Photographed by the famed shooter Mario Testino, the August cover girl talks candidly about where her passions now lie.
“I see my role as not just being a voice of the voiceless, but also being able to be a catalyst for bringing people and relevant actors together,” says Mary, 44, in the issue on sale from July 11.
“I believe that in order to find solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges of today we need to take a holistic approach that requires us to consider the social, environmental and economic aspects and work together in new and innovative partnerships, maybe with people and organisations we wouldn’t have thought about working with before.”
Vogue Australia and Mario visited Copenhagen to photograph the Crown Princess where she also opened two important conferences: the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, which focuses on sustainable practices within the fashion and textile industries, and Women Deliver 2016, the largest global conference on the rights, health and wellbeing of girls and women in the past decade.
“It will take time to create real and sustainable change,” says the princess on the important issues.
“If we are talking about the textile and fashion industry, it is one of the most female-dominated industries in the world and yet many of these working women are voiceless. I do use the platform I have built up over the years as a vocal and passionate voice for the empowerment of women and girls and the protection and respect of their human rights to bring attention to this.”
The patron for some 25 international organisations, however, stopped short of describing herself as a role model in the cover story.
“I find it difficult to speak of myself as a role model, as role models are defined by the individual,” she says.
“It is what they see in a person that gives meaning or inspiration to them that makes another person a role model for them.
“It’s not something I consciously think about. But at the same time, I am very aware of my role and my responsibility. If I can inspire others and if others see something in me that can motivate them, then that’s a big compliment.”