The Complete Relationship Timeline Of Princess Mary and Prince Frederik of Denmark

At the Slip Inn pub in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics, Tasmanian marketing executive Mary Donaldson was enjoying a drink in the busy crowd when she met and shook hands with the Dane—who was visiting the major sporting event with the Danish sailing team—who would one day become her husband.

At the time, little did she know that her new acquaintance was in fact the Crown Prince of Denmark, Frederick. By striking up a romance with him, she had solidified her fate as the future Her Royal Highness, Princess of Denmark—and now, soon to be, Her Majesty, Queen of Denmark.

Of course, much has happened in the relationship between Princess Mary and Prince Frederick over the past 24 years, from that fateful day in Sydney to their upcoming coronation this Monday. From moving to Copenhagen together to wedding, to raising children together and presiding over an entire nation as a couple, the tale of this royal relationship is one for the books.

Ahead, we lay out the complete relationship timeline and love story of the beloved Danish royal couple.

Image credit: Supplied
1/15
2000—2001
According to an interview Donaldson gave in 2003, an hour later after the couple’s first meeting at the Slip Inn, someone approached Donaldson wide-eyed and asked her, “Do you know who those people are?”. It was only then Donaldson found out that she had just met the Crown Prince of Denmark, Frederik, and that her fairytale-like romance was about to begin.
After meeting in Sydney, Princess Mary and Prince Frederik immediately hit it off. They began quietly dating long-distance between Australia and Denmark before their relationship went public in 2001, and the whole world knew of Mary Donaldson as the girlfriend of the Prince of Denmark.
Image credit: Getty Images
2/15
2002
In 2002, Donaldson officially left Australia and moved to Denmark in an apparent nod to the growing seriousness of the couple’s relationship. Upon moving to Copenhagen, Donaldson converted to the Lutheran Church and began learning Danish—if you needed any more evidence that this royal couple’s future was heading somewhere.
Image credit: AFP
3/15
2003
On October 8, 2003, Prince Frederick and Donaldson officially announced their engagement during an intimate press conference, confirming that Donaldson would become the first Australian-born woman to ever become a European royal and stand in line to become a queen.
Image credit: AP
4/15
The couple were all smiles and kisses during the day that followed the engagement announcement and their plans to wed the following year. Following the press conference, Donaldson and the Prince appeared on the balcony of the Christian IX palace in Copenhagen to wave to the public, who had gathered to celebrate the announced nuptials. Later that day, the betrothed couple attended an extended State Council gala dinner at the royal palace of Fredensborg along with Donaldson’s future mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe II.
Image credit: AFP
5/15
2004
Mary Donaldson wed Prince Frederik on Friday May 14, 2004 in the Copenhagen Cathedral, Church of our Lady, and became Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark. The Princess wore an elegant and conservative boatneck ivory wedding gown by Danish designer, Uffe Frank, a stunning Irish lace veil, a royal family heirloom, and a diamond tiara gifted to her by her new royal in-laws. In a homage to her home country, the bride included some native Australian eucalyptus in her wedding bouquet. After the ceremony, the Prince and Princess shared a sweet kiss and gave a wave to the people of Denmark on the balcony of Amalienborg Palace.
Image credit: AP
6/15
2005
A year after the couple wed, the Prince and Princess of Denmark welcomed their first child—a son born on October 15, 2005, Prince Christian, Count of Monpezat. As of the royal couple’s coronation this month, Prince Christian will become heir apparent to his father’s throne.
Image credit: AFP
7/15
2007
In 2007, Princess Mary and Prince Frederik welcomed their second child, a daughter, Princess Isabella, making them a budding young family of four.
Image credit: Getty Images
8/15
2008
As of 2008, the royal couple started their family tradition of going to Switzerland for a ski holiday—a special vacation that the Princess and Prince, and their children, would enjoy for years to come.
Image credit: Getty Images
9/15
2011
The royal couple kicked off their seventh year of marriage with the birth of their twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, officially completing their family of six.
Image credit: Getty Images
10/15
2012
With their family now complete, the royal couple’s annual ski holidays officially became a full blown family affair, journeying to their favourite ski spot in Switzerland, Verbier, with all four children every winter.
Image credit: Getty Images
11/15
2018
The couple share a loving moment together on the balcony of Amalienborg Palace for the Prince’s 50th birthday, marking 18 years of birthday’s celebrated together.
Image credit: Franne Voigt
12/15
2022
The Prince and Princess, along with their children, pose for a series of special portraits to celebrate the Princess’ 50th birthday in a loving, and regal, way.
Image credit: Instagram.com/detdanskekongehus
13/15
2023
In honour of the couple’s 19th wedding anniversary in May of 2023, Prince Frederik took to the Royal Danish family’s official Instagram page to pen a loving tribute to his wife.
Roughly translated from Danish to English, the prince wrote, “My wife and I have our wedding anniversary today. A very special day for both of us, which we like to mark – preferably with our four children. This year the day coincides with Mother’s Day. Therefore, a special loving greeting to you, Mary, as a spouse and as a mother.”
Image credit: Getty Images
14/15
Later in October, the royal couple marked a milestone in their relationship as they gathered with their children at a gala dinner in Christiansborg Palace to celebrate the birthday of their eldest son, His Royal Highness Prince Christian, marking the first of their five children to turn 18 years old.
Image credit: Getty Images
15/15
2024
During her traditional New Year’s speech to mark the beginning of 2024, Queen Margrethe officially announced that she would be abdicating the throne, becoming the first Danish monarch in hundreds of years to voluntarily step down. “I have decided that now is the right time,” the queen said. “On 14 January 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I leave the throne to my son Crown Prince Frederik”—effectively meaning that Princess Mary will become the new Queen of Denmark aside her husband as king.
At an intimate coronation ceremony on Monday, the Prince and Princess will step into their new royal roles following a declaration by the Danish prime minister at Christiansborg Palace, followed by an official reception, where we might hope to glimpse a lot more of the European royalty who will step out to honour the new king and queen.
From that humble, unassuming meeting in a local pub, to a whirlwind of royal romance, children and decades of love and commitment, this widely beloved, 24 year romance that led one ordinary Australian woman to the Danish throne is a tale that history will, surely, never forget.