Australia celebrates Australian-born Mary Donaldson’s ascension to queen of Denmark

SYDNEY (AP) — Australian-born Mary Donaldson’s unlikely journey from Tasmania to queen of Denmark is being celebrated across her homeland.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark became the world’s first Australian-born queen when her husband, Crown Prince Frederik, was proclaimed king of the European nation on Sunday.

He became king two weeks after his 83-year-old mother, Queen Margrethe II, announced she would be the first Danish royal to abdicate in about 900 years.

The conclusion of the modern-day fairytale which has captivated Danes and Australians alike for over two decades was celebrated in several Australian towns and cities, including Queen Mary’s hometown of Hobart, the capital of the southern island state of Tasmania.

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Several landmarks in Hobart were lit up in Denmark’s red and white colors, as many residents celebrated with a picnic or a high tea at Taroona Beach, near Queen Mary’s childhood home.

In Melbourne, scores of people gathered at Denmark House, one of Melbourne’s oldest social clubs, to celebrate the coronation with a special cultural event.

“It’s not something that happens every day that you have an Australian becoming queen. I don’t know if it will ever happen again,” Danish Club Vice President Lykka Borup said to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

At the Slip Inn, the Sydney pub where the royal couple first met during the 2000 Olympics, celebrations were also well underway. The establishment announced it is hosting a “Danish Fiesta” during January, with a special “There’s Something About Mary” cocktail.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described Queen Mary’s ascension as a “great day.”

“She has carried herself in a way that I think just brings enormous support and pride to all Australians,” he told the ABC’s Radio National program on Monday.

“We’re very proud that Hobart-born Mary Donaldson has become the queen of Denmark,” he said.

Albanese said his government has made a donation to a charity that works to protect the endangered Tasmanian devil.

“Mary grew up in Tasmania, and so it is fitting Australia marks this occasion with a gift to support the conservation of the Tasmanian devil,” he said in a statement.

Jeremy Rockliff, premier of Mary’s home state, said Tasmanians “could not be prouder” of Queen Mary, and there was “always an open invitation” for the royal couple to visit.

The Tasmanian government also said it would send a gift of a table of Huon pine, a Tasmanian timber, handmade by a local furniture maker and make a donation to a charity which supports children’s wellbeing — a cause that the 51-year-old Queen Mary, a mother of four children, actively supported during her two decades as Crown Princess of Denmark.