Queen Mary speaks about parenthood at Realdania’s Our Quality of Life conference in Copenhagen

Queen Mary has spoken candidly about her role as a parent during a conference in Copenhagen.

The Our Quality of Life conference, held by philanthropic association Realdania, released a study on March 20 that asked 122,000 people in Denmark about the factors that affect their happiness.

In her speech at the event, Queen Mary spoke honestly about the odd relationship between parenting and joy.

READ MORE: ’You can always blame me’: King’s hilarious exchange with student

”Overall, how satisfied are you with your life right now?” she asked audiences members at the beginning of her speech.

“This is one of the questions behind the comprehensive study of quality of life that Realdania is publishing today (and which you are reading).”

For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

She went on to ask the audience how many of them have children adding that those who do would know “the joys – and sorrows – of parenthood”.

The defining photos of the Danish royal family in 2025

”Studies show – to my great surprise – that new parents’ happiness in life drops quite significantly and only levels out when the children move away from home. Yet we would never trade our children for anything… almost never,” she said.

“Having children is a good example of how meaning in life does not always coincide with the greatest possible joy in life.”

READ MORE: Meghan ‘underestimated in terms of her influence’

Australian born Queen Mary shares four children with her husband, King Frederik, Crown Prince Christian, 19, Princess Isabella, 17, and twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent, 14.

Princess Isabella is set to celebrate her 18th birthday, also known in Denmark as her coming-of-age birthday, on April 18 with celebrations in two of the country’s biggest cities.

The young royal will attend a celebration in Aarhus on April 11 before travelling to Copenhagen for an event on April 15 where she will be joined by her parents and siblings as well as extended family members Prince Joachim and Princess Marie and their children, Count Nikolai, Count Felix, Count Henrik and Countess Athena.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.