| Event Name: | Wedding of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and Mary Donaldson |
| Date: | 14 May 2004 |
The wedding of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and Mary Donaldson (later King Frederik X and Queen Mary) took place on 14 May 2004 in the Copenhagen Cathedral.
Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark met Mary Donaldson on 16 September 2000, during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.[1] Frederik identified himself as the Crown Prince of Denmark at the height of their courtship.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]
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,[5] followed by the wedding festivities at the Fredensborg Palace.[6] 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 Queen Ingrid of Denmark. The veil, made from Irish lace, was later worn by Ingrid's daughters Margrethe, Benedikte and Anne-Marie as well as her granddaughters, Alexia and Alexandra. (Nathalie would since wear it at her wedding in 2010). This makes Mary the first and only person not born into a royal family to wear the veil. Mary's wedding tiara was a gift from Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik.[7]
The bride's bouquet contained white roses, creme lathyrus, rhododendron, azalea, green gloriosa, Australian eucalyptus, and, in keeping with a Swedish royal tradition brought into the Danish royal family by the Swedish-born Queen Ingrid, a sprig of myrtle.
Two choirs, the Copenhagen Boys Choir and the Church of Our Lady's choir; one orchestra, Concerto Copenhagen; and the fanfare ensemble from the Royal Life Guards Music Band played the music for the service.[8]
The bride processed down the aisle accompanied by her father to the anthem "Zadok the Priest" which is traditionally used for British coronations. It was composed by George Frideric Handel for the coronation of Crown Prince Frederik's ancestor King George II of Great Britain, in 1727.
The congregational hymns sung at the wedding included "Den signede dag med fryd vi ser" and "Eternal Father, Strong to Save". The latter is traditionally associated with the maritime armed services. Crown Prince Frederik notably served with the Danish naval elite special operations forces, the Frogman Corps. The motet "Sicut cervus" by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was performed by the Copenhagen Boys Choir during the ceremony. The motet holds a special significance to the Danish royal family and was played at the Queen and Prince Consort's wedding in 1967, at King Frederik IX's funeral in 1972 and at Prince Joachim's wedding to Alexandra Manley in 1994.
Charles-Marie Widor's Symphony for Organ No. 5 was played as the recessional music as it was for the wedding between Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik of Denmark's wedding almost 37 years before.
Upon her marriage, Mary assumed the title of her husband and became the Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Denmark. With Frederik's accession to the Danish throne in 2024, Mary automatically became 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.[9]
On 29 April 2008, Frederik and Mary were also created the Count and the Countess of Monpezat.[10]
The King and Queen of Sweden, The King is the groom's first cousin, once removed, through Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden The Crown Princess of Sweden, the groom's second cousin The Duke of Värmland, the groom's second cousin The Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, the groom's second cousin Count Carl Johan and Countess Gunnila Bernadotte of Wisborg, The Count is the groom's maternal great-uncle through Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
The King and Queen of Norway, The King is the groom's second cousin, once removed, through Christian IX of Denmark The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway, the groom's third cousin and his wife Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Ari Behn, the groom's third cousin and her husband
The King and Queen of the Belgians, The King is the groom's second cousin, once removed, through Frederick VIII of Denmark The Duke and Duchess of Brabant, the groom's third cousin and his wife Princess Astrid of Belgium and the Archduke of Austria-Este, the groom's third cousin and her husband Prince Laurent and Princess Claire of Belgium, the groom's third cousin and his wife
The Queen of Spain the groom's third cousin once removed through Christian IX of Denmark (representing the King of Spain) The Duchess and Duke of Lugo, the groom's fourth cousin and her husband The Duchess and Duke of Palma de Mallorca, the groom's fourth cousin and her husband The Prince of Asturias and Letizia Ortiz, the groom's fourth cousin and his fiancée
The Crown Prince of Japan (representing the Emperor of Japan)
The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, The Grand Duke is the groom's third cousin through Frederick VIII of Denmark The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the groom's third cousin, once removed Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, the groom's third cousin
The Hereditary Prince of Monaco (representing the Prince of Monaco) Princess Caroline of Monaco and the Prince of Hanover The Prince is the groom's third cousin, once removed, through Christian IX of Denmark
Prince Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein (representing the Prince of Liechtenstein)
Tarja Halonen, President of Finland, and Dr. Pentti Arajärvi
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland, and Dorrit Moussaieff
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark, and Anne-Mette Rasmussen
Hans Enoksen, Prime Minister of Greenland, and Aaliiaraq Enoksen
Jóannes Eidesgaard, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands, and Anita Joensen
Bernadette Chirac
Michael Jeffery, Governor-General of Australia Anker Jørgensen, former Prime Minister of Denmark Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark, and Lone Dybkjær Jonathan Motzfeldt, former Prime Minister of Greenland, and Kristjana Gudmundsdottir Edmund Joensen, former Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands, and Edfríö Johnsen Jens Kramer Mikkelsen, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, and Connie Mikkelsen Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille Count Gregers Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, the groom's godson Countess Helle Knuth (author and wife of the founder of Knuthenborg Safaripark) Count Christoffer Knuth (owner of Knuthenborg)A carriage procession followed the wedding ceremony, during which the couple was transported from Copenhagen Cathedral through the streets of Copenhagen to Amalienborg Palace on a route that was two kilometers long. The couple was transported in the Danish royal family's Barouche from 1906. The newlyweds subsequently appeared with their immediate family on the balcony of Amalienborg Palace in front of more than 20.000 people at Amalienborg's courtyard.[13]
The wedding banquet was held on the evening of the wedding day at Fredensborg Palace. The newlyweds arrived in Fredensborg from Amalienborg Palace by carriage, The Prince's Landau, from 1889. Approximately 400 guests were invited for the banquet which took place in a tent in the Palace gardens. Prince Henrik, Queen Margrethe II, John Donaldson and the groom all made speeches during the dinner. After the dinner, Frederik and Mary danced the traditional wedding waltz to "The Wedding Waltz" from Niels W. Gade's A Folk Tale in Fredensborg Palace's Dome Hall. According to tradition, the waltz must take place before midnight which the couple succeeded in despite being slightly behind schedule.