Mary In queen bootcamp
The princess is in ttraining to take over in Denmark
In the weeks since Prince Henrik passed away, speculation has been rife that his older son Prince Frederik and his wife Princess Mary will soon take over as the rulers of Denmark.
At an anniversary celebration at Greve Museum on March 20, Mary certainly looked like a queen-in-training as she joined her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe on royal business.
Facing the prospect of attending one of her first official functions without her beloved husband of 50 years by her side side, Queen Margrethe is believed to have asked Mary to join her for support, as she’s reluctant to attend events on her own.
Smiling at wellwishers as she made her way inside, she later took the opportunity to introduce her Australian-born daughter-inlaw to the elite crowd.
As Woman’s Day reported after Henrik’s death in early February, the past year has taken its toll on the 77-year-old monarch, prompting widespread belief she’ll abdicate, despite previously insisting she wouldn’t wouldn’t. “Palace aides are quietly working behind the scenes to prepare Frederik and Mary for taking the throne at any time now,” says a royal source.
And it seems Mary, 46, has already begun shadowing the queen at public events, to learn the ropes at the top of the royal family. According to Danish insiders, there are plenty more royal engagements coming up on the calendar, which will give Mary the chance to closely study the queen’s duties and prepare her to take over with confidence when the time comes.
“When Queen Margrethe brings Mary to an event she has been attending herself for years, it is her very clear way of saying to her daughter-in-law, ‘This is something you will be taking on yourself one day,’ ” explains our Danish palace insider.
Royal watchers in Copenhagen say that if the queen does step down, the people of Denmark are confident that Frederik, 49, and Mary will prove themselves as more than worthy replacements.