They both left their lives as ‘commoners’ to marry into a foreign royal family.
Yet the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, 41, and Princess Mary of Denmark, 50, couldn’t be more different.
While Australian-born Mary, formerly Mary Donaldson, embraced her new royal title after relocating to Denmark, Meghan has burned all bridges with Britain’s monarchy for good.
They both left their lives as ‘commoners’ to marry into a foreign royal family. Yet the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, 41, (left) and Princess Mary of Denmark, 50, (right) couldn’t be more different
As Meghan continues to throw barbs at The Firm in her latest Netflix docuseries, we take a look at how Mary set the gold standard for life as a modern princess.
Born in Tasmania, Mary met Frederik of Denmark by chance at a Sydney pub in 2000.
They maintained a long-distance relationship for a year, with Frederik making secret trips Down Under before Mary moved to Denmark to study the Danish language at Copenhagen’s Studieskolen in 2001.
Meghan (right, with husband Prince Harry) has done a lot of complaining since her entry into the Royal Family
The couple married in 2004 and now have four children.
Mary’s decision to marry a Danish royal came with its own challenges – she had to relinquish her Australian citizenship and change religion from Presbyterianism to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark.
Mary also had to learn a new language and familiarise herself with Danish history and culture, as well as cope with the challenges of going from a nobody to one of the most talked-about and photographed women in the world.
Born in Tasmania, Mary met Frederik of Denmark by chance at a Sydney pub in 2000. They maintained a long-distance relationship for a year, with Frederik making secret trips Down Under before Mary moved to Denmark to study the Danish language at Copenhagen’s Studieskolen in 2001. The couple are pictured at their wedding on May 14 2004
Mary’s decision to marry a Danish royal came with its own challenges: she had to relinquish her Australian citizenship and change religion
She also had to learn a new language and familiarise herself with Danish history and culture, as well as cope with the challenges of going from a nobody to one of the most talked-about women in the world
Yet Mary did so without a word of complaint to the media – something Meghan has failed to achieve.
Mary, who will one day become the Queen of Denmark, has always steered clear of scandal.
Over the years, she has refused to speak negatively about others to the media and maintained a dignified silence amid controversies such as Queen Margrethe II of Denmark’s recent royal title scandal.
Meghan, on the other hand, was reluctant to accept the expectations that come with marrying a prince. Pictured at her wedding to Prince Harry on May 19, 2018
Earlier this year, it was announced that four children of Queen Margrethe’s youngest son, Prince Joachim, would be stripped of their royal titles and would no longer be known as His or Her Royal Highness.
As of January 1, Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10, will become Counts and Countesses, and will be known as Their Excellencies.
Frederick and Mary’s four children – Prince Christian, 16, Princess Isabella, 15, and twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent, 11 – remain unaffected as they are direct descendants of the future King.
However, Princess Mary suggested that might not always be the case.
‘We will look at our children’s titles when the time comes,’ she said in an interview with Ekstra Bladet in Copenhagen.
‘Today we cannot see what the royal house will look like when it is Christian’s time, or when Christian’s time begins to approach.’
She also defended her mother-in-law’s decision, saying: ‘Change can be extremely difficult and can really hurt. I think most people have tried it. But this does not mean that the decision is not the right one.’
‘I can understand that it is a very difficult decision to have to make, and also a very difficult decision to receive.’
Meghan, on the other hand, was reluctant to accept the expectations that come with marrying a prince.
Since stepping down as a senior royal in 2020, Meghan has clung to the spotlight by taking endless public swipes at The Firm and the British press.
She has also complained at length about dealing with the British press, despite having plenty of experience with fame prior to becoming a Duchess.
Since stepping down as a senior royal in 2020, Meghan has clung to the spotlight by taking endless public swipes at The Firm and the British press.
Media was quite the savvy media operator prior to meeting Harry, maintaining friendships with British WAGS and tabloid journalists like Piers Morgan.
In contrast, Mary had no experience with the press prior to becoming a royal.
‘I’m sure Mary looks at what Meghan has done and is horrified by it,’ royal expert Phil Dampier told New Idea in 2020.
‘I’m sure Mary looks at what Meghan has done and is horrified by it,’ royal expert Phil Dampier told New Idea in 2020. Pictured: Mary and Frederick speaking to local delegates in Francfe
‘Mary is dedicated to her role supporting Queen Margrethe and she must feel Harry and Meghan have let down Queen Elizabeth.
‘If Mary had “done a Meghan” it would be like [her] marrying Frederik, and then within two years luring him back to Australia where they met and taking him away from his family and destiny,’ Dampier added.
In Meghan and Harry’s new Netflix documentary, for which they were reportedly paid $150million (AUD), the American-born duchess complained at length about what a shock it was to join the Royal Family.
Meghan, who was brought up as a Christian, was baptised into the Church of England before she married Harry, but reportedly didn’t have to be.
‘Baptism, as we understand it in the church, is a free adult decision and is not required for marriage,’ Reverend Ruth Meyers said.
In the series, Meghan claimed she was ‘surprised’ by the family’s formality, noting that she was a ‘hugger’ – something she did not realise was ‘jarring for some Brits’.
She also appeared to mock royal protocol by performing an exaggerated curtsey while describing her first encounter with the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Meghan said the whole occasion felt like an antiquated banquet at Medieval Times, a family dinner theatre in the U.S. featuring staged medieval-style games, sword-fighting and jousting.
In the series, Meghan claimed she was ‘surprised’ by the family’s formality, noting that she was a ‘hugger’ – something she did not realise was ‘jarring for some Brits’
Meghan also said she had to google the British national anthem, and wasn’t given a Princess Diaries-esque crash course on royal etiquette.
Harry also spoke of his wife’s turmoil, claiming his family had asked why Meghan needed more protection than other principals.
He said they had not understood the ‘race element’ and had displayed a ‘huge level of unconscious bias’.
Meghan also said she had to google the British national anthem, and wasn’t given a Princess Diaries-esque crash course on royal etiquette
