A number of articles have already been written on the occasion of Mary turning 40.
They are basically summing up her accomplishments since she became known to the general public.
And let me say that Mary can be pretty pleased with the reviews so far!
Here is one such article from the conservative newspaper Berlingske Tidende:
Professionel prinsesse med modertække - Nationalt | www.b.dk
Here Lars Hovbakke Sørensen, an expert on the DRF and a name we have seen often here in this forum, and Klaus Kjøller, lecturer in communication assess Mary.
Lars Hovbakke says: "The biggest surprise about Mary has been that she from the beginning has performed so professionally as Crown Princess, without any royal experience. (*) Just like Margrethe she has taken her royal role very seriously".
Klaus Kjøller adds: "And that fact, that Mary has an ordinary, commoner background, should have made the role as Crown Princess difficult for her. - She has build up a strong brand, due to not making any mistakes. Nothing has popped up from her past at all, which has ruined the image of her. And that can otherwise be a big problem, when a commoner is elavated to royalty, that they can have a past, which pops up, as we have for example seen with the Norwegian Crown Princess". (**)
She also performs well at events.
Lars Hovbakke: "She always show up well prepared to the events, she is taking part in. Her field of tasks is also wide, as she is interested in health, illness, the conditions of children and fashion, which are all particular subjects she has cultivated".
Klaus Kjøller: "She has a particular form of presence at public events and she seems to be in her right element, when she recieves bouquets and listens to people. She is, apart from that, good at improvising and (she) can for example leave the tightly coreographed route/shedule in order to greet a perticular dedicated child".
- That is in line with other articles I've glansed in the last couple of days, and indeed in general. Mary is considered very professional indeed and dedicated.
(*) Mrs. Muhler, who firmly believes in reincarnation and soulfamilies says it's no coincidence. Mary was born to become a royal. She has probably been a royal before in past lives.
And she and frederik were destined to meet.
Personally I don't believe in reincarnation, I believe that if you have the basic talent you will grow with your role and fill it out. Many fail, but Mary and our Marie as well are among those who grow in their roles.
A Mary in an alternative universe, where she never met Frederik, would probably not even imagine herself being able to fulfill the role as Crown Princess.
It only shows that there are hidden resources within most of us, just waiting to come out.
(**) For whatever reason Mette-Marit is often singled out when assessing the DRF in such articles. - We can be snobs here in DK as well, I guess....