Queen Mary of Denmark returns to work days after cancelling events due to sickness, attends the School Force forum with the Mary Foundation

Queen Mary has returned to work after being forced to cancel two engagements last week due to sickness.

The 53-year-old joined children for an event with the Mary Foundation, a charity she created with money gifted from her wedding to King Frederik 20 years ago.

The Danish royal visited Pilehaveskolen, a state school in Vallensbæk in Copenhagen’s west on Monday.

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Queen Mary heard from students and teachers about the school’s work with the School Force, a holistic effort that aims to promote well-being and combat bullying within the community.

Since 2020, the School Force has been implemented in a number of schools throughout Denmark.

On Wednesday last week Queen Mary was scheduled to present the main prize at the Danish Heart Association’s 2025 awards ceremony in Copenhagen but a last-minute announcement from the palace saw a change of plans.

Mary had come down with a cold and had to pull out of the event, much to the disappointment of guests, many of them children.

The palace issued a brief statement soon before the awards were due to take place, confirming the Queen would not be present.

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“Her Majesty the Queen has, like many others right now, fallen ill, and therefore unfortunately cannot attend the Danish Heart Association’s award ceremony,” it said.

Mary later shared a personal message on the Danish Royal Family’s social media account, thanking the children and apologising for not being able to attend.

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness,” Queen Mary wrote.

“What a lovely surprise to receive this bouquet and drawings, even though illness prevented me from attending the Heart Association’s event ‘Together for the Heart’.

“I had looked forward to presenting the Heart Award together with the children Alma and Ellen and to meeting some of the young people living with heart disease.

“Hopefully we can meet again.”

On Friday, Mary had to again cancel a public event, this time an engagement with the Mary Foundation at the University of Copenhagen.

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Thankfully, Mary was back on duty on Monday looking well and fully recovered from her cold.

She spent time at the school hearing from students about how their input can greatly improve their day-to-day experiences.

In a message shared following the visit Queen Mary said: “The school’s experiences and the student council’s proposals once again emphasise to me how central it is to involve children and young people in issues about their everyday lives.

“They are the ones who experience it first-hand if the well-being in the classroom is poor and if bullying occurs. That is why they must be heard.”

The Mary Foundation, which was created in 2007, has three core focus areas: bullying and wellbeing, loneliness and domestic violence.

In November, Queen Mary announced the launch of a podcast focused on helping the most vulnerable in society, to be released through the Mary Foundation.

Over three episodes, the Lonely Youth series will give a voice to those experiencing social isolation.

In a personal message to announce the podcast Queen Mary said the episodes would give an “insight into the nuances of loneliness by mixing professionalism and personal stories from young people”.

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The release date of the three-part podcast has not been revealed as yet and it’s unclear whether Queen Mary herself will speak across the episodes. They will be shared via the Mary Foundation website and other podcast platforms.

King Frederik and Queen Mary are due to travel to France for the fifth state visit since the change of throne later this month.

They will be there from March 31 until through April 2.

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