Mary longs for Tasmania
By The Copenhagen Post
Denmark´s Crown Princess Mary tells Australian media that she wants to buy a house on Tasmania´s coast and that her children will have a special bond to Australia.
Crown Princess Mary may have become a Danish citizen after she married Crown Prince Frederik, but her old homeland is still close to her heart. She told Australian media that she wanted to buy a house in Tasmania and hoped that her future children felt a strong bond to Australia.
"It would be wonderful to own a little piece of Tasmania," Mary told News Ltd. in an interview paving the way for the couple´s official visit to Australia later this month. "Perhaps something up the coast. I think it's something we dream of doing."
Media savvy Frederik said it was good to have a dream and that they would consider the option in years to come.
Mary admitted to missing Australia, particularly her family and friends.
"I miss the beauty of Australia and its funny personalities," she said. "If there was a nine-hour flight that would make it so much easier because, as it is, if you decide to go to Australia, you have to consider a minimum time being two weeks."
The couple said that when they started a family they would take their children frequently to Australia to experience their mother´s homeland.
"Well, the majority of my life has been as an Australian, so I think obviously those influences will be taught to our children," Mary said. "I think actually the Danes and Australians have very similar values, so I don't think we have many conflicts there in bringing up our children, or that they will have inconsistent value sets. I think naturally they will be partly Australian -- maybe I can't say that!"
The couple dodged any question about their plans to start a family.
"I think it'll happen when it's meant to happen," Mary said.
But the couple said they were looking forward to family life. Mary said children had provided some of her most touching moments as a princess, and recalled that two little girls had visited her in her office at Microsoft´s Danish subsidiary Navision, where she worked before her marriage.
"And the next day their father came into my office and he said I'm really sorry. He didn't know that his daughters had come to see me, he explained. But his youngest daughter was quite disappointed because there was no big dress, no tiara, you know. This image of me sitting beside my desk in this huge dress and tiara, that's what she'd expected to see. It's such a sweet image," Mary said.