'My heart is heavy': Queen Mary announces death of 'beloved father' John Donaldson, aged 84

The Danish Royal House made the announcement "with great sadness" in a statement on Sunday afternoon AEST.

Queen Mary, 54, was able to see her father for the final time in March in Hobart at the end of her and King Frederik X's state visit to Australia.

In a statement the Tasmanian-born queen said: "My heart is heavy and my thoughts are grey".

"My beloved father is dead," Queen Mary said.

"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."

Donaldson died on April 11. He is survived by his wife, Susan Moody, and his children and grandchildren.

A private memorial service will take place at a later date, the palace said.

It is not known whether Queen Mary will return to Australia for the funeral or memorial.

The Danish royal family's official website has changed to that of a page of condolence, where well-wishers can send a message to the queen and her family.

Donaldson and his first wife, Henrietta, had four children: Jane Stephens, Patricia Bailey, John Donaldson and Queen Mary.

Queen Mary's mother died in November 1997 of complications from heart surgery.

John Donaldson wore a kilt in a nod to his Scottish birth when his daughter married Denmark's heir on May 14, 2004.

Queen Mary and her father "had several good and present moments together" when they last saw each other in March, the palace said.

The state visit to Australia ended in Hobart on March 19 and the queen remained in Tasmania for a few days with her family before returning to Denmark.

A photo shared to announce Donaldson's death was taken by Queen Mary on March 23.

One of Mary's sisters, Patricia Bailey, was at the state reception inside Government House, which was the final engagement of the historic six-day tour.

"I'm a bit lost for words, I'm a bit overwhelmed," Queen Mary said.

"But thank you everyone for being here. Last night [Wednesday] I ended a speech in Melbourne saying how privileged I am that my roots are grounded both in Australia and Denmark.

"But they do go a little bit deeper in Tasmania.

"There really isn't a more special place to end what has been a unique, rewarding, moving, exciting, curious tour – state visit – to Australia from Denmark."

The queen nodded towards her sister when she made reference to her "family and friends" in Tasmania.

Donaldson had been unable to travel to Denmark for some time due to his age and ailing health.

Queen Mary hugged her elder sister Patricia during the state reception in Hobart on March 19.

He moved to Copenhagen soon after Mary became engaged to Denmark's then-heir to the throne.

Donaldson, a professor of applied mathematics, taught at Aarhus University and the University of Copenhagen before returning to Australia with his wife.

When Mary married then-Crown Prince Frederik on May 14, 2004, Donaldson walked his daughter down the aisle of Copenhagen Cathedral to to an emotional Crown Prince Frederik who was holding back tears.

Speaking about the royal wedding in a documentary to mark her 50th birthday in 2022, Mary said: "When I see my dad I think, 'wow'.

"He looks as though he is enjoying everything to the fullest," she said.

"He's smiling and he looks so proud."

Mary rarely speaks about her Australian family who have tried – and succeeded – in staying out of the spotlight.

But putting them through "a wedding of that magnitude", Mary said, was something she felt "guilty" about.

Queen Mary was able to spend time with her father in Hobart at the end of the state visit.

"My family are people who are firmly down to earth. I felt a little guilty about exposing them to something which for them was so unreal.

"I had gotten used to some of it. But they were happy on our behalf."

The journalist who interviewed Mary for the documentary said she appeared "calm" throughout her wedding day and asked whether she had inherited that trait from her father.

"I would probably say that. I also think mother was very calm," she said.

The queen's father was born John Dalgleish Donaldson in Scotland on September 5, 1941, and Mary wanted to include nods to her Scottish heritage and Australian upbringing when she married Frederik.

For her coat of arms as Crown Princess, Mary chose a MacDonald eagle and black boat to symbolise her Scottish ancestry along with a blue section with two Commonwealth stars to represent her Australian roots.

As for her personal symbol Mary chose a gold rose, the coat of arms topped off with a heraldic crown of a Crown Prince of Denmark.

Donaldson was also granted a coat of arms when his daughter married into the Danish royal family.

His is a near perfect match to his daughter's, symbolising their close bond, with just a few small tweaks.

Instead of a gold rose, the mathematician used a gold infinity symbol as his personal symbol, and his is topped with a helmet rather than a crown.

Both coats of arms now sit in the Danish Chapel of the Royal Orders, where the father and daughter coats are clearly recognisable for their striking similarities.

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