The Scottish-born father of Denmark’s Queen Mary has passed away in Tasmania at the age of 84
The Scottish-born father of Queen Mary has passed away at the age of 84, the royal house has confirmed.
John Donaldson died in Hobart, Tasmania, according to a royal statement without giving any further details. It did say Donaldson’s health had been deteriorating in the past few years, with Queen Mary only recently paying him a visit in March.
John Dalgleish Donaldson was born in East Lothian, Scotland, on September 5, 1941. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in mathematics and physics, he emigrated to Australia in the 1960s with his first wife, Henrietta Clark Horne. The couple went on to share four children, including Mary Elizabeth Donaldson.
Donaldson finished his PhD in mathematics at the University of Tasmania and worked as a professor of applied mathematics. After the death of Henrietta in 1997, he later married Susan Moody in 2001.
His youngest daughter, March, became Denmark’s queen in January 2024 after two decades as crown princess when her husband became the Scandinavian country’s monarch. He was proclaimed King Frederik X following the abdication of his mother, Queen Margrethe II.
Frederik and Mary met during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and tied the knot in 2004.
The royal statement today quoted Mary as saying: “My heart is heavy.”
“But I know that when the grief settles, the memories will brighten my day, and what will remain strongest is love and gratitude for everything he gave me and taught me,” she added.
The statement said the family will hold a private memorial service for Donaldson “at a later date.”
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