Queen Mary shared a heartfelt perspective on the highs and lows of parenthood during a surprise speech at her latest engagement.
The Danish royal attended Realdania’s Our Quality of Life conference at Lokomotivværkstedet in Copenhagen on Thursday, where she addressed attendees on the subject of well-being and life satisfaction.
The conference coincided with the release of Realdania’s comprehensive study on quality of life, which surveyed 122,000 people across Denmark to explore the factors influencing happiness. The study’s publication also aligned with the International Day of Happiness on 20 March.
Looking elegant in a Sixties-inspired Prada dress, Queen Mary captivated the audience as she spoke candidly about the emotional journey of raising children.
She began her speech by posing a thought-provoking question: “‘Overall, how satisfied are you with your life right now?’—one of the key queries in Realdania’s new study.”
Turning to the realities of parenthood, she asked the audience: “How many people here have children? You know the joys—and sorrows—of being a parent.”
She went on to highlight a surprising finding from research: “Studies show—to my great surprise—that new parents experience a significant drop in happiness, which only stabilizes once their children move out. And yet, we would never trade our children for anything… well, almost never.”
She added: “Having children is a prime example of how meaning in life doesn’t always align with experiencing the highest levels of joy.”
Queen Mary and her husband, King Frederik, are parents to four teenage children: Crown Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
Their eldest, Christian, embarked on a gap year last September, spending three months in East Africa working on farms and learning about conservation. Meanwhile, Isabella is set to celebrate her milestone 18th birthday next month with a youth-centered event and a special theatre performance.
A longtime advocate for health and well-being, Queen Mary has dedicated much of her work to supporting women and children. In 2007, while still Crown Princess, she founded The Mary Foundation to help individuals facing social isolation.
Earlier this week, she resumed public engagements following a brief illness, visiting a school as part of the School Force initiative, which aims to improve student well-being.
