave her consent for the couple to become engaged.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Engagement
- Three years after that fateful first meeting at the Slip Inn in Sydney, Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson announced their engagement in October 2003.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
Engagement
- The prince proposed to his Australian bride-to-be with an emerald-cut diamond. In an apparent nod to the colors of the Danish flag, the diamond was flanked by a pair of ruby baguettes.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
Wedding day
- The future King Frederik and Queen Mary married on May 14, 2004, at Copenhagen Cathedral, followed by a reception at Fredensborg Palace.
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Mary's dress
- Mary's long-sleeve ball gown was a piece by Danish designer Uffe Frank. Her tiara was gifted to her from her in-laws Queen Margarethe and Prince Henrik, while Mary gave a nod to her native Australia with a eucalyptus adorned bouquet.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
The happy couple
- In his wedding speech, Prince Frederik said of his new bride: "From today, Mary is mine and I am hers. I love her, and I will protect her with all my heart."
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
A tarot reader predicted Mary's future
- Mary once visited a tarot reader at a Sydney flea market, years before she ever set eyes on the prince. She was told she would meet a man from abroad, become famous, and move to Europe.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
A tarot reader predicted Mary's future
- Mary has said, "I left there and thought, ‘Well yes, that was a lot of fun, but nothing more.' But I’ve always been interested in the spiritual. In mystery and fate."
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
Return to the Olympic Games
- The Olympic Games brought the couple together in the first place, and they've been returning together ever since, traveling to Athens in 2004 (just a few months after their wedding), Turin in 2006, Beijing in 2008, Vancouver in 2010, London in 2012, Sochi in 2014, and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
First child
- The couple's first child, Prince Christian, was born October 15, 2005. Now that Frederik is king, Christian is first in line for the throne.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Princess Isabella
- On April 21, 2007, the couple's second child, a daughter, was born. Princess Isabella is second in line to the throne following a change to the Act of Succession in Denmark in 2009, that was ratified by referendum. Since then, males are no longer given preference over females to ascend the throne.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
A different way to be together
- "Time becomes more precious when you have children," Mary told Berlingske Tiende in 2008. "It’s not like you lose each other because you are with the children. It’s just a different way to be together and that’s some of the best part of it all."
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
Welcoming twins
- Twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine were born on January 8, 2011. A beaming Frederik declared, "It's a miracle!" as he stood on the hospital steps.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Welcoming twins
- Vincent is older than his sister by just minutes. This makes him third in line to the throne, while Josephine is fourth in line.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
Family time
- The Danish royals are admired for their down-to-earth approach to royal life, and are quite open about how they spend their holidays as a family.
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
A popular couple
- Mary seemed to have adapted to her role as Princess Consort with ease, attending countless state gala dinners with her husband.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
A popular couple
- As well as raising their children and appearing at diplomatic events, Mary has been committed to her charity work, becoming a patron of more than 25 international organizations since the couple's marriage.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
A real-life Cinderella story
- Adapting to Danish royal life, Mary's fluency in the language, which is notoriously difficult, has been lauded. She has even undertaken training in the Home Guard, achieving honorary major status in 2023. Undoubtedly, her life changed completely when she met Frederik.
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
Return to Oz
- The pair have returned to the country they first met, Mary's homeland of Australia, on several occasions. While there, they've visited landmarks as a royal couple.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
Return to Oz
- They've traveled to Sydney, Canberra, and the Northern Territory, even spending Christmas 2015 with their family Down Under.
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
2024 coronation
- At the end of 2023, Queen Margarethe announced she would be stepping down from her role, taking everyone by surprise. It meant there would be a new royal accession in Denmark, the first in 52 years. The royal couple arrived to the coronation in a horse-drawn carriage.
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
2024 coronation
- Frederik and Mary were proclaimed King and Queen of Denmark on January 14, 2024. Mary became the first Australian-born Queen Consort, making history. Frederik became King Frederik X.
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
The Danish royal family
- Tens of thousands of Danes gathered amid scenes of jubilation and national pride in Copenhagen, as the King and Queen were joined on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace by their four children, including the new Crown Prince and heir apparent, Christian. Sources: (People) (Tatler) (Daily Mail) See also: Is the Danish royal family descended from Vikings?
© Getty Images
30 / 31 Fotos
The Australian executive who fell in love with a tourist and is now queen of Denmark
A fateful meeting set the stage for this romance
© Getty Images
King Frederik X and his wife, the Australian-born Queen Mary, have been married for more than 15 years. But the pair actually met over 20 years and have a story that's rather unconventional for royalty. It's full of surprises—not to mention that someone actually did predict this unpredictable get-together!
Curious to know more? Click on the following gallery to learn all about the love story of King Frederik X and Queen Mary.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
![You won't believe these celebrity yearbook photos](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_649982afcf942.jpg)
![Famous figures who were reported dead while still alive](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66a0d375eba8c.jpg)
![Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and the scandal that shook Hollywood](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_5dcadb7606de4.jpg)
![Celebrity breakup hairstyles we'll never forget](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_669e5d0d7be1f.jpg)
![Famous Americans who married foreigners](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_669e80ab9abdf.jpg)
![These celebrities have had paranormal experiences!](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_5954c6f04201b.jpg)
![Prince William and George's sweetest father and son moments](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_669e353702c3b.jpg)
![Brigitte Bardot: the complicated story of a beauty icon](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_660eb2d811b35.jpg)
![US presidents who didn't serve a second term](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_669e36738ac60.jpg)
![Spectacular gravesites of famous people](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_669a5e8a942cd.jpg)
![Intoxication station: celebrities under the influence on live TV](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_61164d7f1370e.jpg)
![How did the British royal couples meet?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_669a627fb58c8.jpg)
![Celebrities who have been in cults](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_669a2a358c109.jpg)
![Celebs who worked for other celebs before they were famous](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_614b0ddb540ae.jpg)
![Straw hat inspo for the sunny days ahead](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66991f3303087.jpg)
![The endless list of tragic Playmate deaths](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6699169606322.jpg)
![Who's the sexiest man NOT alive?](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_618baea45460a.jpg)
![Surprising celebs who don't have a star on the Walk of Fame](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6078465513445.jpg)
![Celebrities who were poor before fame found them](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6697b4d93aee6.jpg)
![Latino stars who don't speak Spanish](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_6141e0e18fb3f.jpg)
![Donald Trump's funniest social and political gaffes ever](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66968d92c8dc8.jpg)
![The wackiest celebrity wedding dresses](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_668e96e29d928.jpg)
![The biggest child star success stories](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_609a77104427b.jpg)
![Celebrity items put up for auction](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66955b52ee61f.jpg)
![Celebs who worked at or attended summer camps](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_610279d8f387c.jpg)
![All the stars who have come out (so far) as LGBTQ+ in 2024](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_669522e3ae0e4.jpg)
![Celebrities who have been body shamed](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66910c9c28b0f.jpg)
![Rare finds: Celebrities who no one hates](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66913369b395f.jpg)
![Dangerous attraction: celebrities who owned snakes](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_66912f5825648.jpg)
![The unexpected history of the mullet](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_5fe2197402ee1.jpg)
![Meet the muses of these world famous artists](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_64ae7ec92fe93.jpg)
![How celebrities spoil their kids](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_668ff00f7b5c1.jpg)
![Celebrities you didn't know were absolute nerds](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_668fe93346f46.jpg)
![These celebrities all play the piano](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_668fe36b08986.jpg)
![The best mops in rock and roll](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_5f8014dd23bdc.jpg)
![These celebrities live with chronic illnesses](https://media-manager.starsinsider.com/640/na_668e67a4c59b9.jpg)
MOST READ
- Last Hour
- Last Day
- Last Week