Just months after Mary Donaldson met her future husband, and soon-to-be king, she decided to "transform herself, and her life".
The Tasmanian-born luxury real estate agent was living in Sydney when she met Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik by chance while he was visiting for the Olympic Games late in 2000.
Formerly working in advertising, she had been living in Bondi Junction when she attended an introductory presentation at Starquest, later called Starmakers, in early 2001.
Deportment teacher and life coach Teresa Page said Mary was seeking a major change.
"She said, 'well, I really want to change my life. I feel like life is passing me by'," Ms Page recalled her saying.
"I'm 28 years old. And I want to change my life."
Mary then handed over her Diners Club Card, and signed up for an eight-week program with the Darlinghurst deportment studio.
Each day she spent hours learning photographic posing, script memorisation, interviewing techniques, stage presentation, and other skills that Ms Page says set her up for the royal duties that followed.
"She has to present herself in public, she's photographed, she meets people, she walks into rooms, greets people, and builds rapport," she said.
"All of those skills require supreme confidence and can be learned to be done in a really confident way, which is rehearsed.
"It's based on very deep and profound shift in your energy, in your style, in your posture, in your movement, in your self confidence in your expression, all of these dimensions that are more invisible rather than the, the normal wardrobe and colours which are more superficial."
Some critics have described deportment classes and finishing schools as old-fashioned, placing too much emphasis on external appearances.
But Ms Page said it's more about defining one's self concept, or personal brand.
Mary was living in Bondi Junction when her flatmate invited her for drinks at the Slip Inn pub on September 16, 2000, where Frederik was attending with his brother Prince Joachim, and other royal dignitaries.
Her eight-week course with Starquest was cut short by one week, due to an engagement with her future prince.
The pair's romance flourished and they married on May 14, 2004, at Copenhagen Cathedral.
After growing up in suburban Hobart, Mary became the first Australian to ever stand in line to become a queen.
On New Year's Eve Queen Margrethe II announced that she would abdicate the throne on January 14, shocking Denmark and the world.
King Frederik X, and Queen Mary will then take over.
Ms Page has only had brief communications with Mary via email over the years since, adding she's "quite busy," these days.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiWGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDI0LTAxLTA0L3ByaW5jZXNzLW1hcnktZGVwb3J0bWVudC1jbGFzc2VzLXN5ZG5leS8xMDMyODI1NzDSAShodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTAzMjgyNTcw?oc=5
2024-01-03 18:20:16Z
CBMiWGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDI0LTAxLTA0L3ByaW5jZXNzLW1hcnktZGVwb3J0bWVudC1jbGFzc2VzLXN5ZG5leS8xMDMyODI1NzDSAShodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTAzMjgyNTcw
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