Speaking about loneliness, the Australian-born royal reflected on the upsetting time remember her mother, Henrietta Donaldson who died in 1997 from a heart condition,
“I felt alone in my pain,” Mary admitted on Danish TV and radio station DR. The Danish broadcaster was exploring the theme of loneliness.
“As if nobody understood what I was going through and I had come to a standstill while the whole world around me kept moving forwards.”
“I would have liked to have spent more time with her,” she added.
Mary was refreshingly candid about how much her mother’s death affected her.
“When you feel alone, you feel as if you don’t belong anywhere, like you’re alone in the world. It’s a real and big problem that’s gone unnoticed, so I’m glad that it’s drawing some attention now. There’s still a lot of taboo around it, it’s an issue we have to talk about.” Mary said openly about the difficult period in her life.
The future Queen of Denmark felt so passionately about the issue of loneliness that in 2011 she set up the Mary Foundation. It gives those who feel socially isolated or excluded the sense that they belong and can contribute to society.
“We have to be able to recognise people who are lonely and reach out to them,” The princess said.
“Loneliness in the short term is perfectly normal, but in the long term, it can destroy social and interpersonal skills.”
These days Mary has her hands full!
Two years after Henrietta’s passing, the Australian beauty met the love of her life, Prince Frederik, and the pair tied the knot in 2004.
They’ve since broadened their family and welcomed four children; Christian, Isabella and her youngest, twins Vincent and Josephine.
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