'Mary is mine and I am hers': What tearful King Frederik of Denmark said 20 years ago today when he married his Australian queen

With tears in his eyes at the altar, Frederik, the future King of Denmark, vowed: 'From today, Mary is mine and I am hers. I love her, and I will protect her with all my love.'

It has been 20 years since that heartwarming moment at Copenhagen Cathedral, when the people of Denmark rejoiced as the royal couple tied the knot.

But King Frederik and Queen Mary's 'fairytale romance' has since been under the microscope.

Last Autumn, the king enjoyed a night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in Madrid, sparking global rumours of an affair that were immediately denied. 

Frederik and Mary's decision not to celebrate their anniversary - but to instead embark on a royal tour of Norway - has raised eyebrows across Denmark. 

Despite their decision to work through their special day, we're looking back at the couple's luxurious wedding.  

It has been 20 years since King Frederik of Denmark, then the Crown Prince, married Mary Donaldson

With tears in his eyes at the altar, Frederik said inside Copenhagen Cathedral: 'From today, Mary is mine and I am hers. I love her, and I will protect her with all my love'. Above: Frederik cries next to his brother Joachim on the day of his wedding

It has been 20 years since Frederik and Mary were married at Copenhagen Cathedral. The pair, pictured at their coronation in January this year, have since become King and Queen of Denmark

The royal couple's 'fairytale romance' has been under the microscope since November 2023. Above: The couple on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace following a declaration of his accession to the throne

First meeting

Frederik and Australian-born Mary Donaldson first met at a pub in Sydney called The Slip Inn during the 2000 Olympics.

Speaking about meeting her future husband, Mary revealed: '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?'"

The pair maintained a long-distance relationship for a year before Mary, formerly an advertising executive, moved to Denmark to study Danish at Copenhagen's Studieskolen in 2001.

Frederik and Mary pose together on the deck of the Tasmania Yacht Club in 2003

Engagement 

Two years later the couple announced their engagement at Fredonsberg Castle, and Mary immediately endeared herself to the public by speaking their language.

Her engagement ring featured an emerald-cut diamond set between two ruby stones. 

Frederik chose it due to its resemblance to the Danish flag. 

After the birth of their twins Vincent and Josephine in 2011, Mary had two more diamonds added to either side of the ring.

Two years later the couple announced their engagement at Fredonsberg Castle (pictured)

Prince Frederik kisses the engagement ring on the hand of his fiancée Mary, who immediately endeared herself to the Danish public by speaking their language

The wedding 

Mary and Frederik were married at Copenhagen Cathedral on May 14, 2004.

The then 32-year-old bride wore a sleeved satin gown by Danish designer Uffe Frank.

Her skirt was lined with 100feet of tulle and featured alternating lace panels followed by a 20-foot train.

Mary's veil was originally worn in 1905 by Princess Margareta of Sweden, who also married into the Danish royal family.

The heirloom was later worn by Mary's mother-in-law Queen Margrethe II, making Mary the first non-royal bride to wear it.

The 32-year-old bride stuns in a sleeved gown by Danish designer Uffe Frank and antique diamond earrings made by Marianne Dulong. Her bouquet included eucalyptus as a nod to her Australian heritage. Above: The bride arrived with her father John Donaldson. As he is of Scottish descent, he wore a kilt to walk his daughter down the aisle

 Mary is walked down the aisle by her father John as guests look on

The veil was pinned to a diamond tiara gifted to her for the wedding from her new parents-in-law and featured five large peaks with smaller diamond prongs in between.

In 2011, the stunning tiara was adapted by jeweller Marianne Dulong so the tips could be swapped for pearls.

Dulong also designed Mary's earrings for the big day. They featured antique diamonds surrounding large pearls from the South Sea.

The bride arrived with her father John Donaldson. As he is of Scottish descent, he wore a kilt to walk his daughter down the aisle.

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

The ceremony is conducted by the Bishop of Copenhagen, Erik Norman Svendsen

After the wedding, the bouquet was laid on the grave of her late mother, Henrietta, who died from complications following a heart surgery in 1997 when Mary was just 25.

In honour of her late mother, Mary had Henrietta's wedding ring stitched inside the lining of her wedding dress's bodice, close to her heart.

As the cameras turned to her husband-to-be, Frederik's eyes were filled with tears as he watched his bride walk down the aisle.

By his side was his grinning brother Prince Joachim who handed him a tissue.

Frederik wore his Danish Navy uniform complete with a series of medals.

The bride also became emotional during the ceremony, which was conducted by the Bishop of Copenhagen, Erik Norman Svendsen. 

Royalty from across the world were in attendance at the hour-long service, including Felipe and Letizia, the future King and Queen of Spain, as well as Britain's Prince Edward and Sophie, then the Countess of Wessex.

Mary's sisters, Patricia Bailey and Jane Alison, served as her bridesmaids alongside her friend Amber Petty.

The women wore pink and red  to match the flowers used as decoration within the cathedral and their hair was slicked back into elegant buns.

Guests watch the couple as they walk back down the aisle together. Mary wears an Uffe Frank dress and Frederik shows off a series of medals adorning his Danish Navy uniform

Letizia Ortiz (right) holds the hand of then Prince Felipe at the ceremony. The couple are now the King and Queen of Spain

As the couple emerged from Copenhagen Cathedral they were met with cheers from the crowd and a group of marine officers armed with swords who saluted them.

The newly-weds left the ceremony together in a horse-drawn carriage which drove them through the city to Amalienborg Palace where they made their first appearance on the balcony as husband and wife.

They were joined by Frederik's parents, Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik, as well as Mary's father John.

The couple are greeted with cheers from the crowd as they emerge from Copenhagen Cathedral 

The couple left the ceremony together in a horse-drawn carriage which drove them through the city to Amalienborg Palace

The newly-weds then made their first appearance as husband and wife on the balcony at the royal palace

They were joined on the by Denmark's Queen Margrethe II, Frederik's mother 

The couple seal their marriage with a kiss on the royal balcony as the crowd cheers

The reception

The royal reception was held inside Fredensborg Palace. It was shellfish for starters, roast venison with white Danish asparagus and Bornholm chicken for the main course and white chocolate delice for dessert. 

At the dinner, Prince Frederik gave a toast to his new bride and said: 'I had only been in Australia two days before our fates were sealed, even though neither of us was aware of it. 

'But your radiance shone clearly for me from our very first meeting.

'Since then I have been blinded by it and totally dependent on it.'

He continued: 'The joy and the strength you give me is like the sun in the daytime which, with its radiance, melts all doubts and darkness on earth.

'And like the moon at night, you shine with a watchful and delicate beam of gentleness, which extinguishes the mischief and deceit used by the symbols of darkness.'

The royal reception was held inside Fredensborg Palace. It was shellfish for starters, roast venison with white Danish asparagus and Bornholm chicken for the main course and white chocolate delice for dessert

The newly-weds surrounded by guests during their first dance

In a toast to his bride, Frederik said: 'The joy and the strength you give me is like the sun in the daytime which, with its radiance, melts all doubts and darkness on earth'