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Wedding of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and Mary Donaldson

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Wedding of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and Mary Donaldson
Frederik and Mary on their wedding day
Date14 May 2004
VenueCopenhagen Cathedral
LocationCopenhagen, Denmark
ParticipantsFrederik, Crown Prince of Denmark
Mary Donaldson

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.

Courtship and engagement

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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]

Wedding ceremony

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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.

Music

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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".[8] 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.[8]

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.

Titles upon marriage

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Upon her marriage, Mary assumed the title of her husband and became 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]

Guest list

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  • Countess Françoise Laborde de Monpezat and Claude Bardin,[11] the groom's paternal aunt and uncle
    • Xavier Bardin,[11] the groom's paternal cousin
    • Antoine Bardin,[11] the groom's paternal cousin
    • Guillaume Bardin,[11] the groom's paternal cousin
  • Count Étienne and Countess Isabelle Laborde de Monpezat,[11] the groom's paternal uncle and aunt
    • Count Raphaël Laborde de Monpezat,[11] the groom's paternal cousin
    • Count Bertrand Laborde de Monpezat,[11] the groom's paternal cousin
    • Count Arthur Laborde de Monpezat,[11] the groom's paternal cousin
  • Count Jean-Baptiste and Countess Jill Laborde de Monpezat,[11] the groom's paternal uncle and aunt
    • Countess Clémence Laborde de Monpezat,[11] the groom's paternal cousin
    • Count Grégoire Laborde de Monpezat,[11] the groom's paternal cousin
  • Countess Maurille Laborde de Monpezat and Jacques Beauvillain,[11] the groom's paternal aunt and uncle
    • Pierre Beauvillain,[11] the groom's paternal cousin
    • Thomas and Mie Beauvillain,[11] the groom's paternal cousin and his Danish wife
    • Anne-Marie and Vincent Diego,[11] the groom's paternal cousin and her husband
    • Vincent Beauvillain,[11] the groom's paternal cousin
    • Cécile and Jérôme Beuste,[11] the groom's paternal cousin and her husband
    • Bénoit Beauvillain,[11] the groom's paternal cousin
    • Louis Beauvillain,[11] the groom's paternal cousin

Donaldson family

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  • John and Susan Donaldson,[11] the bride's father and stepmother
    • Jane and Craig Stephens,[11] the bride's sister and brother-in-law
      • Alexander Stephens,[11] the bride's nephew
      • Erin Stephens,[11] the bride's niece
      • Kate Stephens, the bride's niece
    • Patricia and Scott Bailey,[11] the bride's sister and brother-in-law
      • Michael Woods,[11] the bride's nephew
      • Maddison Woods,[11] the bride's niece
    • John and Leanne Donaldson,[11] the bride's brother and sister-in-law
  • Ben Moody,[11] the bride's stepbrother
  • Peter and Alison Donaldson,[11] the bride's paternal uncle and aunt
    • Margaret Howard,[11] the bride's paternal cousin
    • Jacqueline and Brendon Johncock,[11] the bride's paternal cousin and her husband
    • Alison Donaldson,[11] the bride's paternal cousin
  • Roy and John Pugh,[11] the bride's paternal aunt and uncle
  • Margaret Cunningham,[11] the bride's paternal grandaunt
  • Catherine Murray,[11] the bride's maternal aunt
    • Jack and Barbara Maton,[11] the bride's maternal cousin

Foreign royalty

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Members of reigning royal families

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Members of non-reigning royal families

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Politicians and diplomats

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Nobility

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Other notable guests

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Wedding attendants

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Bridesmaids and best man

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Flower girls and page boys

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Carriage procession

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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]

Wedding banquet

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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.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Magnay, Jacquelin (5 November 2002). "Sydney lass plays lady in waiting". The Age. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  2. ^ "Latest news and profile of Crown Princess Mary of Denmark". Hello. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  3. ^ "Crown jewels: The fabulous rings which sealed the love of Europe's royal couples". Hello. 12 September 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  4. ^ Dennis, Anthony (15 May 2004). "So, this princess walks into a bar..." Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  5. ^ "The Crown Prince Couple". Danish Royal Family. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  6. ^ "HRH Crown Princess Mary". Danish Royal Family. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  7. ^ "Tradition and modernity in Mary's bridal ensemble". Hello. 30 July 2004. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  8. ^ a b c "Musikken i Domkirken". Danish Royal Family. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  9. ^ "New arms for Crown Prince Mary of Denmark". Australian Heraldry Society. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  10. ^ "Monpezat til Frederik og Joachim". Berlingske Tidende (in Danish). 30 April 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq dr ds dt du dv dw dx dy dz ea eb ec ed ee ef eg eh ei "Gæsteliste til Vor Frue Kirke". kongehuset.dk. Archived from the original on 2013-04-24.
  12. ^ a b "Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary pose with family and guests". gettyimages. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  13. ^ a b "The traditional wedding waltz just before midnight". DR. 15 May 2004. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
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