Aussies celebrate 'our Mary' becoming Denmark's Queen

When Thomas Hansen met Crown Princess Mary, the pair joked about how their love stories were similar.

The then-Mary Donaldson met heir to the Danish throne Crown Prince Frederik while he was in Sydney for the 2000 Olympics.

They fell in love and she moved to the other side of the world to get married and become a princess.

Mr Hansen didn’t fall in love with a royal, but he did meet his now-wife in Melbourne and moved from Denmark to be with her.

“My story is a bit of a reverse of what they are,” he told AAP.

“It’s an ongoing joke so it was easy to speak about it when we met them.”

That meeting was back in November 2011 when Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary visited Melbourne to open Denmark House.

The venue - the heart of the city’s Danish community - will host a party on Sunday to celebrate the proclamation of the new King and Queen, following 83-year-old Queen Margrethe II’s abdication.

“Princess Mary has made it very easy to be a Dane in Australia,” Mr Hansen said.

“Everyone loves to remind you about her being the future Queen and Australians feel there is a special bond because of that.

“I’ve definitely felt that in the past two weeks - everyone’s very proud.”

Denmark House will have speeches, activities and plenty of tiaras to celebrate the proclamation, as will the Slip Inn where Mary and Frederik met.

The restaurant, now called El Loco at Slip Inn, is honouring the event on Saturday with Danish flags, hotdogs, a Mary-themed cocktail and a “throne” for staged photos.

Lykke Borup, another Dane who migrated to Australia 14 years ago, is excited for the next stage of the Danish monarchy.

“They’re a power couple,” she told AAP.

“(Princess Mary) has been liked and loved from day dot in Denmark and she’s done really well - she’s managed not to cut Australia out.

“In anything she does, she still has her Australian values in her which is really important.”

Historian Darius von Guttner said it was significant that Princess Mary would be the first Australian-born person to become King or Queen of a nation.

“It appeals to us that one of us - a commoner, an ordinary citizen of Australia - can become a queen,” the Australian Catholic University professor told AAP.

“We all love a good story and this is a brilliant story.”

It’s hard to say whether Mary’s ascension to the Danish throne will increase Australians’ love for their constitutional monarchy, Prof von Guttner said.

“We can relate to her more closely than the future Queen Catherine and King William, or even to King Charles,” he said.

Australian Monarchist League chair Eric Abetz believes Princess Mary will strengthen Australians’ connection to the British royals.

“They’re an institution which acts as a safety valve in the parliamentary democratic system that we enjoy,” he told AAP.

As a proud Tasmanian, Mr Abetz said it was exciting to see a person who grew up in the island state take on such a significant role.

“It’s a wonderful thing for Mary personally but, of course, also Tasmania and Australia,” he said.

The anti-violence charity the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, which Princess Mary has been a patron of since 2005, also congratulated her on her ascension.

“Her dedication ... has been instrumental in raising awareness of our work and making a positive impact on the lives of children and young people,” founding patron Walter Mikac told AAP.

“Princess Mary’s compassion and generosity inspires us all and we are truly honoured to have her support in helping create a safer world for children.”

The proclamation of Denmark’s new King and Queen will happen late on Sunday night (AEDT) at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen.