{"id":601896,"date":"2026-04-12T10:53:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T10:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/601896\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T10:53:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T10:53:17","slug":"queen-marys-father-john-donaldson-has-died-in-tasmania-just-three-weeks-after-she-made-the-trip-from-denmark-to-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/601896\/","title":{"rendered":"Queen Mary’s father John Donaldson has died in Tasmania just three weeks after she made the trip from Denmark to Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA<\/a> and SHANIA OBRIEN, LIFESTYLE REPORTER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 02:35 EDT, 12 April 2026 | Updated: 04:06 EDT, 12 April 2026 <\/p>\n

The father of Danish Queen Mary<\/a>,\u00a0Professor John Dalgleish Donaldson, has died at 84 years old.<\/p>\n

The Danish royal house announced the passing of Prof\u00a0Donaldson on Sunday, just weeks after King Frederik X and Queen Mary visited Australia.<\/p>\n

‘My heart is heavy, and my thoughts are grey. My beloved father has passed away,’ Mary said in a statement.<\/p>\n

‘But I know that when the grief settles, the memories will brighten my day, and what will remain strongest is love and gratitude for everything he gave me and taught me.’<\/p>\n

Denmark’s royal house said Prof Donaldson’s ‘health has been declining over the past few years’ and Mary visited him in late March.<\/p>\n

The family will hold a private memorial service at a later date.<\/p>\n

Prof Donaldson was a Professor of Applied Mathematics, born in Scotland on September 5, 1941.<\/p>\n

He moved to Tasmania with his first wife,\u00a0Henrietta Clark Horne, in\u00a0November 1963.<\/p>\n

\"Professor <\/p>\n

Professor John Dalgleish Donaldson (pictured on March 23, 2026), father of Queen Mary, died in Hobart at age 84<\/p>\n

\"King <\/p>\n

King Frederik X and Queen Mary (above) visited her father in late March\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Prof\u00a0Donaldson (pictured with Queen Mary) had been suffering a decline in health ‘over the past few years’<\/p>\n

The couple welcomed their daughter, Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, on February 5, 1972, in Hobart.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The now-Queen of Denmark arrived in Australia alongside King Frederik X for a six-day state visit running from March 14 to March 19 – the couple’s first official trip to the country since ascending the throne in January 2024.<\/p>\n

At the end of that trip, Mary set aside time to visit her father.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The retired mathematics professor had previously missed several significant family milestones due to his frailty – including Princess Isabella’s confirmation and Mary’s own coronation in Denmark.<\/p>\n

Royal officials previously confirmed Mr Donaldson was unable to travel long distances because of his health.<\/p>\n

Mary herself acknowledged the emotional reality at the time, saying: ‘He is getting to be an elderly gentleman and he is not well enough to take the long trip back to Denmark for a confirmation, but he is with us in our hearts.’<\/p>\n

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