Queen Mary of Denmark, 52, shares sweet photo with her father John Donaldson to mark her first birthday on the throne – after photos of King Frederik’s night out with a Mexican socialite rocked the monarchy

Queen Mary of Denmark has shared a sweet photo with her father John Donaldson to mark her 52nd birthday – after photos of King Frederik’s night out with a Mexican socialite rocked the monarchy.

The mother-of-four, who is originally from Australia, is celebrating her first birthday since becoming Queen Consort earlier this year.

To mark the occasion, the royal shared a photo with her father, 82, that was taken by her 13-year-old son Prince Vincent on a family trip to Australia in December. 

Late last year, King Frederik, 55, and Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova, 47, were pictured taking a stroll in a park, going to an art exhibition and having a meal while watching flamenco. 

The images – which sent shockwaves through the Institution – were first published by Spanish magazine Lecturas in November 2023, which prompted the mother-of-two to deny the ‘malicious’ rumours about her friendship with the royal. 

In the newly-released photo with her father, Mary is dressed casually in a plain black V-neck top and jeans and wearing a tan cross-body bag.

For her off-duty look, the royal donned a pair of gold hoop earrings and two layered personalised necklaces. 

Mary styled her long brown hair in a single plait and was seen wearing a pair of black Wayfarer sunglasses.

The royal wore minimal makeup for her family outing and opted for a rosy pink lipstick.

In the heartwarming photo, Mary is seen smiling next to her former university lecturer father – who was wearing a light blue jumper over a checked shirt. 

The Royal Household captioned the image: ‘Her Majesty The Queen has a birthday and turns 52 today.

‘On this occasion, the Queen has chosen an image of a special moment with her father from her recent trip to Australia in December. 

‘His Royal Highness Prince Vincent is the photographer behind it.’

In the caption of the Instagram post, the Royal Household revealed that Queen Mary’s 13-year-old son Prince Vincent took the sweet photo

Pictured: Former university lecturer John Donaldson seen walking his daughter Mary down the aisle at her 2004 wedding

In January, a royal expert claimed Queen Margrethe Denmark abdicated as a form of ‘damage control’ in the wake of the scandal and to avoid ‘Mary divorcing Frederik’ over the ‘affair’ rumours. 

Royal reporter Kenth G. Madsen argued that Mary’s mother-in-law Queen Margrethe was left with ‘no other choice’ but to abdicate – making her the first Danish monarch in 900 years to do so.

Speaking to FEMAIL, the royal reporter claimed: ‘It can be difficult to forgive alleged infidelity in a relationship unless the price for turning a blind eye is suitably high.

‘Against the background of the disclosure of Frederik’s visit to Madrid and the documentation of the meeting with Genoveva Casanova, it is reasonable to believe that Queen Margrethe found the time to throw out a lifeline, before the relationship between the Crown Prince couple completely cracked due to the scandal.

‘The Queen actually had no other choice: in a strategic move, the monarch succeeded in removing the focus from the affair rumours, and at the same time giving Mary the hyper rare status of queen.

‘A royal divorce scandal of that magnitude could break the strongest royal house forever.

‘The risk that the popularity and reputation the Queen has built up during her 52 years as monarch could be destroyed forever if she had not done damage control on the matter.’

Pictured: King Fredrik of Denmark seen enjoying an evening in Madrid with Mexican socialite last November

After the pictures emerged in a Spanish gossip magazine, the mother-of-two (pictured) denied the ‘malicious’ rumours about her friendship with the royal

Earlier this year, the Royal House’s head of communications confirmed to FEMAIL that John Donaldson would not be travelling to Denmark for his daughter’s ascension to the throne due to his age and health.

After Mary married King Frederik in May 2004, her father John Donaldson and step-mother Susan Moody moved to Denmark for a number of years to support her in her new life.

The Crown Princesses mother, Henrietta Donaldson, died from a heart condition in 1997 when Mary was just 25 years old.

Mary’s parents emigrated to Tasmania from Scotland before she was born meaning she held dual British and Australian citizenship. 

John was first a lecturer in mathematics, before being appointed a professor and teaching at universities including Oxford, Montreal and Houston. 

King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark met in the Slip Inn pub in Sydney in 2000 when the royal, then 32, travelled to Australia to support Denmark’s sailing team in the Olympics. 

Mary – who was working in advertising – supposedly had no idea the handsome European tourist she had been chatting to for hours was actually the future king of Denmark. 

After the pub encounter, then 32-year-old Fred asked Mary for her phone number and a romance blossomed. 

Frederik and Mary make their first official appearance together at the Tasmania Yacht Club ahead of the Dragon Boat World Championship on January 19, 2003

Princess Mary shows off her engagement ring to the media during a press conference at Fredensborg Castle October 8, 2003

‘The first time we met we shook hands. I didn’t know he was the prince of Denmark. Half an hour later someone came up to me and said, “Do you know who these people are”?’ Mary revealed in an interview about meeting the heir to the Danish throne.

They maintained a long-distance relationship for a year, with Frederik making secret trips Down Under before Mary moved to Denmark to study Danish language at Copenhagen’s Studieskolen in 2001.

In early 2003, Frederik’s mother Queen Margrethe publicly acknowledged the relationship and the couple announced their engagement at Amalienborg Castle later that year on October 8.

Frederik and Mary married on May 14, 2004 at Copenhagen Cathedral, with the newly minted Crown Princess opting for a beautiful gown by Danish designer Uffer Frank and a veil first used by Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden in 1905.

In a nod to her heritage, Mary carried a bouquet of Australian snow gum eucalyptus interspersed with blooms from the Palace garden

King Frederik and Queen Mary (centre) pose with their children Princess Isabella (left), Crown Prince Christian (second left), Prince Vincent (second right) and Princess Josephine (right)

In a nod to her heritage, Mary carried a bouquet of Australian snow gum eucalyptus interspersed with blooms from the Palace garden.

At the altar, Frederik announced: ‘From today, Mary is mine and I am hers. I love her, and I will protect her with all my love.’

Following his daughter’s marriage, John Donaldson was granted a coat of arms by the Danish royal family to signify his social elevation.

It contains an eagle and boat signifying their Scottish ancestry, together with a lion from the Scottish coat of arms which, by happy coincidence, also features in the heraldic arms of Tasmania.

Their first child, Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John, was born October 15, 2005; Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe followed on April 21, 2007.

Almost four years later Mary and Frederik welcomed twins, Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda and Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen on January 8, 2011.

The family has returned to Mary’s native Australia on many occasions, visiting famous landmarks in Sydney, Canberra and the Northern Territory and even spending Christmas Down Under.