Queen Mary’s Australian relatives travel to Denmark for confirmation of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine one week after death of John Donaldson | Queen Mary reprimanded for patting dog by Queen Margrethe II

Queen Mary’s three siblings joined the Danish royal family for the confirmation of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine on Saturday.

Jane Stephens, Patricia Bailey and John Stuart Donaldson travelled from Australia to Denmark to be by Mary’s side for the occasion, held one week since the death of their father John Dalgleish Donaldson.

Among the guests at the service at Fredensborg Palace, north of Copenhagen, was King Felipe VI of Spain.

Also present was King Frederik’s brother Prince Joachim and his wife Princess Marie, who live in the US, and the King’s two nephews Count Nikolai and Count Felix who were seen warmly greeting the family on the steps of the palace.

King Frederik and Queen Mary walked alongside their four children as they left Chancellery House, their private residence on the palace grounds, heading towards the chapel before the ceremony.

Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, who are 15, lead the way, closely followed by Crown Prince Christian, 20, Princess Isabella, 19, and their parents.

Queen Mary wore sapphire jewels and a dark navy suit, opting for a subdued outfit as her family observes a period of mourning.

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Queen Margrethe II made a brief appearance on the steps with the rest of the royals and was later seen inside the palace chapel during the ceremony.

Seated in the front row was King Felipe and Mary’s brother John, who are both godfathers to Prince Vincent. John is also one of Josephine’s godfathers, as is Mary’s sister Patricia.

It was the first time in many years that so many members of Queen Mary’s Australian family had travelled to Denmark for such an occasion, with her nieces and nephews also making the journey with Jane, Patricia and John.

Following the service, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine spoke briefly to the media where the princess revealed she would be leaving her current school, Spir Efterskole, located in the East Jutland port town of Snaptun – about a three-hour drive west of Copenhagen.

She is moving back to Copenhagen to attend Ingrid Jespersen’s Gymnasieskole, where she will begin ninth grade later this year.

“It’s been a really cool experience,” Princess Josephine said.

“I’ve learned a lot of new things and met new people. And I think I’ve developed a lot.”

Prince Vincent added: “I’m really looking forward to having her back in the house so it doesn’t feel so empty.”

Following the ceremony, the family hosted lunch in the Orangery allowing the invited guests to celebrate away from the cameras.

Queen Mary reprimanded

It’s been an emotional week for Queen Mary and her family.

On Thursday, the Danish royals made a brief appearance on the steps of Fredensborg Palace in celebration of Queen Margrethe’s 86th birthday.

The queen, who abdicated the throne for her son Frederik in January 2024, was joined by the King and Queen Mary as they watched a short performance by the Royal Life Guards band.

But the appearance was overshadowed by a bizarre moment caught on camera between Queen Mary and her mother-in-law.

Margrethe was seen reprimanding Mary for bending down to pat her dog, telling her: “now is not the time for that”.

Mary had bent down to pat the dachshund, Tilia, when the queen scolded her for doing so.

Mary quickly stood up and the look on her face showed her discomfort.

As the family waved goodbye to the media and walked back inside, King Frederik was seen rubbing his wife’s back, in a show of support.

The appearance was Mary’s first since the Royal House announced the death of her beloved father last week.

Mary chose a dark navy suit for the occasion, while the other royals wore brightly-coloured outfits.

Mary in mourning for her devoted father

The funeral of Professor John Dalgleish Donaldson is expected to be held in the coming days.

There had been speculation the farewell would take place in Australia, where Professor Donaldson died on April 11, in Hobart, aged 84.

It was thought Queen Mary would return to Tasmania for the funeral but now her three siblings, and their children, are in Europe the service might take place in Scotland, where Donaldson was born in 1941.

Mary’s late mother Henrietta, who was Donaldson’s first wife, is laid to rest in Scotland. When Mary married King Frederik in 2004, her wedding bouquet was taken to her mother’s grave.

Donaldson later remarried British author Susan Moody, and they both were regular fixtures at Danish royal family events following Mary’s marriage.

Fifteen years ago, Donaldson and his wife were at the baptism of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine inside Holmen’s Church in Copenhagen.

On Friday, Queen Mary thanked the public for their messages of condolence following her father’s death.

“My heartfelt thanks for the overwhelming number of messages, flowers and warm thoughts regarding my father’s death,” Queen Mary said.

“The enormous amount of empathy has touched us deeply, and means more than words can say.”

Last week, the Danish Royal House announced the death of Professor Donaldson.

The palace statement was accompanied by a personal message from Queen Mary.

“My heart is heavy and my thoughts are grey,” the queen said.

“My beloved father is dead. But I know that when the grief subsides, the memories will brighten, and what will remain most strongly is the love and gratitude for everything he gave me and taught me.”

A black and white photograph of Donaldson was also shared. It was taken by Mary on March 23, when she was in Hobart following the state visit to Australia.

Queen Mary and her father “had several good and present moments together” when they last saw each other in March, the palace said.

The state visit to Australia ended in Hobart on March 19 and the queen remained in Tasmania for a few days with her family before returning to Denmark.

Supporting Mary’s journey from commoner to queen

Professor Donaldson and his daughter had an extremely close bond that was strengthened by his time living in Copenhagen when he moved there to support Mary’s extraordinary journey from commoner to crown princess.

Queen Mary’s mother had passed away in November 1997, of complications from heart surgery.

Donaldson, a professor of applied mathematics, taught at Aarhus University and the University of Copenhagen before returning to Australia with his wife, Susan, years later.

On May 14, 2004, Donaldson walked his daughter down the aisle of Copenhagen Cathedral when she married then-Crown Prince Frederik.

He was dressed in a kilt in a nod to his Scottish heritage.

Afterwards, at the reception inside Fredensborg Palace that night, Frederik addressed his new father-in-law.

“Dear John, what a privilege, what a thrill, what an extraordinary feeling of happiness you have created in me,” Frederik said.

“One might say Mary also belongs to you – but as of today, she belongs to me and I belong to her.

“I love her and I will protect her with all my heart. I will do my best to make her feel confident and at home in her new country.”

Donaldson then gave his own speech where he joked about the historic battle between the Vikings and the head of Clan MacDonald (who the Donaldson’s are connected with) who drove the Vikings out of Scotland 800 years ago.

“The grandfather of the first Donald, the founder of the Clan MacDonald, would have wondered why he went so much trouble when, some eight centuries later, we take account of today’s union between the Viking Frederik and Mary of the MacDonald Clan,” Donaldson said.

Donaldson said he and his wife had “watched the relationship [between Frederik and Mary] grow to full bloom, culminating in this magnificent occasion”.

“I am the proud father of a very loving daughter,” he said.

“Although fathers these days have little say in such matters, it is with great pleasure and confidence that I entrust her to the care of Frederik, an intelligent, sporting, debonair, delightful young man –what more could a father-in-law ask?”

Donaldson spoke about Mary’s childhood and her special relationship with her mother, who died three years before she met Frederik during the Sydney Olympics.

“Growing up under the combined influences of her mother, Henrietta, and her grandmother Mary, she has grasped every opportunity to broaden her horizons and has developed into a wonderful woman with many fine attributes.

“Memories abound of the bonding between Mary and her mother, the daily tours on the backseat of a bicycle around Clear Lake City when we lived in Texas, the many early, very early, car journeys down to her first loves of her life, her horses in Tasmania and the myriad communications when she moved after her graduation from the University of Tasmania to Melbourne.

“Henrietta would have been so happy for Mary on this her special day.”

In a 2004 book published shortly before the wedding, Mary told Danish author Anne Wolden-Ræthinge that her father had given her advice which she followed all of her life.

“You have to do what makes you happy,” Donaldson once told his daughter.

“That’s the most important thing.”

Mary went on to say that she inherited her father’s athletic abilities and his logical thinking when it came to problem solving.

Speaking about her father’s special role at the royal wedding, in a documentary to mark her 50th birthday in 2022, Mary said: ”When I see my dad I think, ‘wow’.

“He looks as though he is enjoying everything to the fullest,” she said.

“He’s smiling and he looks so proud.”

Mary rarely speaks about her Australian family who have tried – and succeeded – in staying out of the spotlight.

But putting them through “a wedding of that magnitude”, Mary said, was something she felt “guilty” about.

“My family are people who are firmly down to earth. I felt a little guilty about exposing them to something which for them was so unreal.

“I had gotten used to some of it. But they were happy on our behalf.”

The journalist who interviewed Mary for the documentary said she appeared “calm” throughout her wedding day and asked whether she had inherited that trait from her father.

“I would probably say that. I also think mother was very calm,” she said.

Donaldson was unable to travel to Denmark when Frederik was proclaimed King on January 14, 2024, due to his advancing years and declining health.

But Mary’s sister Jane was there representing her Australian family.

Queen Mary’s return to Tasmania in March would have, no doubt, been a bittersweet time for her most likely knowing that it would be the final time she would see her father alive.

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