The new Danish Queen's Scottish cousins have made a candid admission about Crown Princess Mary's rise.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, 51, has a very humble background as she was born in Australia to Scottish parents.
The future Queen’s family is from a fishing village in East Lothian, where many of her close relatives still live.
Sandra Flockhart, Mary’s first cousin once removed, said: "We got a real shock when we saw on the news that Queen Margrethe was abdicating.
New Danish Queen's Scottish cousins make candid admission on Mary's rise
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"It still hasn’t quite sunk in that we are so closely related to the soon-to-be Queen of Denmark. It’s lovely news and we are so happy for her dad, my cousin John. He will be so proud.
"Mary is a lovely girl, always smiling and happy to talk to anyone. She doesn’t have any airs or graces."
Flockhart added: "We last saw her a few months before she got married in 2004. She came to Port Seton to look around and visit my mum, her Great Auntie Margaret, who she was quite close to.
"She popped over to our back garden for a quick chat and went down to the harbour to see where her dad’s family had their fishing boat.
Princess Mary and Prince Frederik at King Charles's Coronation in May earlier this yearPA"She then went to the local bowling club with her “Tantie Margaret”– as she called her – for a Tia Maria.
"My mum was invited to Denmark for the wedding and it was one of the highlights of her life – she spoke about it for the rest of her days.
"She was sitting at the front, not far from the Queen, and later sat next to Sir Roger Moore at dinner. It was a real spectacle.
"We all went to the bowling club when she got back to watch the ceremony on a big screen.
Crown Princess Mary photographed with Princess Kate in Denmark in 2022
PA"Mary’s family are very well known in Port Seton and everybody wished her well.
"My mum was always on the phone to Australia and went over to visit Mary’s family a few times before she moved to Denmark. She was very fond of Mary and was her link to Scotland.
"It all feels a million miles away from our life here in Port Seton. We are just normal, working-class folk."
Another cousin, Winifred Brown, told The Mail: "I was on holiday in Blackpool when I found out Mary was to become Queen. It was quite a shock.
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Reuters"I think she will make a wonderful Queen. She is warm and charming and will really be able to connect with normal folk. It’s special to think we are related to royalty.
"My children, who are a bit younger than Mary, were surprised when I told them she was going to be Queen.
"Our life here in Port Seton is a world away from royal palaces but I wish her well and hope she visits Scotland again someday."
Queen Margrethe II will officially abdicate the throne on January 14, making her son Crown Prince Frederick and his wife Mary the country’s new monarchs.