The unusual detail in Queen Mary’s surprise return to Australia

Queen Mary of Denmark’s visit to Australia this week may have remained under the radar were it not for one unusual detail.

The Danish Queen and her husband King Frederik X arrived in secrecy before attending a private memorial service for her late father John Donaldson on Wednesday, September 30.

Despite the event being of a private nature, the Danish Royal House added a note to their official diary late on Wednesday afternoon Australian time.

It read: “The King and Queen attend a private memorial service for the Queen’s father, Mr. John Donaldson, in Hobart, Tasmania”.

While unconventional, Ulrik Ulriksen, royal expert for Danish magazine Billed Bladet explained that the special nature of the event led to its inclusion in the diary.

“It is an event in the royal couple’s Australian family, and matters surrounding that part of the family are kept private. We have therefore not seen such family events announced – and especially not in the royal calendar,” he told Billed Bladet.

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Queen Mary returns to Australia in top secret visit to attend late father’s memorial

“It is unusual for the royal house to announce the memorial service. That being said, an event like this is of a special calibre – and tends to be official. Even though the royal house puts a thick line under ‘private’ in the announcement.”

The other reason the Royal House may have added the private event to its diary is because Queen Mary’s father is familiar to Danes who remember him walking her down the aisle at her wedding to King Frederik in 2004.

Donaldson also lived in Denmark in the early 2000s while guest lecturing at Aarhus University.

He passed away in Hobart earlier this year on April 11, aged 84 after years of ailing health.

Speculation that Queen Mary and King Frederik had left Denmark began earlier this week when it was confirmed their 20-year-old son, Crown Prince Christian, was acting as regent in their absence. 

It is not known how long Mary will stay in her home state, but Frederik is due to compete in a sailing competition in St Tropez this weekend. 

The death of Queen Mary’s father was announced by the Royal House in April.

In a statement, the Tasmanian-born queen said: “My heart is heavy and my thoughts are grey. My beloved father is dead.

"But I know that when the grief subsides, the memories will brighten, and what will remain most strongly is the love and gratitude for everything he gave me and taught me."