Queen Mary of Denmark steps down as patron of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation

Queen Mary of Denmark has unexpectedly ended her support for an Australian charity close to her heart, the Alannah and Madeline Foundation.

The non-profit organisation was founded in memory of two little girls who died in the Port Arthur massacre, one of the darkest days in the history of Mary’s home state of Tasmania.

On 28 April 1996, a lone wolf named Martin Bryant killed 35 people and wounded 23 others in the tourist town of Port Arthur, the deadliest massacre in modern Australian history.

Three of his victims were Alannah and Madeline Mikac, aged six and three, and their mother Nanette.

A year after the tragedy, the girls’ father, Walter Mikac AM, established the Alannah and Madeline Foundation in memory of his daughters. Its mission is to protect all children from violence.

Mary has been an international patron of the foundation for 19 years, which has grown into one of Australia’s best-known charities and is now based in Victoria.

“We express our sincere thanks and gratitude to Her Majesty for her tremendous support, kindness and inspiration as our international patron since 2005,” the Alannah and Madeline Foundation said in a statement.

‘As we thank Queen Mary for her inspiration and support, we reflect on the extraordinary journey we have been on with her over the years.’

Queen Mary of Denmark has unexpectedly ended her support for an Australian charity close to her heart, the Alannah and Madeline Foundation.

Queen Mary has been a fierce advocate for mental health since she first appeared on the world stage, describing it as ‘one of the greatest challenges of our time’.

The reason the Queen is withdrawing from the foundation mainly has to do with the logistics surrounding her new title.

After Hobart-born Mary assumed the title of Queen of Denmark in January, a controversial “review of existing royal patrons” took place, angering some of her Danish constituents and resulting in the abolition of the Australian charity.

Queen Mary still has close ties to her homeland and was last in her native Australia with her family for the Christmas holidays last year.

Mary was an international patron of the foundation for 19 years, which has become one of Australia’s most famous charities and is now based in Victoria. Pictured with King Frederick at a gala dinner for the Alannah and Madeline Foundation in Melbourne in 2009

It takes place during a period of great change at Amalienborg Palace, after Maria was appointed queen.

Queen Maria and King Frederik have likely angered thousands of Danes by sending a “clear message” about their new rule, after months of investigation into their rumoured marital problems.

The newly-minted royals have decided to drastically limit the number of charities and community organisations the royal family can support at any one time.

This removes 118 groups from the official list of royal patrons, leaving 140 that can be represented by the family.

“We express our sincere thanks and gratitude to Her Majesty for her tremendous support, kindness and inspiration as our international patron since 2005,” the Alannah & Madeline Foundation said in a statement.

“Through our royal patronage, we want to support efforts that advance Danish culture, science and enterprise, protect our nature and give a voice to the marginalized and vulnerable in our society,” the King and Queen said in a statement.

‘This long-standing tradition brings us together in small and large communities.’

Copenhagen Zoo was removed from the list of institutions supported by Queen Mary, despite the fact that an entire section of the zoo was named after her.

The Danish Golf Association, the Danish Swimming Association, the Odense Flower Festival, the Greenland Christmas Stamp Fund and the Hearing Committee have also been cut.

The royals will also only sign up as patrons of a particular group for a period of five years, after which the charity or organisation must reapply to be considered.

“The time limit means that the Royal Family has the continued opportunity to take on new sponsors as society develops,” the royals said.

The non-profit organisation was established in memory of two little girls who died in the Port Arthur massacre, one of the darkest days in the history of Mary’s home state of Tasmania. Mary is pictured at an event for the Alannah & Madeline Foundation in November 2011

It is the first time since the couple ascended to the throne that a policy issue has taken precedence over the couple’s alleged romantic differences.

Royal expert and Danish historian Sebastian Olden-Jørgensen said the reorganization would cause much discontent and have enormous financial consequences for the organizations that have been cut off.

However, he does think that the new king and queen will opt for fewer patronages so that they can invest more time and effort in each other.

“Now they have to deliver. The royals have to show that if you are a member of the Royal House, you will actually participate in the protectorates. And the fact that they have a time limit is another promise that there will be activity,” he said. BT

As Crown Princess, Mary had 36 patronages to her name. Now as Queen, she has only 23, some of which have never been represented by the Crown before.

The Queen added the Danish Hospital Clowns, a group she previously posted about on Instagram, and WeShelter, which focuses on particularly disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in the country.

She has also chosen to represent the Independent Research Fund Denmark and to continue her work for the UNEP Patron of Biodiversity and the Danish Nature Fund.

The Queen has accepted patronage of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, the Danish Cancer Society and Diakonissestiftelsen, a health care organisation founded in 1863 by Queen Louise on behalf of Queen Margrethe.

After Hobart-born Mary assumed the title of Queen of Denmark in January, a controversial ‘review of existing royal patrons’ took place that angered some of her Danish constituents and led to the Australian charity being scrapped

Only 16 groups from her previous portfolio survived the drastic changes.

King Frederik’s portfolio has also changed dramatically: he now only has eight of his old patronages, while the total number of patronages has fallen from 32 to 27.

The King has taken on 14 of his mother’s sponsorships, including the American-Scandinavian Foundation, the Danish Bible Society, the Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF), The Greenlandic House and the Royal Danish Geographical Society.

He also chose to become ‘patron of the North Atlantic House in Odense and Projekt Koltur in the Faroe Islands, both of which aim to promote knowledge of the Kingdom’s culture and nature, and of the Danish Architecture Centre, the Brain Prize and the Léonie Sonning Music Prize, each of which in their own way emphasise Danish design, science and culture in an international context.’

The King is expanding his involvement in the green agenda as patron of The Copenhagen Climate Ministerial.

His mother, Queen Margrethe, saw her portfolio shrink drastically: from 81 to 20 groups and organizations.

Prince Joachim will represent just 24 groups and organisations, down from 40. And Princess Benedikte will also work with a slimmed-down portfolio, down from 44 to just 25.

Princess Marie, Joachim’s wife, will be given more responsibilities and has agreed to become patron of the Prince Henrik School and the Stop Wasting Food organization.

She will also take over the patronage of King Frederik of the Danish Dyslexia Association and the patronage of Queen Mary of Hjernesagen, an organization for people affected by brain injuries.

Queen Mary has maintained close ties with her home country and was last back in her native Australia last year for the Christmas holidays with her family.

On January 14, all patronages were suspended when Queen Mary and King Frederick ascended the throne.

Since then, there has been discussion within the royal family about the division and who they should work with.

King Frederik and Queen Mary want to make it clear that they will continue to work outside their patronages. While the list of patronages of both royal families reflects their passions and interests, it is ‘far from a complete overview’.

The majority of the 4,500 official annual programme components of the Royal House consist of visits to institutions, organisations, companies and governments that are not part of the patronage portfolio.