Date 14 May 2004 | ||
 | ||
Participants Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark
Mary Donaldson Location Copenhagen Cathedral, Copenhagen, Denmark | ||
The wedding of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and Mary Donaldson took place on 14 May 2004 in the Copenhagen Cathedral.
Contents
Courtship and engagement
Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and Mary Donaldson met on 16 September 2000, during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.; Frederik identified himself as the Crown Prince of Denmark at the height of their courtship. Their relationship was kept low-profile, although some Danish media reported the two were dating. On 24 September 2003, it was announced that Frederik's mother, Queen Margrethe II, intended to give her consent to the marriage at the State Council meeting scheduled for 8 October 2003.
Frederik and Mary became officially engaged on 8 October 2003. Frederik presented Mary with an engagement ring featuring an emerald cut diamond and two emerald cut ruby baguettes. Prior to the wedding, Mary, who had previously been a dual citizen of Australia and the United Kingdom, was granted Danish citizenship. She also converted from Presbyterianism to the Lutheran Church of Denmark. The media portrayed Frederik's and Mary's relationship as a modern "fairytale" romance between a prince and a commoner.
Wedding ceremony
The wedding ceremony of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and Mary Donaldson was held on 14 May 2004 in the Copenhagen Cathedral in Copenhagen, Denmark, followed by the wedding festivities at the Fredensborg Palace. Mary's sisters Jane Stephens and Patricia Bailey, and her friend Amber Petty served as bridesmaids, while Frederik's brother Prince Joachim of Denmark was the best man. Mary's nieces Erin and Kate Stephens and Madisson Woods were flower girls, and Frederik's nephew Prince Nikolai of Denmark and first cousin once removed Count Richard von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth were pageboys.
Mary wore a wedding dress created by Danish fashion designer Uffe Frank with a veil first used by Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden, and then by her daughter Ingrid, Queen of Denmark. The veil, made from Irish lace, was later worn by Ingrid's daughters Margrethe, Benedikte and Anne-Marie. Mary's wedding tiara was a gift from Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik.
Titles upon marriage
Upon her marriage, Mary embraced the title of her husband and became the Her Royal Highness Crown Princess of Denmark. Should Frederik eventually ascend to the Danish throne, as expected, Mary would automatically become the Queen consort of Denmark. She was also honoured with the Order of the Elephant, and her father John Donaldson with the grand cross of the Order of the Dannebrog. In accordance with the statutes of the Danish Royal Orders, both of them were granted a personal coat of arms.
On 29 April 2008, Frederik and Mary were also created the Count and the Countess of Monpezat, which is a title that Frederik inherited from his father Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark.