TL74 “He Meant Everything To Me” Queen Mary Devastated As Father John Donaldson Di.e.s Aged 84
💔“He meant everything to me…” — Heartbreak as Queen Mary’s father, John Donaldson, d.ι.e.s aged 84 just three weeks after her emotional trip from Denmark to Australia, with his heartbreaking final moments leaving everyone in tears… 😞💔
The father of Danish Queen Mary, Professor John Dalgleish Donaldson, has died at 84 years old.
The Danish royal house announced the passing of Prof Donaldson on Sunday, just weeks after King Frederik X and Queen Mary visited Australia.
‘My heart is heavy, and my thoughts are grey. My beloved father has passed away,’ Queen Mary said in a statement.
‘But I know that when the grief settles, the memories will brighten my day, and what will remain strongest is love and gratitude for everything he gave me and taught me.’
Denmark’s royal house said Prof Donaldson’s ‘health has been declining over the past few years’ and Queen Mary visited him in late March.
The family will hold a private memorial service at a later date.
Prof Donaldson was a Professor of Applied Mathematics, born in Scotland on September 5, 1941.
He moved to Tasmania with his first wife, Henrietta Clark Horne, in November 1963.
Professor John Dalgleish Donaldson (above), father of Queen Mary, died in Hobart at age 84
King Frederik X and Queen Mary (above) visited her father in late March
Prof Donaldson (pictured with Queen Mary) had been suffering a decline in health ‘over the past few years’
The couple welcomed their daughter, Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, on February 5, 1972, in Hobart.
More to come…
Queen Mary’s father, Tasmanian professor John Donaldson, dies aged 84
Queen Mary of Denmark said her heart was heavy after her father’s death. Image / File
Queen Mary of Denmark’s father, Hobart-based mathematics professor John Dalgleish Donaldson, has died at the age of 84.
The Danish Royal House announced his death on Sunday, saying the Scottish-born academic had passed away in Hobart, where he had lived for most of his life.
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“My heart is heavy and my thoughts are grey. My beloved father has passed away,” Queen Mary said in a statement..
“But I know that when the grief settles, the memories will brighten my day, and what will remain strongest is love and gratitude for everything he gave me and taught me.”
John Donaldson in March 2026. Image / Supplied
The royal household said Professor Donaldson’s health had been declining for several years.
The Queen last visited her father at the end of March, where the palace said the pair “shared precious time together”.
John Donaldson and Susan Moody with Mary and Frederik on the day their engagement was announced in 2003. Image / Eric Travers/Gamma-Rapho via Getty
Donaldson was born in the fishing village of Cockenzie and Port Seton, Scotland, on September 5, 1941.
He graduated with honours in mathematics and physics from the University of Edinburgh in 1963.
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He emigrated to Tasmania later that year and went on to complete a PhD in applied mathematics at the University of Tasmania in 1967.
His youngest daughter, Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, met Crown Prince Frederik at a Sydney pub during the 2000 Olympics.
Then-Princess Mary with her father John Donaldson on her wedding day. Image / Getty
The couple married in 2004 and Donaldson was appointed to the Order of the Dannebrog.
His first wife Henrietta died in 1997. He later married British crime novelist Susan Horwood in 2001.
The royal family said a private memorial service would be held at a later date.
