King and Queen attend memorial for Queen Mary’s father

King Frederik and Queen Mary are attending a private memorial for the Queen’s father, John Donaldson, on Tasmania, DR reports.

Donaldson, a mathematics professor who was born in Scotland, died aged 84 on 11 April. The memorial is being held on Tasmania, where Queen Mary is from.

“My beloved father has died. But I know that when the grief subsides, the memories will light up, and what will remain strongest is the love and gratitude for everything he gave me and taught me,” the Queen said in a statement after his death.

The royal family had previously said the decision to hold a private memorial at a later date had been made by the family. During a state visit to Australia in March, the Queen visited her father in Hobart. The palace said they shared several “good and meaningful moments” together.

Donaldson was widely recognised in 2004 when, wearing a kilt, he escorted his daughter down the aisle at her wedding to Frederik, then Denmark’s crown prince.