It's a story that's captured the imagination of the nation — a girl from our own Tassie meets a boy from Denmark... who just happens to be a prince!
Woman's Day staff share their memories of reporting the Princess Mary story...
Background of a princess
— Glen Williams, staff writer 2003-present
I spent quite a bit of time in Tassie when the Mary story was taking off. We went to her kindergarten and I met her former teachers who waxed lyrical about this lovely little girl who grew up to be a real life princess and how inspirational her story had turned out to be for other little girls.
I was thrilled to be able to tell such a feel-good story and one that allowed kids to dream and basically think they could grow up to be anything they want.
What I also loved was finding out more about her as we went around Tasmania and we found the house that she had grown up in. It was a really modest, small three bedroom brick home.
We knocked on the door and they let us in to see the bedroom that Mary shared with her sisters and it was just a nice feeling.
Mary, Frederik... and Elvis?
— Glen Williams
Princess Mary's fairytale continued with Mary falling pregnant. That was the next big story and I was sent to live in Denmark for two months, just waiting for her to give birth.
Each day I couldn't wander too far from the hospital because we were worried we'd miss it. But one day I was walking through one of the big squares in Denmark and this kooky looking guy walked towards me and he had Elvis written on his guitar case. I thought, "Loser! He thinks he's Elvis Costello!" and kept walking.
Then I thought, "Hey maybe that
was Elvis Costello", and I thought it might make a good story that Elvis was there for Mary's birth.
So I ran up to him and asked him if he was Elvis Costello and he said, "That's what most people call me', and I still didn't believe it was him. But I had just been playing an Elvis Costello CD in my hotel room!
I said, "Why are you here?" I was such a dag! He told me he was playing at the Opera House that night.
So I asked him what he thought about Mary having a baby and he just looked really perplexed.
He said, "I'm sorry but I don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about!" and walked away.
I wasn't content with that so I stalked him to his hotel room. About an hour later, he came out dressed in a suit and was driven away by a chauffeur to play his concert.
Being a huge Elvis Costello fan I felt a bit stupid that I had annoyed him.
Meeting Prince Consort Henrik
— Glen Williams
While living in Denmark, I was with this amazing photographer who knew everyone and we actually managed to get invited to a garden party at the Palace.
I ended up in the glasshouse with Mary's father-in-law, Prince Consort Henrik, and his sausage dog Evita. I just wandered in to the glasshouse because I was determined to get some quotes.
He knew what I was doing but he was really charming and we were talking about him being a mad cook and loving dishes with offal.
He said, "I detect an accent? Are you from Australia?" Then he said, "I don't know if you know this but my son has married an Australian girl!"
Mary's big moments
— Alana House, editor 2002-2005
Whenever we had to do a Princess Mary story it always meant a late night in the office because of the time differences between here and Denmark.
On the night of Mary and Frederick's wedding I was heavily pregnant with my first daughter Ruby and it was pretty uncomfortable sitting in the office at 4am waiting for the pictures to come through.
Then, when it was their son Christian's christening I had been trying to get pregnant again for ages. It was 3am and I was waiting for the pictures to come through so I went online looking at fertility sites. I suddenly realised I had been looking for all the right symptoms at the wrong times and that I had been calculating my body temperatures incorrectly and that I probably was pregnant.
I was driving home that morning and the sun was coming up and suddenly I was looking for a chemist so I could get a predictor test. That's when I realised I had been there for some of Princess Mary's most important times and she had been there for some of my most important life changing moments too.
There's something about Mary
— Glen Williams
I admit I am biased, but I think Mary is so beautiful and charming and I think we need more feel-good stories like her. It is incredible that she has taken on that role. And she's convincing — she doesn't look like some chick trying to be a princess, I think she was born for this.
The fact she's learnt the language and speaks Danish probably better than some Danes would speak it shows that she is fair dinkum about the role. I think she brings a lot of compassion to the Danish Royalty.
She loves kids and it shows, I think she's a great mum. She loved her own mum terribly and, you know, her own mother died of a heart condition so there's a bit of sadness to Mary as well and a bit of vulnerability. I think she's a natural mother and will have more kids.
I'm sure she learned some lessons from the Princess Diana era. She is certainly a style icon like Diana, and I think Mary is going to be a Queen of Hearts too. She's a wonderful role model for people.
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