Australian 'Cinderella' readies for fairy tale wedding
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-05-12 09:57

Throw your wishes and cheers at the royal couple as they ride through Copenhagen after Friday's wedding but don't hurl any flowers as they could be mistaken for bombs, police said Tuesday.

Miss Mary Donaldson, soon to be crown princess, and Danish Crown Prince Frederik arrive at Christiansborg castle Wednesday May 11, 2004, to attend the banquet for Danish dignitaries kicking off official wedding celebrations in Denmark. The actual wedding ceremony takes place Friday May 14. [AP]

The romance will bring the Danish capital to a standstill as Crown Prince Frederik, the heir to Europe’s oldest throne, walks down the aisle with Australian Mary Donaldson — the future Crown Princess Mary.

Some 800 guests, including political leaders and royals from throughout Europe and Asia, have been invited to attend the ceremony at Copenhagen’s Our Lady’s Church.

Police estimate that as many as 250,000 people will jam city streets to get a glimpse of the newlyweds in their horse-drawn carriage. Hundreds of thousands more are expected to watch the ceremonies live on TV.

Cars will be banned from the downtown area for the day, except for the four limousines and 80 dark blue S80 sedans provided by Volvo to ferry wedding guests.

It is probably not something Donaldson ever imagined when she and Frederik met at the Slip Inn bar in Sydney, which he visited with Crown Prince Felipe of Spain during the 2000 Olympics.

When Danish media first learned about Frederik’s romance with Donaldson in November 2001, many in the Scandinavian country were puzzled and skeptical.

After moving to Denmark in early 2003, Donaldson got a job with a Danish subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. The pair was seen at private events and Danes immediately adopted her. She officially resigned from the company Oct. 8 when the couple announced their engagement.

Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederick and his Australian fiancee Mary Donaldson watch a fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne on Jan. 25.

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