Part 3 Princess of purpose
For Mary's part, she is both a hands-on mum and a mentor for her children. As an impressive mover and shaker in the world of gender equality/human rights/refugees/mental health/global health and environmentalism, she is clearly marking out values she hopes to pass on to her children. Danes are proud of the varied humanitarian projects their Crown Princess pursues and also the powerful impact on home soil of The Mary Foundation which tackles issues of social isolation/domestic abuse/bullying and loneliness. Indeed, there is no question she has won hearts and minds in the country she now calls home.
" We are getting an extremely qualified queen in the shape of Crown Princess Mary says royal journalist and author Trinne Villemann."She will be worth her weight in gold and already is. When Queen Margegrate II ascended in 1972 only 42 per cent were in favour of keeping the monarchy today the figure is around 82 per cent. While the increased public support is largely a reflection of Margrethe's flawless reign, the addition of Mary to the royal house of Denmark engendered new confidence in Prince Fred and a palpable sense that the future of the monarchy is in good hands.
When you visit Denmark it is obvious that the crown prince couple is role models and with prince Christian turning 15 this month princess isabella 13 and youngest twins prince vincent and princess Josephine now aged nine they are definitely Denmark's most influential family. Part of this fairytale is down to the fact that after 16 years of marriage mary and Fred still look united and seemingly in love as ever. The unlikely coupling of an Australian advertising executive and a danish prince with a party boy history has been captivating to watch.
Both have grown into their roles, learning the job and the public has watched on in awe. They complement each other but are also their own people with separate identities, a key part of their success. "We are an interesting mix him (Fred) and I, because we are very equal in our relationship, in some ways also very traditional, but we leave a lot of room for each other and I accept completely that I'm not in the front row Mary told Jens Andersen. "I will always be his best support in fulfilling our roles and duties. But at the same time, he leaves room for me to work in my own way, and if that creates interest and attention, he happy about it. He's glad to see me succeed and see me gain a solid foothold, both as a person and as a crown princess, he's none the less because of that.
In the past few months, Mary's standing on the global stage has burgeoned, especially with her work with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Five years ago the UN set an agenda
for the world, with 17 goals tackling challenges ranging from sexual violence to forced marriage and gender equality. With 10 years to go, Mary is working hard to implement the goals. She also recently joined the United Nations Population Fund as a member of the newly established High-Level Task Force committed to working with governments around the world in the areas of preventable maternal mortality/sexual and gender-based violence and family planning.
The new High-Level Task Force will bring together representatives from academia/research/civil societies/human rights activists/the private sector/parliamentarians/and youth leaders from around the world. As a member, the crown princess will continue to advocate for gender equality and support efforts that ensure a world where women and girls have equal rights and equal opportunities to the benefit of all announced the palace.
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