Queen Mary Announces Plans to Visit Her Homeland, Australia

Queen Mary of Denmark attends the New Year's Day Parade hosted by her husband King Frederik X of Denmark in Copenhagen, Denmark wearing a lace and silk golden gown and a tiara on January 1, 2026

(Image credit: Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images)

Queen Mary may be a regular fixture in Denmark in 2026, but King Frederick's wife was actually born in Hobart in Tasmania, Australia, on February 5, 1972. As a result, royal fans were delighted to discover that Mary will be returning to her homeland next month on an official Danish state visit.

Announcing the news in an Instagram post, the Danish royal family's official account revealed, "Their Majesties The King and Queen will undertake a state visit to Australia from March 14 to March 19, 2026. The Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and the Minister for Climate Energy, and Utilities will accompany The King and Queen along with a large business delegation."

"Love our Aussie girl," one commenter wrote on Instagram. "Such a beautiful human." Another fan wrote, "Hooray, Mary is coming home!! It will be wonderful to have her here." Someone else concurred, writing, "Welcome home Queen Mary. You know we love you here in Australia."

Prior to their marriage, Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark attend the Melbourne Cup 2002 in Australia — Prior to their marriage, Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark attended the Melbourne Cup 2002 in Australia.

Mary and Frederick actually had a remarkably normal meet-cute, despite one of them being Danish royalty. As reported by People, "Mary Donaldson was an Australian advertising executive when she found herself chatting to Prince Frederik, although he introduced himself simply as 'Fred,' at the Slip Inn on Sydney's Darling Harbor in September 2000." At the time, Frederick was in Australia to attend the Olympics, making their chance meeting kismet.

The couple seemingly had an instant connection, and their romance reportedly grew following a long-distance relationship. On May 14, 2004, Mary married Frederick, then just a prince, at Copenhagen Cathedral in Denmark.

Prince Frederik of Denmark poses with his Australian girlfriend, Mary Donaldson, at the Tasmania Yacht Club ahead of the Dragon Boat World Championship on January 19, 2003.

"So happy to hear that you are coming to Australia," yet another royal fan commented on the Danish royal family's Instagram post. "From another Aussie gal that married a Dane (although not the royal kind)."

Basically, it seems as though Queen Mary will receive a warm welcome upon her return to Australia in March.

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.