in 2010. She is pictured here surrounded by (left to right):
Frederik;
Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands;
Máxima of the Netherlands;
Mette-Marit of Norway; and
Beatrix of the Netherlands. Following the wedding, the Crown Prince couple embarked upon a summer working-tour of mainland Denmark aboard the royal yacht
Dannebrog, then travelled to Greenland and the
2004 Athens Olympics. In 2005, during the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of
Hans Christian Andersen, the royal family was involved in related events throughout the year. Mary and Frederik marked the anniversary in London, New York, and in Australia, where she was made Honorary Hans Christian Andersen Ambassador to Australia in the Utzon Room of the
Sydney Opera House. After becoming Crown Princess, Mary made a number of international visits, and Frederik and Mary participated in the reburial ceremonies for Empress
Maria Feodorovna in Denmark and
Saint Petersburg in 2005. In November 2009, Mary made a surprise visit to Danish soldiers in
Helmand Province, Afghanistan. One of her stops was
FOB Armadillo. During a
Council of State on 2 October 2019, the Queen's request to appoint Mary a
rigsforstander, a functioning regent when the monarch or the heir is out of the country, was approved by
the government. After having sworn to respect the
Danish constitution, she became the first person not born into the royal family to assume the position of rigsforstander since
Queen Ingrid in 1972. Mary was voted Woman of the Year 2008 by the Danish magazine
Alt for damerne, donating her cash reward to charity. She was interviewed by
Parade Magazine (US), on television programs of
Andrew Denton (Australia), and by
USA Today (US).
Patronages and interests Since 2004, Mary has steadily worked to establish her relationships with various organisations, their issues, missions, programmes and staff. Her patronages range across areas of culture, the fashion industry, humanitarian aid, support for research and science, social and health patronages and sport. The organisations of which she is patron have reported positive outcomes through their relationships with her and there are various reports in the Danish media and on some of the organisations' websites about her being quite involved in her working relationship with them. She is currently involved in supporting anti-obesity programs through the
World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe. In the context of
immigrant issues in Denmark, Mary has visited the disadvantaged migrant areas of Vollsmose (2006), Gellerup (2007), and Viborg (2010), and has participated in integration projects including the teaching of the Danish language to refugees. As patron of the Danish
Refugee Council, Mary visited Uganda (2008) and East Africa (2011) and supports fundraising for the region. Mary has played an active role in promoting an anti-bullying program based on an Australian model through the auspices of Denmark's
Save the Children. She is also involved in a campaign to raise awareness and safe practices among Danes about skin cancer through The Danish Cancer Society. Mary is also an Honorary Life Governor of the
Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute based at the Garvan Institute/
St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, a member of the International Committee of Women Leaders for Mental Health and a member of various sporting clubs (riding, golf and yachting). In June 2010, it was announced that Mary had become Patron of UNFPA, the
United Nations Population Fund, "to support the agency's work to promote maternal health and safer motherhood in more than 150 developing nations". Mary lends her support to a number of other "one-off" Danish causes, industry events, and international conferences. In 2011, the Westmead Cancer Centre at
Westmead Hospital in Sydney was renamed the Crown Princess Mary Cancer Care Centre Westmead. Mary is an active patron of Denmark's third-highest-earning export industry, the fashion industry, and is Patron of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit.
The Mary Foundation On 11 September 2007, Mary announced the establishment of the at an inaugural meeting at
Amalienborg Palace. The foundation's aim is to improve lives compromised by environment, heredity, illness, or other circumstances that can isolate or exclude people socially. The initial funds of DKK 1.1 million were collected in Denmark and Greenland and donated to Frederik and Mary as a wedding gift in 2004. Mary is Chairwoman of eight trusts. In 2014, she received a
Bambi Award for her work with the foundation.
LGBT rights In 2016, on the
International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, Mary gave a speech on LGBT rights at a forum in Copenhagen hosted by the Danish government. She called for an end to discrimination, oppression, and violence against people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. In January 2018, Mary delivered her speech on LGBTQ+ equality at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. On 25 April 2018, she was invited to present the honorary award to
LGBT Danmark at the Danish Rainbow Awards – AXGIL 2018. She thus became the first member of the royal family to attend the Danish Rainbow Awards. She also attended the awards ceremony in 2019 and 2020. In 2020, Mary spoke at
Copenhagen Pride's virtual pride festival. In October 2019, it was announced that Mary would serve as patron of
WorldPride Copenhagen 2021, making her the first ever royal to serve as patron for a major LGBT event. She carried out numerous engagements in connection with the event and also gave the closing speech of the week-long celebrations on 21 August 2021. ==Public image and style==