Queen Mary shares heartfelt message after the death of her father aged 84

By ZAK WHEELER, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 11:41, 17 April 2026 | Updated: 11:41, 17 April 2026 Queen Mary of Denmark has shared a heartfelt message following her father's death just weeks after she and her husband King Frederik X visited Australia. Professor John Dalgleish Donaldson, the father of Queen Mary, died on April 11 at 84 in Tasmania.  Queen Mary thanked well-wishers on Instagram who have been extending their sympathies since the Danish royal house announced his passing on Sunday.  'My heartfelt thanks to the overwhelming number of messages, flowers and warm thoughts regarding my father's death,' she wrote.  'The enormous amount of empathy has touched us deeply and means more than words can say’. The message was also shared in Danish and many followers responded to the post by sending their thoughts to the grieving Australian-born Queen.  'Sending all our love from Down Under at this sad time,' one person wrote.  'Lots of loving thoughts for this hard time for Queen Mary. So even harder when you now live so far away. Us Danes know that too well,' another said. Queen Mary of Denmark has thanked her supporters for their well wishes following the death of her father Professor John Dalgleish Donaldson Queen Mary thanked everyone who has been supportive in the wake of her father's death Professor Donaldson died at 84 years old on April 11 In announcing Professor Donaldson's passing, his daughter wrote that he would remain with her in spirit, even in death.  'My heart is heavy, and my thoughts are grey. My beloved father has passed away,' Mary said in a statement last week. '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 had been declining over the past few years and 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. The couple welcomed their daughter, Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, on February 5, 1972, in Hobart. Queen Mary's father died just weeks after her first state visit to Australia  Professor Donaldson was able to make it to his daughter's wedding in 2004 but due to his ailing health was unable to attend her coronation in 2024 The now Queen of Denmark arrived in Australia alongside King Frederik X for a six-day state visit running from March 14 to March 19 - the couple's first official trip to the country since ascending the throne in January 2024. At the end of that trip, Mary set aside time to visit her father. The retired mathematics professor had previously missed several significant family milestones due to his frailty - including Princess Isabella's confirmation and Mary's own coronation in Denmark. Royal officials previously confirmed Mr Donaldson was unable to travel long distances because of his health. Mary herself acknowledged the emotional reality at the time, saying: 'He is getting to be an elderly gentleman and he is not well enough to take the long trip back to Denmark for a confirmation, but he is with us in our hearts.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.