Queen Mary of Denmark has cancelled scheduled engagements after coming down with a mystery illness.
The Aussie-born royal was due to attend the Danish Heart Association event Together for the Heart in Copenhagen on Wednesday.
She was likewise expected at an event held by the Mary Foundation at the University of Copenhagen on Friday.
A statement from the Danish Royal House’s Communications Department issued on Monday read, ‘Her Majesty the Queen, like many others right now, has become ill, and therefore unfortunately cannot participate in the Heart Association’s award ceremony.’
An additional message was shared to the Royal Family’s official Instagram account this week.
‘Thank you for your thoughtfulness,’ Queen Mary wrote in her caption, which was posted alongside a get well soon card and flowers sent by twins Alma and Ellen, who Mary had met at the recent Heart Association awards.
Queen Mary of Denmark (pictured) has cancelled scheduled engagements after coming down with a mystery illness. The Aussie-born royal was due to attend the Danish Heart Association event Together for the Heart in Copenhagen on Wednesday, and at an event held by the Mary Foundation at the University of Copenhagen on Friday
‘What a lovely surprise to receive this bouquet and drawings, even though illness prevented me from participating in the Danish Heart Association’s event “Together for the Heart”‘ she continued.
‘I had been looking forward to presenting the Heart Award together with the heart children Alma and Ellen and to meeting some of the young people living with heart disease. Hopefully we can meet another time.’
The captioned continued: ‘As patron of the Danish Heart Association, I would like to congratulate the healthcare staff at Denmark’s three largest pediatric cardiac outpatient clinics on receiving the 2025 Heart Award – thank you and to all those who make a difference in the field of heart disease every day’.
Earlier this month, Queen Mary looked well while on trip to Finland with King Frederik.
She took a selfie with her husband in the snow wearing a blue beanie, black neck gaiter and blue jacket to stay warm; passers-by would have had no idea they were so close to royalty.
King Frederik was all smiles for the photo while a reindeer stood in the background pulling a sleigh.
The royal couple were accompanied on the trip by President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb and his partner Suzanne Innes-Stub.
The mother-of-four also shared two videos on Instagram last week – one from the sled and another from a Finnish restaurant sprawling with fairy lights on the ceiling and centre fireplace.
A statement from the Danish Royal House’s Communications Department issued on Monday read, ‘Her Majesty the Queen, like many others right now, has become ill, and therefore unfortunately cannot participate in the Heart Association’s award ceremony’
The caption, written in Danish and translated into English, read: ‘Together with the Presidential couple, we have experienced the Finnish nature as it should be with cross-country skis under our feet.
‘We are looking forward to starting the official visit tomorrow and getting close to some of all that Finland has to offer in the coming days.’
Another image shows the royal couple, president and his partner posing for a photo with skis.
The visit is said to ‘further strengthen the excellent relations between Finland and Denmark’.
Last month the royal couple attended The Church of Holmen – the oldest example of Renaissance architecture in the Danish capital – for the poignant service on February 24.
Earlier in February, Queen Mary slipped into Australia for a short visit with little fanfare.
The Tasmanian-born royal was spotted shopping at Salamanca Market in Hobart.
She appeared relaxed as she blended in with the locals during the casual outing.
An additional message was shared to the Royal Family’s official Instagram account this week. ‘Thank you for your thoughtfulness,’ Queen Mary wrote in her caption, which was posted alongside a get well soon card and flowers sent by twins Alma and Ellen, who Mary had met at the recent Heart Association awards
‘What a lovely surprise to receive this bouquet and drawings, even though illness prevented me from participating in the Danish Heart Association’s event “Together for the Heart”‘ Mary wrote
Mary was not accompanied by her husband, King Frederik, nor their children, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
It is understood that Mary, her husband and their children are taking a private family holiday together.
Mary was last in Australia in November with her children, enjoying a low-key trip to her homeland.
The Australian-born Danish monarch flew home to Hobart to attend her niece’s wedding before travelling to Sydney, where she soaked up the sun at some of the city’s most picturesque beaches .
After spending almost a week in her home country, Mary was seen jetting out of Australia with her twins Josephine and Vincent.
While the trip was a personal one, with the Queen keeping a low profile without her husband present, the monarch had an official royal engagement in Australia the year prior.
She visited Sydney for a day in late April 2023 to ‘participate in an event with Danish business representatives involved in the green transition in Australia, as well as visit a number of Danish-clad projects related to sustainable construction and transport’.
Queen Mary, formerly Mary Donaldson, spent her early years in Taroona, Tasmania.
Earlier this month, Queen Mary looked well while on trip to Finland with King Frederik (right)
The royal couple were accompanied on the trip by President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb (centre right) and his partner Suzanne Innes-Stub (far left)
While living in Australia, Mary, who was working was on the management team at Belle Property, was just 28-years-old when she first laid eyes on her Prince, a Captain in the Danish Reserve, or Air Force.
The pair met at The Slip Inn during the 2000 Summer Olympics, with it previously reported Mary supposedly had no idea the handsome European tourist she had been chatting to for hours was actually the future king of Denmark.
However, in 2021, Amber Petty, a bridesmaid at the couple’s wedding in 2004, revealed the pair actually met at an ‘exclusive private dinner party’ at the bar and the whole thing was ‘organised’.
Speaking to Channel Seven breakfast show Sunrise, Petty said the event was attended by a group of royals who were visiting Australia for the 2000 Olympics.
‘I’m sorry to break everybody’s hearts, but it’s not always about randomly bumping into princes in pubs,’ she said on the program.
‘It wasn’t just a random meeting… it was an organised small dinner during the Olympics and Mary happened to be invited and most of the guests happened to be royals.’
After the pub encounter, then 32-year-old Fred – who was in Australia to support Denmark’s sailing team at the games – asked Mary for her phone number and a romance blossomed.
‘The first time we met we shook hands. I didn’t know he was the Prince of Denmark. Half an hour later someone came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who these people are’?’ Mary revealed in an interview about meeting the heir to the Danish throne.
Earlier in February, Queen Mary slipped into Australia for a short visit with little fanfare. The Tasmanian-born royal was spotted shopping at Salamanca Market in Hobart
They maintained a long-distance relationship for a year, with Frederik making secret trips Down Under before Mary moved to Denmark to study Danish language at Copenhagen’s Studieskolen in 2001.
In early 2003, Frederik’s mother Queen Margrethe publicly acknowledged the relationship and the couple announced their engagement at Amalienborg Castle later that year on October 8.
Frederik and Mary married on May 14, 2004 at Copenhagen Cathedral, with the newly minted Crown Princess opting for a beautiful gown by Danish designer Uffer Frank and a veil first used by Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden in 1905.
In a nod to her heritage, Mary carried a bouquet of Australian snow gum eucalyptus interspersed with blooms from the Palace garden.
At the altar, Frederik announced: ‘From today, Mary is mine and I am hers. I love her, and I will protect her with all my love.’
Their first child, Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John, was born October 15, 2005; Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe followed on April 21, 2007.
Almost four years later Mary and Frederik welcomed twins, Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda and Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen on January 8, 2011.
Standing on the hospital steps, a beaming Frederik declared: ‘It’s a miracle.’
The family has returned to Mary’s native Australia on many occasions, visiting famous landmarks in Sydney, Canberra and the Northern Territory and even spending Christmas Down Under.
