- Queen Mary has been holding down the fort since the fall of Queen Margaret.
- The Australian-born royal has reportedly taken on the primary role of regent.
Queen Mary of Denmark has been in charge since her mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe, was hospitalized after a fall.
The Australian-born royal took over as regent over the weekend as her husband King Frederick was out of the country.
A regent is someone who steps in to govern the state when the monarch is unable to fulfill his or her duties.
This is the first time that the mother of four children has assumed the role of Frederick, although Maria had already been regent during Margaret’s reign.
The 84-year-old monarch abdicated in January to allow her son, King Frederick, to succeed her.
Margrethe suffered an injury to her neck vertebra and a fractured left hand in a fall during her stay at Fredensborg Castle last week.
She is now recovering at home after being discharged on Friday.
Queen Mary of Denmark has been in charge since her mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe, was hospitalized after a fall.
On Monday, her daughter-in-law Queen Mary shared an update during an event in Copenhagen.
“In these circumstances, she is doing very well,” Queen Mary told Danish magazine Billed Bladet.
“I have had the opportunity to visit her several times since she returned home.”
An official statement from the Danish Royal Palace updating the Queen’s condition said: “Queen Margrethe is in good spirits and doing well under the circumstances, but will be on sick leave for a longer period.”
In 2019, then-Crown Princess Mary signed a declaration allowing her to act as regent.
“As interim regent, the Crown Princess will now be able to carry out the Queen’s duties as head of state when the Queen and the Crown Prince are unable to do so, for example during a stay abroad,” an official statement said at the time.
The Australian-born royal reportedly took on the lead role of regent over the weekend as her husband King Frederick was out of the country.
The 84-year-old woman suffered an injury to her neck vertebrae and a fracture to her left hand during the fall while at Fredensborg Castle last week.
Earlier this year, Maria and Frederick’s eldest son, Prince Christian, acted as regent during his father’s absence.
As the king’s eldest son and heir to the Danish throne, Christian is the “vice regent” and the role of head of state falls to him rather than to Frederick’s wife, Queen Mary.
Should he be unable to fulfil his duties, the job will fall to Mary, then Prince Joachim and then Princess Benedicta.
Queen Mary has had a turbulent year after her husband was spotted in Madrid with socialite Genoveva Casanova.
The friends were photographed together in a Spanish magazine, sparking rumours of a whirlwind romance.
The Mexican-born socialite categorically denied having an affair with the then Crown Prince, and the Danish Palace simply said that they do not comment on rumours.
