Queen Mary of Denmark Shares Hilariously Relatable Parenting Moment

The royal mom of four says her two daughters raid her closet...sometimes.

Queen Mary of Denmark on the balcony at Frederik VIII's Palace, Amalienborg on May 26, 2024 in Copenhagen, Denmark. HM The King turns 56 years old on 26 May 2024.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Queen Mary of Denmark is sharing a relatable parenting moment involving her two daughters.

Recently, the royal mom of four gave the opening address at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, advocating for a more sustainable fashion industry and significant action to combat the negative, disastrous impact of climate change.

"Our planet is beautiful and fragile and we have a responsibility to protect and preserve it for our children and coming generations,'' Queen Mary said at the time, as reported by The North West Star.

''Let's all imagine...a fashion industry that gives more than it takes from people and planet," she continued.

Known to be a royal who shamelessly and intentionally wears the outfits and gowns to extravagant events more than once, the Queen also revealed that her two daughters are now old enough to fit into her clothes and shoes.

(Sustainability! Yay!)

Queen Mary of Denmark on the balcony at Frederik VIII's Palace, Amalienborg on May 26, 2024 in Copenhagen, Denmark. HM The King turns 56 years old on 26 May 2024.

Queen Mary of Denmark on the balcony at Frederik VIII's Palace, Amalienborg on May 26, 2024 in Copenhagen, Denmark. HM The King turns 56 years old on 26 May 2024. 

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Unfortunately, Queen Mary explained, her daughters aren't what anyone would consider to be fans of her wardrobe.

''But the age gap means they wouldn't be caught dead in them,'' she said. "However, when they will be seen in something that is mine, it always brings a smile to my face.''

Royal parents, they're just like us! Kinda...

The Queen was seemingly unbothered by her daughters' inability to appreciate most the clothes in her closet, and instead urged attendees to realize that "new clothing is no longer seen in opposition to used clothing."

An estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste (i.e. clothes) is created globally each year, according to a report from the BBC. In the United States alone, an estimated 85% of all textiles are thrown away, amounting to roughly 13 million tonnes of waste in 2017 alone.

Prince Vincent, Princess Josephine, King Frederik X, Queen Mary, Crown Prince Christian, Queen Margrethe and Princess Isabella celebrate King Frederick's birthday at Frederik VIII's Palace, Amalienborg on May 26, 2024 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Prince Vincent, Princess Josephine, King Frederik X, Queen Mary, Crown Prince Christian, Queen Margrethe and Princess Isabella celebrate King Frederick's birthday at Frederik VIII's Palace, Amalienborg on May 26, 2024 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Queen Mary of Denmark is the proud mom of four children—Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 16, and 12-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.

Recently, Queen Mary and her husband King Frederik celebrated their 20th anniversary, and after a rollercoaster year that included Queen Margrethe’s surprise abdication and persistent rumors of an alleged affair.

When Queen Mary met her husband, she said she had no idea he was a royal family member.

“The first time we met, we shook hands,” the Queen once recalled. “I didn’t know he was the prince of Denmark. Half an hour later, someone came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who these people are?’”

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.