Princess Mary has spoken about the “strain” of having four children, but says she wouldn’t swap family life for anything.
Mary has four children — Christian, six, Isabella, four, and one-year-old twins Vincent and Josephine — with Crown Prince Frederik.
The family’s Copenhagen palace comes with a live-in staff, but Mary says she still struggles to cope with the demands of motherhood.
In pictures: Princess Mary’s twins turn one!
“We feel very blessed with our four healthy, happy and lovely children,” Mary tells the March issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly. “First a boy, then a girl and now the twins. It was… ‘Wow, we’re having twins!’
“I realise we had the best of help, but being a mother and breastfeeding a couple of twins with two children already — it was a bit of a strain.
Despite the difficulties of having four children under five, Mary says she loves every second of her chaotic life.
“It is the most enjoyable time in your life because you are so absorbed in your own little bubble with your small, innocent children,” she says. “They are just like God delivered them.”
Mary returned to royal duties just five months after the birth of Vincent and Josephine.
“I reckoned I could say yes to a few things and then it suddenly gained a life of its own,” Mary says. “Nobody ever said, ‘Where is she?’ I never felt any expectations about me returning to the public eye.
“But there were events I had said yes to two years previously and they were in my engagement book. And, suddenly, there were a lot of meetings in the nursery — even if I have children, I cannot just resign from the public.”
Mary, who turned 40 on February 5, carries out an extensive list of royal duties every month. She supports several charities and foundations and spends a lot of time travelling.
This leaves very little times for relaxing, but no matter how hectic her life gets, Mary says her children make her feel “rich” beyond belief.
“First and last, we are a family that needs to thrive,” Mary says. “And experience this family of brothers and sisters together. You just sit still and observe in amazement.
“The love floating between them. You feel rich. When you have four children, the concept of sleep gains an entirely new meaning. You have four possibilities of being disturbed.”
In pictures: Princess Mary’s royal milestones
Read more of this story and see exclusive pictures of Crown Princess Mary in the March issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.
Your say: Do you think you could handle four kids under five?
Video: Watch a diplomat’s husband checking out Princess Mary’s cleavage at a state dinner
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