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  "path": "/royal/queen-mary-confirms-father-death-heartbreaking-statement",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-12T12:33:31.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Locals fume at 'inconsiderate' Pippa Middleton and billionaire husband after closure at estate",
    "Queen continued 'fashion precedent' pioneered by a Tudor monarch",
    "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Australia tour could be 'blueprint for return to UK,' insider claims",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nQueen Mary of Denmark has confirmed the death of her father, Professor John Donaldson, in a heartbreaking statement.\n\nProf Donaldson died in Hobart, Tasmania, at the age of 84, the monarch confirmed.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe Danish royal household announced the news on Sunday.\n\nIn her heartfelt tribute, the Queen expressed profound sorrow at her loss.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"My heart is heavy, and my thoughts are grey. My beloved father has passed away,\" Queen Mary said.\n\n\"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.\"\n\nQueen Mary shared the announcement through the Danish royal family's official Instagram account, accompanied by a black and white photograph she had taken of her father on March 23, 2026.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe academic spent much of his life in Australia, and his death comes just weeks after his daughter and her husband, King Frederik X, completed an official visit to the nation.\n\nDenmark's royal house confirmed Prof Donaldson's health \"has been declining over the past few years.\"\n\nRoyal officials had previously said that the retired academic was too frail to undertake long-haul journeys to Denmark.\n\nQueen Mary visited her father in late March, following the conclusion of the six-day state visit she undertook with King Frederik.\n\n### LATEST ROYAL NEWS\n\n\n\n\n  * Locals fume at 'inconsiderate' Pippa Middleton and billionaire husband after closure at estate\n  * Queen continued 'fashion precedent' pioneered by a Tudor monarch\n  * Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Australia tour could be 'blueprint for return to UK,' insider claims\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe pair \"shared precious time together\" during the trip, the Danish royal house said.\n\nThe Donaldson family has confirmed that a private memorial service will take place at a later date.\n\nBorn in Scotland on 5 September 1941, Mr Donaldson pursued a distinguished career as a Professor of Applied Mathematics.\n\nHe relocated to Tasmania with his first wife, Henrietta Clark Horne, in November 1963, where their youngest daughter, Mary Elizabeth, was born in Hobart in 1972.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nQueen Mary is the youngest of four children born to Prof Donaldson and his wife Henrietta, who served as executive assistant to the vice-chancellor of the University of Tasmania before her death in 1997.\n\nThe Queen has two elder sisters, Jane Stephens and Patricia Bailey, as well as an older brother, John Stuart Donaldson.\n\nThough raised primarily in Australia, the future Danish monarch began her education at Clear Lake City Elementary School in Houston, Texas, while her father worked at the Johnson Space Center.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Queen Mary confirms father's death in heartbreaking statement"
}