Queen Mary Of Denmark Lives A Lavish Life

Queen Mary of Denmark has had a stunning transformation. The foreign-born queen hails from Down Under, and she never once imagined as a child that she'd become the queen of a small country in northern Europe. Through a chance encounter during the Sydney Olympic Games, Mary met then-Prince Frederik and their royal romance began. In 2003, Mary and Frederik got engaged, and the following year, Mary became part of the Danish royal family and the 1,000-year-old monarchy. Since then, Mary has fully embraced her life in Denmark. She's learned the Danish language, become one with the country's citizens, and enmeshed herself in the culture. Mary advocates for those under her family's reign to live better lives and represents her country with grace and style. 

Queen Mary also lives like royalty. While the Danish royal family doesn't have quite the same number of assets and cash flow as the British royal family, they still have far more than most people in the world. What they don't outright own themselves, the royal Danes have access to through the monarchy's arrangement with the government. From planes and palaces to jewels and designer shoes, Queen Mary has all the trappings necessary to live up to her royal title. Take a closer look inside her lavish life.

Queen Mary and King Frederik X of Denmark had one of the most expensive royal weddings ever. Mary wore a stunning ivory satin ball gown designed by Danish designer Uffe Frank, and her 19-foot train cascaded behind her as she walked down the aisle beside her father. The reception took place at Fredensborg Palace, and there were plenty of other European royals in attendance, like Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, as well as Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway. Thousands of others flooded the streets in celebration of the royal matrimony, and it's something Queen Mary will never forget. "It's a hard thing to explain, to understand that people are celebrating with you. Growing up you always feel that you have to do something in order to deserve people's admiration and support," she told Vogue shortly after her wedding. "I don't really feel I've done so much, all I've done is say yes and love the person that I love. I hope to prove worthy of the acceptance I have received from the Danish people."

Queen Mary also has fond memories of the time spent with her loved ones on her wedding day. "On the day, I had a very relaxed breakfast with all my family. My sisters, three nieces and my best friend and I all got ready together and really enjoyed the morning. But when the tiara and the veil went on, well, there were a few tears," she said. Despite red flags in King Frederik and Queen Mary's relationship, the two celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in 2024.

The Danish royals certainly aren't slumming it. They've got multiple royal residences in their country to call home. Queen Mary's primary residence is in Copenhagen at Amalienborg. Amalienborg is a complex that has four separate palaces surrounding a courtyard. It's been the royal residence since the late 1700s, and it's quite spectacular. Mary and her husband, King Frederik X, live in Frederik VIII's Palace, one of the four palaces at Amalienborg. The couple and their children moved into the stately home in 2010 after major renovations — that took six years — were completed.

When Queen Mary and her family aren't staying at Amalienborg, they're typically at Fredensborg Palace, a countryside estate with multiple stunning buildings. Fredensborg Palace is often used by the Danish royal family for major life events. For example, Mary and Frederik held their wedding reception at the compound. When Mary and Frederik are living at Fredensborg Palace, they stay at the Chancellery House. The building features both Baroque- and French régence-style architecture, and it's where Mary and Frederik lived while their palace at Amalienborg was under reconstruction. Other buildings on the Fredensborg grounds include the Orangery, a large greenhouse that holds over 350 plants, and the Palace Chapel, which is where many Danish royals have been christened and confirmed since the late 1950s. Fredensborg also has grounds for horse riding, as well as stables. The riding grounds have been part of Fredensborg since it was first built, but only in recent years has it been newly restored for use.

Queen Mary and her husband, King Frederik X, have access to a list of grand residences, such as Graasten Palace, another large estate that's considered one of their summer residences.

The Danish royals don't spend quite as much time at Graasten as they do Amalienborg or Fredensborg, but it's certainly not a bad place to be. The property features multiple buildings with stunning architecture, such as the Palace Church, and it's known for its beautiful gardens which are open to the public when the royal family isn't living at Graasten. The Danish royal family also has access to Marselisborg Palace, another beautiful estate where they typically spend Christmas. The royal Danes don't spend all of their time in the same latitudinal area, though. Queen Mary and her family have spent time in France, Ibiza, and her home country of Australia.

When Queen Mary isn't staying in one of the royal residences, she's often traveling the sea via the Royal Yacht Dannebrog. While it's also used for surveillance and rescue operations at sea, the boat has been in use by the Danish royal family for decades. The royal Danes sail Dannebrog in the summer, and it most often visits other parts of Denmark, as well as Greenland and the Faroe Islands. 

Built in 1931 in Copenhagen and named by Queen Alexandrine, the yacht boasts over 255 feet in length, runs on two engines, and has over 50 crew members on board when in use. The interior reportedly features a lounge, the queen's study, a dining salon, as well as multiple bedrooms, and the royals use the covered quarterdeck as a space to host while they're on tour.

If Queen Mary wants to go somewhere, she's got plenty of transportation options. The royal family reportedly has access to a fleet of private jets, all of which are available for certain other government officials to use, too. The private jets that the Danish Air Force owns aren't big enough for long trips, though, so when the royal family travels across the world, they charter planes instead. According to reports, sometimes they charter more than one plane. In late 2023, not long after reports surfaced that King Frederik X was having an affair, the monarch and Mary took two separate planes from Denmark to New Zealand. The exact reasons for the separate flights are unknown, but the Danes definitely spent major cash on the trips.

But not everyone is fond of the Danish royal family's travel habits. The royal couple has promised to address sustainability, but many critics say their behavior shows otherwise. "Her Majesty the Queen today hosted a meeting with the Centre's Advisory Committee, which advises the Queen Mary's Centre on partnership and development opportunities," a source told the Daily Mail in 2024. "The theme of the meeting was green solutions, and on the agenda was, among other things, a new initiative that brings scientists and students out of the laboratories and auditoriums, so they can work closely with practitioners on the green transition." Despite the meeting's objectives, Mary and Frederik have been blasted for traveling by private jet and criticized over the use of their yacht, which is reportedly not eco-friendly.

Everyone in the Danish royal family celebrates their birthday in style. In 2023, Queen Mary and King Frederik X's son Crown Prince Christian turned 18, and the king and queen reportedly celebrated their eldest by gifting him a BMW X1 (Danes can't get their driving license until age 18). The sport utility vehicle from the luxury German automaker starts at just under $41,000, but the price can increase with the inclusion of additional bells and whistles. Christian's milestone birthday celebration also included a party at (appropriately) Christiansborg Palace, thrown by his grandmother, and several other royals from different countries showed up for the occasion. The prince also received the Order of the Elephant, the highest honor a Danish citizen can have.

Not all of the gifts Queen Mary gives her children are luxury vehicles — some are unique gifts that seem to be reserved for royalty. For example, on Mary's daughter Princess Isabella's 17th birthday, she gifted her with a royal portrait, and on the princess' 10th birthday, she received her own royal monogram. Sure, anyone can have their picture taken and have a monogram drawn up on their birthday, but the overwhelming majority of people haven't received such gifts. Queen Mary has received unique gifts, too, and not even on her birthday. In fact, on King Frederik's 56th birthday, he gifted his wife the Grand Commander's Cross of the Order of the Dane, another high honor that is literally priceless. The Danes have so much money that they have to give each other gifts that don't have price tags.

Royal families don't do most things like regular people, and school is no exception. Queen Mary and King Frederik X send their children to boarding schools. Princess Isabella spent much of her school years at Ingrid Jespersens Gymnasieskole in Copenhagen, but when she completed her studies there, she began school at Øregård Gymnasium in Hellerup. Her older brother, Crown Prince Christian, used to attend Herlufsholm Boarding School, an academic institution near Copenhagen that reportedly costs over $8,000 per year to attend. However, after allegations of rampant bullying and violence taking place at Herlufsholm, the crown prince transferred to Ordrup Gymnasium, a school in Charlottenlund that is free to attend. Mary and Frederik kept their children safe and saved money in the transfer.

Crown Prince Christian finished his studies in 2024, and just a few months later, his family announced that he'd be traveling to Africa for several months. "In The Royal Family, there is a long tradition that the successors to the throne go on extended stays abroad during their youth and have the opportunity to develop and experience the world," the announcement read (via Instagram). "Thus, His Majesty The King took part in an expedition to Mongolia in 1986 focused on the nomads and, in 1989, worked for a year at a vineyard in California. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe also went on long trips to the East and South America in the 1960s." Other famous royals have participated in the same post-graduation tradition. Prince William, for example, spent a gap year traveling around the world.

Queen Mary of Denmark has a friendship with Princess Catherine, and one thing they have in common is that they both wear expensive clothes. While Catherine's clothing choices are more widely broadcast than Mary's, the Dane's pieces are nothing to snooze at. And her styles has changed over the years, particularly when Mary first became a royal. "My style and work environment was reasonably casual, apart from client meetings. I spent most of my free time pretty much going around in sneakers!" Mary told Vogue soon after assuming her new role. "Now, obviously the situation has changed quite a bit. It is important that I look smart and elegant and appropriately dressed for every occasion."

Queen Mary definitely looks smart and elegant for every occasion. The royal's style has been defined by flattering silhouettes, colors that sit perfectly between muted and ostentatious, patterns that add variety to her looks, and details that keep basics from being boring. Queen Mary is often seen in outfits by designers such as Prada, Chanel, and Hermès, but she's also loyal to Nordic designers such as Søren Le Schmidt and Mark Kenly Domino Tan. The royal values being put together and puts lots of forethought into everything she wears. "It's very important when you walk out the door that everything is as it should be, your hat, your skirt, and that you've thought about the wind factor! You need to feel safe, and good and comfortable in what you're wearing."

Being a royal of any sort affords one with unique privileges regular citizens can only imagine, but those who make it to monarch status — or those who are married to a monarch — gain access to even rarer privileges. For example, once Queen Mary became queen consort, she was welcome to wear a special group of jewels only allowed to be worn by Danish queens (although there have been some exceptions). One spectacular set Queen Mary is now eligible to wear is the Danish Emerald Parure. As its name indicates, this set is made of sparkling emeralds and includes a crown, earrings, and necklace. Another set is the Danish Crown Diamond Parure, a set that includes a necklace, brooch, and earrings that are made of enormous diamonds.

But don't get it twisted — Mary had access to plenty of stunning royal jewels before she became queen. For example, on her wedding day, Mary received a special tiara as a gift from her in-laws. The tiara is made of heart-shaped diamonds and can also be worn as a necklace. Queen Mary also reportedly purchased the Danish Edwardian tiara of her own volition at an auction. The piece is made of gold, silver, diamonds, and rubies, and she wore it for her 50th birthday celebration. While most of the aforementioned jewels reserved for Danish queens are in fact reserved for Danish queens, said royals can loan pieces as they see fit. Because of this, Mary wore the Danish Ruby Parure multiple times before becoming queen, including for the royal portrait taken of her on her 50th birthday.

When Queen Mary became royal, she instantly gained access to an entire staff of people — there are about 130 people who work for the Danish royal family. While not everyone works directly for her, Mary does have plenty of people in her orbit who can help with certain issues and complete tasks if necessary. The royal does have multiple staff who are assigned specifically to her, though. Queen Mary has a private secretary and several ladies-in-waiting. She also has members of her team who work presumably on contract, like her photographer, skin care specialist, and hairdresser.

While having a royal staff does sound nice, Mary found it to be quite the adjustment when she first became royal, especially due to the language barrier (Mary grew up in Australia and had to learn Danish when she became engaged to King Frederik X). "It's still frustrating sometimes with the language. I can't get across that extra 20% in some discussions," Mary told Vogue just after her wedding. But the new royal remained optimistic. "But there are, luckily for me, many similarities between Australians and Danes so the mental distance has been easier to travel. The Danish have that dry sarcastic humor that Australians have; they don't take themselves too seriously. They really enjoy life," she said. While all the perks of living a royal life are nice — the jewels, the planes, the homes — there's one thing Mary values that money can't buy: privacy. "That is definitely a luxury. Not to have people around all the time. We need to be together," she said.