Frederik and Mary's Introduction and Courtship


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Rebecky

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Hi

I have been looking for a while for information and pictures on Princess Mary before she became engaged. When the Danish Press first became aware of her. I have not been able to find much which has made me even more curious. Then again i am most probably not looking in the right places!

Is anyone able to help me?
 
It was actually a reporter who first became aware of it, by a slip in the royal calendar. She wondered why Joachim was being regent when the Queen was out of the country, and nobody would give her a reasonable explanation as to where Frederik was. (Turned out he'd left for Australia and a visit with Mary.)

That was the first time the Danish press found out about Mary.
 
First Sydney Press mention

I knew I was keeping these clippings for a reason! The very first mention in the Sydney press of something going on was 22 April 2001 when one of the newspaper gossip columns published a scoop. Here are the opening paragraphs (Sydney Sun Herald):

"An Australian woman as the future Queen of Denmark? Not so far-fetched. The Diary can reveal an Australian has stolen the heart of Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik.

The 32-year-old heir to the Danish throne has made four trips to Australia since meeting the woman on a visit to Sydney last year to attend the Olympic Games. And now the Danish press is buzzing with talk of the woman, who is going to remarkable lengths to protect her privacy.

The 30-something woman works in the legal profession and is said to be extremely attractive."
 
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its all rather funny now looking back on these clippings , knowing the out come ! eheh
 
sm1939 said:
its all rather funny now looking back on these clippings , knowing the out come ! eheh
If he had married someone else these clippings would be in the bin! :)
 
Lucky for us you didnt get rid of them
 
What I find interesting is how the Australian press found out about Mary.

They couldn't understand why the Danish press were descending en masse on Australia to check out an attractive but very normal looking real estate agent.

It was only later that they found out who she was dating. :)
 
ysbel said:
What I find interesting is how the Australian press found out about Mary.
But note the first story that appeared here was not quite accurate... they have her working in "the legal profession". So at that stage things were very shadowy, and if the Danish Press knew who Mary was, they weren't giving everything away to their Australian counterparts.

The first mention of Mary's name that I have is an "exclusive" in The Australian newspaper dated 16 November 2001 (which they didn't share with their News Corp stablemates). The other papers followed up the story the next day, and life for Mary Donaldson changed forever.
 
Warren said:
But note the first story that appeared here was not quite accurate... they have her working in "the legal profession". So at that stage things were very shadowy, and if the Danish Press knew who Mary was, they weren't giving everything away to their Australian counterparts.

The first mention of Mary's name that I have is an "exclusive" in The Australian newspaper dated 16 November 2001 (which they didn't share with their News Corp stablemates). The other papers followed up the story the next day, and life for Mary Donaldson changed forever.

You're right, Warren!

I imagine even the Danish press was fishing a bit in the dark when they first landed in Ozland. All they knew at first was that Fred was off to Australia when he should have been in Denmark. I don't think Danish reporters had much local knowledge of how to get the real scoop in Tasmania.

So I imagine they must have run down some dead ends before getting the real scoop. But a bunch of foreign reporters asking questions about a local girl would have been enough to get the Aussie press interested even if the foreigners didn't know exactly what they were looking for.
 
MaximaRocks said:
This is the first pic I recall seeing of Mary.
This is also the pic that was first published in the Australian papers. The photographer must have received lots of royalties for this snap! :)
 
lol she looks Beautiful even when schoked :)
 
The Danish reporter who first found out who Mary was Anna Johannesen of Billed Bladet. According to HRH Crown Princess Mary, Anna Johannesen approached Mary Donaldson in front of her workplace, looking like a tourist wanting directions, so Mary asked: "Can I help you?". Anna Johannesen replied: "We know that you are the Crown Prince's girlfriend". Anna Johannesen then said: "Can we have a photo". Mary, who was startled by the sudden unveiling of her identity, politely replied: "No thank you, sorry". Then she walked away, feeling quite uncomfortable as the photo taken by the hidden photographer, and posted here by MaximaRocks, clearly shows.

/Lasse Pedersen
 
That's pretty rude! But before anyone says it.......if you are going to date someone famous you got to expect that.
 
Zonk1189 said:
That's pretty rude! But before anyone says it.......if you are going to date someone famous you got to expect that.

Yeah, that's true, but it must still be a shock to the system the first time that flashbulb blows in your face. I think it can be fasinating to have so many people interested in you, but extremely scary at the same time. Mary went through that period like a trooper, though. She handled it well. Nuff respect.
 
Here is a Mary-fansite who has some photos of her before her engagement.

http://mary3689.tripod.com/id1.html

I read somewhere that the Danish press first posted a photo of an Australian who competed in the Olympics saying she was Frederiks girlfriend.
 
Mary is amazing. She looks so polished and regal now as a crown princess! She was pretty before, but wow nothing compared to now. I really admire her transformation. It's like she was born into this role.
 
How Did Frederik Introduce Himself?

If I understand correctly, Frederik and Mary met in Sydney during the Olympics. And if I understand correctly further they met in a bar! So, how did it come to pass? Have they talked about it? I picture him with his Danish friends drinking beer and seeing Mary and then saying hello. Then, my question really begins. At some point she has to say something like "so what do you do?" Did he say I'm the crown price of Denmark or did he demur and say something like "I work for the government?"
 
The Crown Prince couple met through friends, specifically through Beatrice Tarnawski who was (and/or still is) friends with King Juan Carlo's nephew, Bruno Gomez-Acebo.

Beatrice called her friend Andrew Miles and asked him to bring some friends with him to a bar where Bruno and his friends were going to met her. The reason for her doing this: so there would be more people within their party besides her and Bruno's friends. Those friends include Joachim, Frederik, Martha Louise of Norway, and Nikoloas of Greece. Andrew brought Mary, who decided at the last minute to go with him. I believe there were a couple of more people, but I am not sure who they were exactly.

Apparently, Mary was seated next to Frederik and Joachim the night they met at the Slip Inn. He simply introduced himself as Fred. As time went on, they all ate pizza, drank beer, danced as more and more friends arrived. It wasn't until sometime later (that evening) that someone informed Mary who Bruno's friends were rather their status. Essentially, she had no idea. As the night progressed the two started talking. After a few round of drinks the party moved on over to a club called the Establishment. On the way there Mary and Fred were in a deep conversation that "...never stopped..." since the day they met.

Finally, they have talked about how they met many times before.
 
Thanks. That's a really good story!
 
I think Andrew and Mary were housemates in a Bondi sharehouse...??? So Mary had the right flatmate at the right time ;)
 
This is only a rumour, now ...

If I understand correctly, Frederik and Mary met in Sydney during the Olympics. And if I understand correctly further they met in a bar! So, how did it come to pass? Have they talked about it? I picture him with his Danish friends drinking beer and seeing Mary and then saying hello. Then, my question really begins. At some point she has to say something like "so what do you do?" Did he say I'm the crown price of Denmark or did he demur and say something like "I work for the government?"

Hello there, Harold:

Abbie here.

I have heard that Frederik introduced himself to Mary with these words: "Hi, I'm Fred from Denmark" (seriously!) after having walked up to her in a Bar (NOT just any Bar, I am sure ... I think it was at some function or other) after having spotted her from across a crowded room (as the saying goes).

I am told he was most UNpretentious, and continues to BE that way, in fact. :) KUDOS to him.

Actually, I am told that Fred is quite a hoot to be around!
 
A hoot to be around? Sounds wonderful and I bet he makes a great king!
 
Hello there, Harold:

Abbie here.

I have heard that Frederik introduced himself to Mary with these words: "Hi, I'm Fred from Denmark" (seriously!) after having walked up to her in a Bar (NOT just any Bar, I am sure ... I think it was at some function or other) after having spotted her from across a crowded room (as the saying goes).


Actually, Abbie that is incorrect. According to various interviews they were introduced through friends and he specifically said, "I'm Fred." They sat next to each other (Prince Joachim on the otherside of Mary) at the Slip Inn along with a crowd of people.

It wasn't until later in the evening and just before they left the bar to head on over to the club, Establishment, that they began to talk.

If you want to read about their relationship from the very beginning I recommend the book Mary: Crown Princess of Denmark by Karin Palshoj and Gitte Redder. Also there is a famous Mary: The Interview by Ninka which published some years ago and excerpts from the book were published in the Danish newspaper, Politiken.
 
I wonder what happened to Beatrice and how she came to know Bruno in the first place?
 
I wonder what happened to Beatrice and how she came to know Bruno in the first place?


She knew Bruno through her sister, Katya, who lived in London at one point where she met him. So when he came to Sydney he called Beatrice and Katya to see them and hang out. One night he called and asked to met up with him. Bruno brought several friends along one of whom was Frederik and the rest is history.
 
I think Andrew and Mary were housemates in a Bondi sharehouse...??? So Mary had the right flatmate at the right time ;)

Andrew Miles works for NSW MP Clover Moore and has many years experience doing PR and advocacy work. He is particularly interested in advocating on behalf of sex workers, of whom there are a lot in inner-Sydney. Prostitution is legal in Sydney, but the sex workers are often exploited. He attended a number of parliamentary committees in Australia, investigating the state of the sex industry, but wasn't called on to give evidence. I believe he knows Mary through PR circles.
 
There's something about CP Mary,(more than any other married into royal of this generation) that gives me the impression that Fred's money and position had a major impact in her pursuit of their relationship, she was terribly clever or well guided, how to work his way into his heart. Sorry, I know some of you will not like to read it, but I feel this to be true with all her "more royal than royalty" behaviour, her continuous picture perfect behaviour and all the books and articles that have been written by the media about her. It doesn't mean that she isn't in love with her husband or a devoted mother and a good role model for the Danes, it just means she is a human being with some minor imperfections. I've been a royal fan for years and have followed up all the European royals and this feeling, based on what I see and read hasn't left me! Had Fred been a (even wealthy) Dane, Mary wouldn't have gone after him.
 
quote=auntie
I've been a royal fan for years and have followed up all the European royals and this feeling, based on what I see and read hasn't left me! Had Fred been a (even wealthy) Dane, Mary wouldn't have gone after him.

I have been a royal fan for years as well and I have a different feeling, for me their relationship is very convincing, more convincing than some others are. IMO they are "on the same level" and I can definitely see the attractiveness of Frederik (besides status and wealth) whereas I don't see that of Willem-Alexander or Philippe for example.
I mean, I don't quite see why Mary is singled out here. It might well be that status and wealth were attractive for her but I don't believe for a second that those things did not have any attraction for Maxima, Mathilde, Letizia, Mette-Marit or Alexandra and Marie as well.
Besides, there is a separate thread to express such feelings: Would she have married him? (in the Royal Chit Chat Forum, I believe).
 
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