Crown Princess Mary has opened up about the loss of her mother, at the young age of 26, and how this devastating event, has helped shape the woman she is today and made her a stronger person.
Princess Mary’s mother, Henrietta Norton, passed away after suffering from a heart condition in 1997.
Her death inspired Princess Mary to reach out to others who are also suffering after losing a parent.
Speaking to Mads Knudsen Topp, a 15-year-old who is being supported by the organisation Children, Youth and Mourning, which offers advice to children who have lost family members, Mary shared her experience with the teenager.
“I was 26. It happened too early,” Mary said to Mads, adding: “It’s so hard to see what it is so close and so personal, but as you get older, you learn to appreciate the time you had together as a gift. And the loss offers something that you wouldn’t have otherwise. It makes a strong person.
Mary had previously stated how empty and alone she felt after losing her mother. During an interview with a Danish TV and radio station DR, she said: It was “as if nobody understood what I was going through and I had come to a standstill while the whole world around me kept moving forwards.”
“I would have liked to have spent more time with her,” she added.
Mary applauded the work of organisations such as the one she was visiting, adding: “When you feel alone, you feel as if you don’t belong anywhere, like you’re alone in the world. It’s a real and big problem that’s gone unnoticed, so I’m glad that it’s drawing some attention now. There’s still a lot of taboo around it, it’s an issue we have to talk about.”
