ET-198 is decorated with their official monograph.">
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Denmark prepares for an unusual wedding celebration

May 11, 2004 (by Lieven Dewitte) - In a fairy-tale romance which had its beginnings in the heady days of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Australian-born Mary Donaldson becomes Crown Princess of Denmark at her wedding on May 14th to Danish Crown Prince Frederik. To commemorate this wedding, the tail of the Danish F16 ET-198 is decorated with their official monograph.

RDAF F-16BM #ET-198 in a special color scheme to cellebrate the wedding on Friday May 14th, 2004 between Prince Frederik of Denmark and Miss Mary Elsabeth Donnaldson from Tasmania, showing their official monograph on its tail, seen at Aalborg AB on May 10th, 2004. [Photo by Erik Frikke]

The wedding will be held in the Copenhagen cathedral Vor Frue Kirke (Church of Our Lady) at 16.00 CET.

The wedding celebrations include performances by Australian musicians and bands, the serving of Australian food and wine, and a yacht race between Australian and Danish yachtsmen with Prince Frederik on board the Danish yacht and Mary Donaldson on the Australian yacht.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark officially announced on October 8, 2003 Crown Prince Frederik's engagement to Ms. Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, a lawyer from Tasmania, Australia.

Ms. Donaldson, 32, met the heir to one of Europe's oldest monarchies over drinks at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. The Prince was in Australia with the Danish sailing team.

They met at the Slip Inn Bar in Sydney following the Olympic opening ceremony on September 15, 2000. She was unaware who Prince Frederik, 35, was but the two just clicked.

Six months later, reports emerged from Denmark that an Australian lawyer had captured the Prince's heart. The "mystery woman" was later identified as Mary Donaldson.


Additional images:

RDAF F-16BM #ET-198 in a special color scheme to cellebrate the wedding on Friday May 14th, 2004 between Prince Frederik of Denmark and Miss Mary Elsabeth Donnaldson from Tasmania, showing their official monograph on its tail, photographed during the official inauguration flight on May 5th, 2004. [RDAF photo]

RDAF F-16BM #ET-198 in a special color scheme to cellebrate the wedding on Friday May 14th, 2004 between Prince Frederik of Denmark and Miss Mary Elsabeth Donnaldson from Tasmania, showing their official monograph on its tail, coming in at Aalborg AB on May 10th, 2004. [Photo by Erik Frikke]