Queen Mary's father John Donaldson has died in Tasmania just three weeks after she made the trip from Denmark to Australia

By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 07:35, 12 April 2026 | Updated: 07:56, 12 April 2026 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.  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.