"Weightless love": Mary celebrates 17 years as Australia's Princess
<p>Mary Donaldson over twenty years ago could have never guessed her life would have been the fairy tale of all fairy tales, when she met her future-husband in 2000 in Sydney bar.</p>
<p>The world has been gripped by Mary ever since she first met the future king of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik.</p>
<p>The pair met during the Sydney Olympics, at the Opera Bar on the harbour, and a little over four years later, they were walking down the aisle of the Copenhagen Cathedral.</p>
<p>One of the most breath-taking moments was the moment the world saw Mary in her elegant gown by Danish designer Uffe Frank.</p>
<p>It was made of breath-taking ivory duchess satin, and the skirt was lined with 31 metres of tulle.</p>
<p>The bride was walked down the aisle by her father, John Donaldson, who made headlines for his traditional Scottish kilt.</p>
<p>To pay homage to her homeland, Australia, for her wedding bouquet, she opted for a flowing trail of eucalyptus, roses, and a sprig of myrtle from Fredonsborg Palace.</p>
<p>Mary was an ethereal vision, and it was her husband who appeared to shed the first tear.</p>
<p>At their reception, the prince set out to honour his new bride by saying: "I love her, and I will protect her with all my heart. I will do my best to make her feel at home in her new country".</p>
<p>The royal did not skip over Mary’s father, who he addressed in his opening when he said: "Dear John, what a privilege, what a thrill, what an extraordinary feeling of happiness you have created in me," Frederik said.</p>
<p>"One might say Mary also belongs to you - but as of today, she belongs to me and I belong to her."</p>
<p>Prince Frederik also shared the moment he first laid eyes on his wife.</p>
<p>"I found myself in an unknown country amongst happy, festive foreigners," he said.</p>
<p>"My only luggage at that time was my high expectations of my visit and a certain degree of confidence.</p>
<p>"I had only been in Australia two days before our fates were sealed, even though neither of us was aware of it. But your radiance shone clearly for me from our very first meeting.</p>
<p>"Since then I have been blinded by it and totally dependent on it."</p>
<p>Crown Prince Frederik described his wife as the sun that "melts all doubt and darkness".</p>
<p>"I love you Mary. Come, let us go, come let us see. Throughout a thousand worlds, weightless love awaits.</p>
<p>"The joy and the strength you give me is like the sun in the daytime which, with its radiance, melts all doubts and darkness on earth.</p>
<p>"And like the moon at night, you shine with a watchful and delicate beam of gentleness, which extinguishes the mischief and deceit used by the symbols of darkness."</p>
<p>17 years later, it seems love is still at the heart of the royal pair’s relationship.</p>
<p>The couple share four children together, Prince Christian, 15, Princess Isabella, 14, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 10.</p>
<p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>
