Denmark’s long-serving Queen Margrethe II abdicated the throne after 52 years this month, allowing her son Frederik to become king.
Mary Donaldson, wife of Frederik, will now become his queen in a story that many have deemed a true rags-to-riches story after her family’s tough history.
Frederik Becomes King of Denmark
King Frederik ascended to the throne on Jan. 14 after his mother, Queen Margrethe, signed the abdication papers inside Christianborg Palace in Copenhagen.
With the transfer of power, King Frederik took to the balcony of the palace and made his first speech as Denmark’s new monarch.
Denmarks New Queen
The King’s wife, Mary Donaldson, officially became the nation’s queen on the same day. The pair will now live at the luxurious Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen (via MSN).
Kept safe by guards, servants at their beck and call, and people to take care of all life’s troubles, the new queen will truly be living a life many can only dream of. Yet, it’s incredibly different from that of her ancestors.
From Rags to Riches
Like very few queens of history, Mary doesn’t descend from nobility. Instead, her ancestry is traced back to Marion Horne, who lived in a small cottage in Eastern Scotland.
According to reports from The Daily Mail, Marion lived during the 19th century and was widowed by age 40 after her husband died at sea.
Marion Begs Others For Change
A mother of four with no central heating nor a husband to help provide, it would have been a harsh existence for Marion and her family.
According to an entry in the 1861 national census, Marion was listed as a “pauper,” or someone whose sole income came from extended family, friends, and possibly even former co-workers of her deceased husband.
Comparisons With the Princess of Wales
Comparisons have been made between the life of Marion and the family history of Catherine Middleton, the Princess of Wales.
Middleton, who married Prince William in 2011, traces her family history back to coal miners.
Tough Life in the Mines
Kate’s ancestors worked in some of the toughest conditions imaginable during the 19th century in the northeastern portion of England.
The same can be said for the fishing communities of the same era in places such as Prestonpans and Port Seton in Eastern Scotland. Neither Marion’s nor Kate’s families would have ever been considered even partially wealthy during the era.
Marion Reveives Money Once A Year
Marion would patiently await each fall as she would be gifted money from the local fisherman.
Once a year, the local fisherman would collect up all the money they could spare and hand it out to townspeople such as widows and those who could no longer work.
Family Luck Began to Change
Eventually, Marion’s ancestors, through hard work and determination, managed to transform their future.
Marion’s daughter married Peter Donaldson in 1871. His grandson eventually emigrated to Tasmania in 1963, becoming a prosperous merchant marine captain.
Taking On A Career In Higher Education
Peter’s son, John, continued on course and further evolved the family’s fortunes by taking a job in higher education teaching mathematics in Tasmania.
The young immigrant kept his Scottish roots and even married a local girl before moving to Tasmania. He later became a professor and taught at various universities, including Oxford and Houston.
Pauper Tag Removed From Family Name
John finally cleared the “pauper” tag from his family’s name after his daughter married Crown Prince Federick in 2004.
He proudly walked Mary Donaldson down the aisle dressed in a traditional Scottish kilt. John and his daughter were both gifted a Danish coat of arms, which signified the elevation of their social status.
The Beauty of the Coat of Arms
The gifted coat of arms contained an image of a boat and an eagle, both of which represent their ancestral home of Scotland.
It also bore a lion from a traditional Scottish coat of arms, which John found endearing as it also appears on Tasmania’s coat of arms.
