The duties of a queen or princess include more than putting on beautiful dresses and dazzling with jewelry. In the new series ‘she goes for the content’, moderator Petra will update you completely on the substantive tasks of the ladies. Today: Princess Mary of Denmark.
Patroness
The Danish Crown Princess Mary is the patroness of many projects. I’ve sorted them by category.
Research and science
In the field of research and science, the Danish Crown Princess is particularly committed to Forskningens Døgn (translated as Research Day). This is a national science festival that creates meeting places between researchers and citizens. The festival is held annually at the end of April.
In the field of research, Mary is also committed to UNF, the Science Association for Young People. The UNF chose Mary as its patron because they believe she is most connected to this subject. On the one hand, the association says, because her father is an internationally known professor of mathematics, and secondly because Mary has chosen to concentrate on associations that deal with children and young people.
Humanitarian and development area
The Danish Crown Princess is also committed to humanitarian and development issues. She does this, for example, as patron of the Danish Refugee Council.
Mary is also committed to the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA. Maternity Worldwide can also be assured of Mary’s attention and commitment. For example, Mary visited the Maternity Foundation in India in February 2023. The focus was on the quality of maternal care, with the aim of reducing maternal mortality.
Culture
The cultural area also receives quite a bit of attention from Crown Princess Mary. She is patron of the Danish Cultural Institute. She also works as a patron for Danish craftsmen and designers; the DKOD, the Danish association for professional creative craftsmen and designers. In 2019, Crown Princess Mary ran a mile with children for Julemarked, part of this association, during the Royal Run. She encouraged the children and guided them through it! Nice detail: the Royal Run is an initiative of Crown Prince Frederik. The whole family is sporty and driven, Frederik and Mary’s children also regularly participate in the Royal Run.
In terms of music, she is patron of the Children’s and Youth Choir of the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music. The DR Girls Choir also enjoys her attention.
Finally, Mary is committed to the Odense Flower Festival and the Copenhagen Zoo. In 2022, Mary opened the flower festival.
In 2022, Crown Princess Mary visited Copenhagen Zoo with the twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
Fashion
In the field of fashion, Mary is committed to the Global Fashion Agenda. In short, this is about making clothing more sustainable. Here we see Mary visiting a number of companies that are working on sustainability strategies. Mary visited, among other things, the company behind the Designers Remix label.
Sport
Her husband, Crown Prince Frederik, is very sporty and so is the princess herself. This is also evident from the fact that she has been asked to be a patron for a number of sports. The Danish Golf Union and the Danish Swimming Federation can count on her support.
Social and health sector
The largest area in which Crown Princess Mary is active is the social and health sectors. Because there are so many, we’ll make a list of them here:
- Børnehjælpsdagens, an association for helping foster children.
- Carecenter
- Danish and Australian Center for Twin Research. The association conducts scientific analyzes of data from twins. This can provide useful knowledge about the importance of genes.
In the photo: Mary with her own twins.
- KFMUS soldier mission. This organization is committed to the importance of refuges for soldiers.
- Mødrehjælpen (mother’s aid).
- Healthcare Denmark. This association is the gateway to healthcare and life sciences in Denmark.
- Hjernesagen. An organization that is committed to the lives of patients who have had a stroke. Interesting detail: the website contains an interview with photos of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie, following the stroke that Prince Joachim had in 2020).
- Hjerneskade. Translated, this is the brain injury association.
- Hjerteforeningen or the Heart Foundation. Mary visits the Strødammen Day Center in the photo below. This is a day center for people suffering from the consequences of a stroke or heart attack.
- Christmas stamp fund
- LOKK (The National Organization of Women’s Crisis Centers). Here we see the Danish Crown Princess opening a women’s shelter.
- Alannah and Madeline Foundation. On April 28, 1996, Alannah and Madeline Mikac, aged six and three, were tragically murdered along with their mother and 32 others in Port Arthur, Tasmania. A year later, the Alannah & Madeline Foundation was founded in the girls’ honor by their father Walter Mikac and a small group of volunteers, driven by the belief that all children and young people should be able to live happy and safe lives. Free from violence and trauma.
Photo ©PPE/Nieboer
- WHO (World Health Organization)
- Kidney Foundation
- Psychiatrifonds. In 2015, Mary made an orientation visit to the fund. She also attended the fund’s 25th anniversary.
- SIND, the National Association for Mental Health in Denmark. It could easily be a brother or sister of the Dutch MIND, which Queen Máxima is committed to. It’s nice that there is so much attention for psychological problems.
- Finally, Mary is also patron of Sjældne Diagnoser – Rare Diagnoses. The association consists of no fewer than 55 sub-associations, for citizens affected by rare diseases and disabilities.
MaryFoundation
In 2007, Crown Princess Mary founded The Mary Foundation. The goal of her Foundation is to combat social isolation. Under her leadership, the foundation brings partners together to develop and manage projects and programs. These focus on preventing social isolation, but also on creating opportunities for strengthening vulnerable individuals and groups that are socially isolated. The foundation’s areas of focus are: domestic violence, bullying and loneliness.
In the photo below, Mary helps pack backpacks at a charity event for the Lego Foundation, which, in partnership with the Mary Foundation and the Lego Group, packs backpacks for children in crisis centers.
Of course, Mary also makes many other visits. But the honorary position of patroness does give that little bit of extra attention to an important cause and is therefore valuable.
Honorary membership
Who thinks we’re there now? No, we certainly aren’t. In addition to the many projects of which she is patron, Mary is also an honorary member of many. In fact, you are simply a member of an association, but with a special status. What is striking is that there are a lot of golf clubs included. This probably has to do with the fact that she is patron of the Danish Gulf Union.
- Aabenraa Golf Club
- Foreningen til den ædle Hesteavls Fremme (The association for the promotion of noble horse breeding).
- Fredensborg Golf Club
- Furesø Golf Club
- Graasten Ride Club (Manege Graasten)
- Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub (Royal Danish Yacht Club, related to sailing).
- Copenhagen Golf Club
- Odsherred Golf Club
- Fredensborg Tennis Club
- Kongelig Mayestaits Actors
Foreign honorary memberships
In addition to the Danish honorary memberships, the Danish Crown Princess also has a number of foreign honorary memberships.
- Honorary Life Governor of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
- Honorary Ambassador Hans Christian Andersen to Australia
- International Committee of Women Leaders for Mental Health
- The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania
President
Mary is also president of the World Wildlife Fund in Denmark. She took on this role in the summer of 2020. Prince Henrik – Mary’s father-in-law – was president of the World Wildlife Fund until his death in 2018. As president, Mary attends conferences and attends working meetings for the fund. She also actually takes action for the WWF, as in the photo below.
Other
Finally, the Danish Crown Princess is a board member of the Royal Collections and was a member of the International Panel High Level Task Force for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) from 2012 to 2016. In 2012 she was nominated as a Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum. She is also a member of the ICPD25 High Level Commission of the UN Population Fund.
