Getty/ Going Public
Before she met a prince in a pub and became the Queen of Denmark, Mary Donaldson was preparing for something far more ordinary: a career in marketing.
In the months leading up to her now‑famous night out at the Slip Inn, where she met the future King Frederik, she did something almost unimaginable for a royal.
Mary’s work life in mid‑2000 was captured on camera for an ABC business reality series called Going Public — a long‑forgotten chapter of her story that feels almost surreal in hindsight.
The four‑part series followed a group of independent Apple computer resellers who merged to form a new company they hoped to float on the stock exchange. Mary was an account manager for Love, the advertising and PR firm brought in to help them select a name and rebrand.
But the dream unravelled quickly. The business — Buzzle — collapsed into administration, and a $57 million lawsuit was launched against Apple. Parts of Going Public were even played in court, with the judge ruling in Apple’s favour in 2010.
Mary, by then Crown Princess of Denmark, was not involved in the legal proceedings and had done nothing wrong apart from committing a few crimes against fashion on public television.
But revisiting the footage now is like opening a time capsule, and one that reveals far more about her 25 year transformation than you’d ever expect.
See a snippet from the show here:
A striking contrast
Across three episodes, we see a Mary who is far removed from the polished, confident Queen we know today.
Dressed in a succession of unmemorable, off-the-rack black corporate wear, her hair slicked back into a ponytail, Mary slumps in her seat and laughs too loudly off‑camera, yet never utters a word.
She is present, but not yet purposeful. She didn’t even leave a strong impression on her boss at the time, Siimon Reynolds, who simply recalls she was “pleasant” and “inoffensive.”
This is not the woman who holds her own with world leaders or speaks at the UN on serious global issues. There’s an unvarnished quality to her in the years before she learns the power of self‑presentation.
Body language and communication expert Dr Louise Mahler says the contrast is striking.
“Mary must miss those days when the eyes of the world were not on her every move,” she tells me.
“As a young woman in Sydney, she could slouch in the chair, rest her head in her hands and play with her hair in meetings. Not today. This girl from Tasmania has transformed into a real-life Queen with a professional and yet friendly and flexible presence that makes her a leading light in the global public eye.”
That’s precisely why the footage is so compelling. It reveals the raw material of a woman who would go on to build herself into one of the world’s most respected modern consorts.
From reality TV to royalty
Within days of Mary’s part in the series wrapping, she was introduced to a man who called himself “Fred” on a night out.
Perhaps after seeing herself on TV months later — and sensing she didn’t come across her best — Mary quietly enrolled in a Starmakers course, a program designed to build confidence, communication skills and on‑camera presence.
Just weeks later, she was already transforming, becoming deportment and etiquette coach Teresa Page’s star pupil.
“I thought Mary would have made an excellent presenter on TV,” Teresa tells me. “She was just very bright, dynamic, enthusiastic and loved learning. She always wanted to know more.”
Within a few short years, Mary looked completely at home navigating the corridors in Amalienborg Palace. And within a decade, she was one of the most admired women in Europe.
Mary’s story has always been framed as a fairy tale: the Tasmanian girl who met a prince in a bar and became a queen.
“Crown Princess Mary is not an ordinary woman,” former Vogue editor Kirstie Clements wrote in the magazine’s December 2004 cover story. “She had exactly what it takes to be modern royalty all along. Crown Prince Frederik just had to go to Sydney to find her.”
But Going Public quietly disrupts that narrative. It reminds us that Mary didn’t stumble into royal life fully formed. She wasn’t born with innate poise or diplomatic instinct.
She learned it — by watching, studying, listening and absorbing everything she could.
A Queen made by discipline, not destiny
Dr Mahler says Mary’s transformation is so complete that “it is almost impossible to read negative thoughts, boredom or distaste in Mary today”.
“She can smile on demand and still look warm and genuine. She can greet people she does not know and make them feel loved,” she explains.
“Mary is an example of excellence and someone of whom all Australia can be very proud.”
Or, as she puts it more simply: “The girl done good.”
Watching Going Public now, you don’t see a future queen. In fact, if she hadn’t become a royal, you likely wouldn’t have noticed her at all. That is precisely what makes her rise so extraordinary
Because the Mary on that forgotten ABC series is proof that queens aren’t always born but are built through hard work, discipline and humility.
That makes Mary no less remarkable. It makes her even more so.
Read more expert opinion and analysis in WHO’s The Royal Verdict with Kylie Walters here.
