The Queen of Denmark has announced that her beloved father, John
\nDonaldson, has died.<\/p>\n
Queen Mary shared the news that her dad, who was 84, had passed
\naway in their home town of Hobart, Australia.<\/p>\n
In a short statement, issued on the morning of April 12, the
\nDanish royals announced \u201dit is with great sadness that Her Majesty
\nThe Queen announces the death of her father, Professor John
\nDalgliesh Donaldson, in Hobart, Tasmania. He was 84 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a personal statement, Queen Mary said \u201dmy heart is heavy and
\nmy thoughts are grey. My beloved father has died.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Danish queen continued \u201dI know that when the grief subsides,
\nthe memories will light up and what will remain the strongest is
\nthe love and the gratitude for everything he gave me and taught
\nme.;;<\/p>\n
Professor Donaldson had been unwell for some time. Queen Mary
\nwas last with her father in March when she made a hugely successful
\nState Visit to Australia, her first since her husband became King
\nof Denmark in January 2024.<\/p>\n
Queen Mary was greeted by huge crowds as she returned to Hobart
\nand was overcome with emotion as she was cheered back to her home
\ntown.<\/p>\n
The Danish royals revealed that, during that recent visit, Queen
\nMary and her father had \u201dseveral good and present moments
\ntogether\u201d.<\/p>\n
Professor Donaldson will be buried in Australia where his family
\nwill hold a private memorial service for him.<\/p>\n
He was close to his daughter and was at her side when she became
\nCrown Princess of Denmark on her marriage in May 2004, famously
\ncalming her nerves as she arrived at the church. He was unable to
\ntravel to Denmark to see her become the country\u2019s queen but just
\nweeks later, Mary chose a photo with him at her side to mark her
\nfirst birthday as Queen of Denmark.<\/p>\n
John Dalgliesh Donaldson was born in Port Seton in East Lothian,
\nScotland on September 5 1941 to Peter Donaldson and his wife, Mary
\nDalgliesh. He would later name his youngest daughter after his
\nmother. He married Henrietta Horne in 1963 and with several other
\nmembers of his family, they emigrated to Tasmania in Australia that
\nsame year. He became a Professor of Applied Mathematics. Henrietta
\nDonaldson died in 1997 and Professor Donaldson went on to marry
\nSusan Horwood, a novelist who writes as Susan Moody.<\/p>\n
She survives him as do his four children with Henrietta
\nDonaldson. The couple had a son, John, and three daughters \u2013 Jane,
\nPatricia and Mary, The Queen of Denmark. John Donaldson was also a
\ngrandfather and his grandson, Crown Prince Christian of Denmark, is
\nset to reign one day.<\/p>\n