Queen Mary of Denmark has secretly returned to Australia to attend a private memorial service for her late father.
The Danish royal and her husband, King Frederik X, travelled from Denmark to Mary’s hometown of Hobart, Tasmania, earlier this week.
Mary’s beloved father, John Donaldson, died on April 11 at age 84.
The Danish Royal House confirmed their attendance, but didn’t reveal how long the royal couple will be staying in Australia for.
It’s likely the trip will be short, as Frederik has a sailing competition in St Tropez this weekend.
Professor Donaldson was born in Scotland on September 5, 1941, and migrated to Australia in 1953.
When he died, the palace said a private memorial service would take place at a later date.
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“My heart is heavy and my thoughts are grey. My beloved father has passed away,” the Queen said at the time.
“But I know that when the grief subsides, the memories will brighten, and what will remain most strongly is the love and gratitude for everything he gave me and taught me.”
The Danish Royal Family explained that Professor Donaldson’s had been “increasingly affected by his age for some time”.
Mary had a close bond with her father, particularly after her mother passed away at 55 in 1997 due to complications with heart surgery. Mary was just 25 years old at the time.
The 54-year-old royal attended a private memorial service for her late father.
(The Danish Royal House)
The Tasman-born queen last visited her father at the end of March, where they shared “precious time together”.
The royal couple touched down on March 14 and toured the country for six days.
It was the first official visit Down Under since the Australian-born royal’s husband took the throne in 2024, but the fourth since they’ve been a couple.
The trip marked the first Danish head of state visit to Australia in nearly 40 years.
Queen Mary’s beloved father, John Donaldson, died on April 11, 2026, at age 84.
(AP/AAP/The Danish Royal House)
This isn’t the first time Mary has quietly slipped into the country without any fanfare.
She also visited Australia in February 2025 in an unofficial capacity, where she was spotted in Hobart.
The Queen also visited in 2024 with her twins, Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent, and was spotted on Sydney’s Bronte beach.
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