In less than a week, Tasmania's own Mary Donaldson will become Queen of Denmark.
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The Australian princess will ascend to the throne on January 14 alongside her husband Crown Prince Frederik after the shock abdication of her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe.
For almost two decades, people around the world have watched this "fairytale come to life" unfold in real-time.
But how does a woman who once worked in a Sydney real estate office wind up ruling a Scandinavian country? And why is a popular queen abdicating after five decades on the throne?
Here's everything you need to know.
Why has Queen Margrethe abdicated?
Europe's longest-reigning monarch announced she would step down from the throne on January 14, citing ongoing health issues and the fallout from undergoing a back surgery in February 2023.
Queen Margrethe, who previously indicated she'd rule until her death, said illness had taken its "toll" on her.
"On 14th January, 2024 - 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father - I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I will hand over the throne to my son Crown Prince Frederik," she told subjects in a New Year's broadcast.
European media reported very few people were aware of the monarch's plan beforehand, with the exception of the Danish Prime Minister, King of Sweden and members of her inner circle.
Who is Mary Donaldson?
The youngest of four children, Mary Elizabeth Donaldson was born at Hobart's Queen Alexandra Hospital on February 5, 1972 to Scottish immigrants John and Henrietta Donaldson (nee Horne).
Her father was an academic and mathematics professor, while her mother worked as an executive assistant.
Mary's mother died in 1997 due to complications following heart surgery.
During her childhood, she spent a year living in Houston, Texas while her father worked at the Johnson Space Center.
Princess Mary graduated from the University of Tasmania with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degree in 1995, later receiving graduate certificates in marketing and advertising.
How did a Tasmanian real estate manager come to marry a European prince?
Mary Donaldson was working in a real estate office when her chance meeting with Prince Frederik occurred during the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
While retellings of the how they met at the Slip Inn at Darling Harbour have varied, it's believed Frederik's brother Prince Joachim, the future King Felipe of Spain and Prince Nikolaos of Greece were celebrating there.
According to reports, Prince Frederik didn't make his royal status immediately known - simply introducing himself as "Fred".
I didn't know he was Prince Frederik. Half an hour later someone came up to me and said, 'Do you know who these people are?
- Princess Mary later recalled of their first meeting
The pair were long-distance until she moved to Denmark in December 2001, before getting officially engaged in October 2003.
Princess Mary and Prince Frederik are parents to four children, Prince Christian (who will become heir apparent after his father assumes the throne), Princess Isabella and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
Will there be a coronation?
Unlike King Charles' lavish ceremony last year, there's much less fanfare about the passing of the Danish crown.
The pair will partake in a more modest ceremony, known as a proclamation, on January 14.
Will the royal couple's titles change?
The Danish Royal household officially confirmed Prince Frederik and Princess Mary will be known as the King and Queen of Denmark from January 14, 2024.
Their eldest son, Prince Christian, will assume the mantle of Crown Prince.
Is Mary actually Scottish?
Aussies were outraged and confused in early January when a number of Scottish tabloids claimed the Princess as their own.
The UK's The Daily Telegraph laid claim to the Crown Princess with the bold headline: "How a Scot became Queen of Denmark".
Her parents and paternal grandparents emigrated from Scotland to Australia before she was born, and Mary held dual British and Australian citizenship before giving them up to join the Danish royal family.
Her father John wore a kilt when walking Mary down the aisle in 2004, and his wedding speech referenced his homeland.
But Mary never lived in Scotland, aside from a three-month stint in her 20s, and never made an official visit there since assuming her royal duties.
Her four children reportedly also tease her for speaking Danish with a slight Australian accent.
How does the Danish monarchy operate?
The Danish monarchy was once elective, and the reigning sovereign chose their successor (though it usually fell to the oldest son).
An inherited monarchy was instituted in 1660, and the country introduced a democratic constitution in 1953.
In 2009, the Act of Succession was amended to ensure the eldest child of the reigning ruler, no matter their gender, was first in line for the throne.
In recent years, Queen Margrethe moved to "future proof" and "streamline" the monarchy, stripping the titles of prince and princess from four grandchildren by her youngest son.
"Holding a royal title involves a number of commitments and duties that, in the future, will lie with fewer members of the royal family," she said in a 2022 statement.
