By my count, the Duchess of Cambridge has only met Denmark’s Princess Mary a handful of times over the years. The Daily Mail and other British outlets always associate Mary and Kate though, perhaps because they are both “commoner” women who married into royal families, both are brunette, and they have similar-ish style. Personally, I think Mary (who is Australian) is more stylish than Kate, and I think Mary works harder and shows a genuine interest in her charitable work. But other outlets often set up a competition between the women so that Kate will come out ahead. So it’s interesting that sources are now insisting that Mary and Kate are actually quite close and that they’ve been “leaning on each other” as their husbands come closer to ascending power. Or something.
Over the years there have been countless comparisons between the two, and now it seems Princess Mary of Denmark, 44, and the Duchess of Cambridge, 34, are closer than many realise. The royal pair, whose husbands will both take the throne at some stage, are reportedly ‘close friends’ and are leaning on each other in the lead up to their transitions.
According to New Idea, both Kate and Mary have ‘spoken to each other about their coronations, pledging to work together and support each other through their transitions.’
‘They are truly modern royal women, and this is an exciting time for both monarchies,’ a royal aide told the magazine. The duo are also expected to ‘confide in each other more over the coming months,’ with an insider saying that Mary and Kate are at a ‘very similar stage in their royal life.’
‘It’s natural they would lean on each other,’ a source said. Although Prince Charles is next in line for the throne, Kate’s close friend Jessica Hay told the magazine that the vibrant royal is already ‘looking forward to bringing a young, modern twist to the throne.’
Princess Mary on the other hand, may take the throne alongside her husband Prince Frederik sooner than expected. Queen Margrethe, 76, has publicly shared her approval of the Princess many times and is constantly praising her work for the Mary Foundation and the work she does for women’s and children’s rights. While abdication is unlikely, rumours are circulating that it is not completely off the table – especially with Prince Henrik’s retirement earlier this year. Following the announcement of the 82-year-old Prince Consort’s retirement in January, the Danish monarchy confirmed he would be ‘slowing down’ as a result.
This then led to Princess Mary’s list of royal duties increasing, making 2016 one of her busiest years yet. The hardworking royal has worked tirelessly to prove her commitment to charity and duties – from participating in muddy military exercises in the heart of the woods to playing soccer in the rain with schoolchildren in the name of children’s rights. The 44-year-old has a near constant presence in the public eye – be it at home or abroad – and at the same time, is raising her four children and serves as a patron for some 25 international organisations.
Mary “serves as a patron for some 25 international organisations.” Meanwhile Kate’s patronage list is the embodiment of a sad clown noise. Kate has some worthy causes on her patronage list, it’s just that she rarely shows up for any of them. She didn’t even attend the major gala for EACH earlier this month. Anyway, while I think this story is just a tabloid fiction, I find it more offensive to Mary. Mary has a lot of sh-t going on. She’s figured out how to modernize her royal position and do good work for charity. Meanwhile, Kate grows more and more elusive and, frankly, lazy.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I have read the articles and the comments on the DM, I doubt it is true..
There’s no comparison, doesn’t matter what these two do, Mary will always do a better job than Kate.
Oh wait yes you will have a long wait for ur coronation if u even get one.
Jason please stop with these BS stories trying to sell her as a serious royal.
That was my thought as well. How are Mary and Kate in similar royal positions? One is married to the crown prince, the other one is married to the son of the crown prince.
There hasn’t been a coronation in Denmark since 1848. That particular tradition was abandoned along with the absolutist monarchy – an rightly so!
I need my cooling eye mask because this article made my eyes roll so hard.
Kate has friends?
And she’s a vibrant royal?
Yeah, exactly. This story is so obviously false because Kate isn’t close to anyone except her family.
And she’s a modern woman?
I remember being a kid and watching Mary’s wedding. It was such a big deal here in Denmark. Mary works way more than Will and Kate. She’s visited my high school to talk about the importance of girls education several times.
Mary learned Danish too, which is by no means an easy language to pick up!
So did Alex and Marie, Joachim’s first and second wives. Both of them speak 4-5 languages, including Danish.
I have learned both English and Swedish (which is really similar to Danish) and I would say they are about as easy to learn (but y
I never use Swedish or hear it from anywhere so I have forgotten a lot).
@ Chinoiserie
My dear, if you had in fact learned Swedish and English then you would know that Swedish is way more difficult in inflections, syntax, pronunciation and morphology. There is simply more to learn.
In contrast English is a very poor language when it comes to that.
I speak 4 languages, too. It is the standard for those who chose the academic route in continental Europe.
Sorry for sounding so snobbish but in this case it is the adequate response.
Bitchy, you had your learning experience she had hers. They were different. Swedish may have been as easy for her as English, and more difficult for you.
Rachael,
Is true! all Kate has been doing has been improving her diction and Royal accent which still sounds awful. She speaks like a timid mouse. Awful.
It was a pretty big deal for us Australians too! 🙂
Yeah, I don’t think that Princess Mary is wasting her time with Duchess Dolittle.
Can you imagine the royals from other countries gossiping about Kate? It must be nasty.
The other royals must be so bored when they talk to Kate.
I believe the English royals do not interact much with European royals, they are rarely in any events.
Edward and Sophie are the go-to royals for the European events. They’ve attended most of the royal weddings for the current generation. The exception was Charles attending Haakon and MM’s wedding. In turn, Haakon and MM were among the few royals who were invited to (and who attended) the wedding of Charles and Camilla.
Princess (formerly Queen) Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Margrethe II, and QEII are friends. The first two stay at BP in London, Margrethe for her annual Christmas shopping. Beatrix stayed there many of the times she visited her son Friso in hospital.
I find it rather sad that W&K&H don’t take the time to get to know the European royals in their generation. Also, I find it shocking that the European royals tend to speak multiple languages while the younger BRF can barely speak their native language.
I don’t know if they need to say much. Just her name and a massive eye roll says it all.
It comes from new idea and Jessica hay – both of which are completely unreliable. I’m surprised mags are still using her as a source. And neither Mary nor Kate will have a coronation- their husbands will.
New idea, jessica hays, coronations = fanfiction right there.
These Australia rags (New Idea, Womans Day) constantly have stories about how Mary is about to take over from Margrethe. How Margrethe is “grooming her for the role” etc. The palace has issued public denials for several years to news outlets to try to shut down this silly narrative.
Australian tabloids like to forget Fred is the heir, not Mary. Mary will be consort, not monarch in her own right. They also like to forget that, like monarchs in the UK, the monarch in Denmark does not have a tradition of retiring or stepping aside. They reign until they pass away.
iirc in the last year, Margrethe and her second son, Joachim, have made public statements about how Margrethe will reign until she dies. These were around the time her husband retired from his formal role. Plus, Denmark no longer has coronations or enthronements (but need ArtHistorian to show up and tell us the history of how that changed!).
I’m hereee!!!
When Denmark became a constiutional monarchy we stopped with the coronations. The new monarch is proclaimed by the PM since the power rests with the representatives of the people – instead of the idea of the monarch as divinely ordained and anointed which is the core of the coronation ceremony. IMO a coronation has no place in a constitutional monarchy since the very ideology it is a symbolic expression of is in direct conflict with the ideals of democracy.
The last Danish king to be crowned and anoited was Christian VIII in 1848.
BTW,
Margrethe will never abdicate. There has never been a voluntary abdication in Denmark. involuntary ones that either ended with death or imprisonment, yes, but not voluntary ones.
Yay!
No matter how much I grumble about their spending, I am SOOOO looking forward to the New Years events. I cannot get enough of those. Hoping for the Midnight Tiara.
I love the New Year’s gala! Tiaras galore!
I am also hoping for the Midnight Tiara. It has been a while it has been aired.
And really, it goes so beautifully with the blue velvet cape.
That blue velvet cape is gorgeous! I’m generally in favour of cape – they give life a little extra pizazz.
I doubt very much that this is true but if it isn’t, these two know that they will only be consorts, right? iIreally know very little about Mary but i’m hoping that the only thing Kate can look forward to is a little bungalow in some remote corner of England if her and Willnot don’t shape up. And Jason needs to stop with the BS stories – we see through your PR!!
I’m pretty sure Mary knows it but Kate probably not.
I’ve talked to many Kate fans who think she will be Queen and not just a Consort.
Many Kate fans? Does she have any left?
@Maria:
She has lol. The best part is when you criticize Kate’s outfits, then they write things like:
“she’s elegant and conservative. those words don’t exist in the modern american vocabulary”
“you’re probably american and used to kartrashians”
Katie will never be queen. The Crown can be dat on her damned head, we will still never accept her. She’ll always be a cash-splashing, workshy, common social leech.
She would still be Queen whether you accept her or not. Just like Trump will be America’s President even if a lot of us can’t stand him or his family.
Aye. The tartiest, tackiest queen we’ve ever known.
She couldn’t be regal if regal was force-fed into her.
@wow can you foresee the future? How do you know for sure she will be Queen? Change of events can happen.
Nope. Kate will be Melania Trump. Or any other first lady before and after. That is the position she is in line to get. No other position.
Kate will be QUEEN CONSORT, not the actual Head of State.
She will be the UK’s Melania Trump! Weird accent and all.
Mary looks drab as hell in these pictures. Someone get that girl a buckle for her coat or something!
or maybe add buttons?
And more hair! Kate can tell her where to find the best wiglets. Every princess should have at least three times more hair than the commoners.
I highly doubt that these two have ever broached the subject of their putative coronations. It would be in incredibly bad taste, as it presupposes the demise of current monarchs and, in Kate’s case, an heir apparent. Tacky.
It’s not only in bad taste, it’s factually wrong: the Danes do not hold coronations.
No kidding! No formalities at all, then?
A formal proclamation by the PM from the balcony of the Parliament! That is formal enough.
I think Jason and Enabler Middleton are just at their witts end trying to make her look good and this Is BS.
Mary has a lot more style than Kate and, more importantly, does a lot more work. She shows she cares and wants to do well. Which isn’t the same for Kate. Actions speak louder than words.
And if Kate is dreaming of her coronation, she better start showing she’s worthy to wear that crown.
Well said Seraphina. Totally agree.
HAHAHAHAHAHA
That’s all I’ve got.
AS IF.
Just an observation: Mary liiks younger than Kate and she is 10 yrs older. Shocking! Not that it matters much. What matters is their work. Kate is such in a perfect position to do good, to make a change, but she does not. What a waste! Sometimes I think that this is what the royals actually want, a daughter-in-law who will never outshine them. So, Kate and Will might be a perfect match.
I noticed that too. They look like they could be the same age. Kate should get some of that hair away from her face. Mary has 4 children and she still does way more than Kate.
Mary looks mid 30 ies, Kate about end 40ies.
They are both heavily photoshopped in these pictures.
And Kate still looks like she is the one ten years older.
I don’t think Kate looks older than Mary, but I do think Mary looks much younger than her age, making them both look 35ish. @notasugarhere is right, though — these pics (like most pics — tabloid, candid or otherwise) are photoshopped.
To me, Kate is astonishingly thin. If she stays that thin, she will always look older than her years, because she doesn’t have any padding on her cheeks.
Edit: pretty sure that’s her Street but I can’t find the original source. Definitely her neighborhood
That last sentence of the DM piece casts some nice shade on KM. 🌴
I LOVE Mary, she and Queen Rania are, to me, emblematic of the modern role of royalty. You never hear excuses from them, they just always get shit done and carry on.
Sorry, no. I agree with you about Mary, but Queen Rania is the furthest thing from what I would want modern royalty to be. Her husband and that family are still rulers who have an immense amount of power in their country, and not everyone there is pleased about it. I think royalty has a place in whatever country chooses to keep them around, but not at the expense of democracy, which is the case in a country like Jordan. Don’t let the public face of their monarchy fool you.
A says, Queen Rania and family are courtesy of American taxpayers so you see Uncle Sam still pays for royalty !!!
@msthang — American, British & French taxpayers! Their RF, the Hashemites, were set up with a lot of help from the British and are kept going as a result. I won’t trash them entirely, since I think that they have done quite a bit to sustain some amount of stability in the region, but otherwise, they’re just the same sort of ilk as the remaining Middle Eastern royalty. Ruling with an iron grip, with lots and lots of help from Uncle Sam. 😉
I quickly breezed through this, saw New Idea and Jessica Hay and instantly knew its some bullsh*t
Good lord, what a load of b.s. Talk about desperation. If the two have anything in common, it is the notorious laziness of their spouses. The difference is, Mary works much, much harder than Kate ever has and did from the moment she got back from her honeymoon. AND she had to learn a fairly difficult foreign language as an adult. She was also a legitimate working woman before she married Frederik.
Other than being brunettes and married to heirs to European monarchies, I see little to compare here. Mary didn’t even meet Frederick till she was 28 or so – she actually had to support herself after getting out of school and pay the rent on her own place in Australia. Imagine that!
And I believe Mary is appreciated by the DRF for her discretion. The idea that she discussed her “coronation” with Kate is ludicrous – not least because so far as I know, the DRF doesn’t hold coronations. There is an accession statement and process, but not a coronation.
Speechless.
A bit premature to discuss this strange
What exactly would Kate Middleton bring to Mary’s table? How exactly is Mary to lean on a woman who wants/needs others to care for her? Actually, Mary and Maxima are friends and if Mary were to “lean” on anyone it would be Maxima not Kate Middleton. All that being said, I do wish Mary would take Kate under her wing and show how to be a working royal woman and mother, also some fashion tips would be great. It always amazes me how Mary, Victoria or Letiza can wear outfits similar to Kate’s yet look so much better in them than she does.
At one point, W-A was praising Maxima and how all the other married-ins came to her for advice. I thought it nice, but a little odd, because Mathilde married Philippe 2-3 years before WA & M married. I’d have thought Mathilde would be the one to go, but maybe Maxima was more outgoing and pro-active about helping people adjust to their roles. I admit a huge soft spot for Maxima because of her ongoing support for Masako.
I think Max is definitely more outgoing then most of the royal women! 🙂 I really like how her fashion choices reflect her warm, colorful and large personality. And her unwavering support of Masako just shows her warmth and compassion.
No, it’s not ‘natural’ that they lean on each other. Pure fiction.
The other story that is being peddled in Canada is that she is leaning on Sophie Trudeau for advice. Probably BS. too.
That has to do with Meghan Markle, not Duchess Kate, because Markle lives in Toronto and is involved with causes through Canada.
You’re right. My mistake.
This is actually kind of funny, lol. Especially the “quote” from “a friend.” I didn’t know Kate even had friends.
Nothing to say about this, except that it’s full of shit.
Geez, who writes this stuff? As if any Royal would lean on Kate for support. It would actually do Kate some good to have a few Royal confidantes especially someone like Mary who carries out her duties appropriately while maintaining a family life.
The British royals seem to keep themselves apart from the European royals. I always gets the impression they consider themselves to be superior. I can’t think why, as being a Windsor is nothing to be superior about.
Kate IS looking forward to bringing a young modern twist to the throne…
Shes always “looking forward” to doing something but she never actually gets there.
So true.
They could be sisters. The resemblance to one another is remarkable. They have been friends for years.
They met years ago. There’s no evidence of any relationship beyond that. Mary stayed with the Queen at Windsor briefly and attended Ascot one day last summer. Kate was there and they seemed cordial towards one another, but otherwise they’ve never been seen to vacation together or do anything together that would hint at a friendship — such as royal watchers can infer through photos of Victoria and Mett-Marit, for example. Or Queens Mathilda and Maxima.
I know someone who knows Mary from years ago. Mary has said they are friends.
Whoa there, Katie. You’re going to have to get through the sh*t storm which will erupt when you become POW before thinking about William’s coronation.
Mary is the one that looks 34. Kate looks like a rough 44.
Wow. I never get the hypocrisy of some of the women here. WE are all supposed to support women and yeh, feminism, but criticise a woman for looking older than her age… It’s hardly a crime to look older, to dress frumpily or to not be fashionable despite spending a lot of money. Some people have it, some don’t.
This is a site devoted to bitching about celebs. However, I agree that the criticism of a woman for looking “older” than her age is unnecessary. Most celeb (and royal) women over 40 have had plastic surgery or botox to “improve” their appearance, so it’s hardly even fair to compare 30- and 40-plus-year-old celebrities. Even if they haven’t had surgery, they’ve spent many years using the most exclusive skincare products money can buy and getting expensive facials probably once a month, so their skin is just going to be that much better than the average woman’s.
The majority of her effort is put into how she looks. If she worked more than 100 hours a year, there’d be something far better to talk about.
And p.s. you’re on the wrong site.
To reiterate, this IS a gossip site, not a Kate fan site and doesn’t exist merely to “support” Kate (jeez!!). Moderators routinely delete hateful posts so I don’t know what you’re on about.
Is it just me or really can not tell that there is 10 years between the two women?!
The DM is reporting that Zara and Mike have lost their baby. 🙁
I just looked it up. Hello and other news organizations are reporting it too. Poor Zara and Mike, on Christmas Eve too. It will be a difficult holiday for them. I thought she was fairly advanced in her pregnancy, she was starting to show. My daughter-in-law lost a baby too, a couple of months ago. It’s tough. My heart goes out to Zara and Mike.
So sorry to hear this… my thoughts are with your family.
🙁
My heart and prayers go out to your daughter-in-law and son.
I haven’t read all the comments but the coronation thing is BS. The Danish Monarchy does not have a coronation ceremony, they are sworn in on the palace balcony and then wave at the crowd and have a banquet later. It’s no more spectacular than swearing in a PM or city mayor.