Crown Princess Mary was born Mary Donaldson in Hobart, Australia. Despite becoming a Danish royal, she has always maintained a strong connection to her Australian roots and in March 2005 she made her first tour of the country since becoming a Princess. While in Sydney for this tour she was the royal guest of honour at a ball for the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Unit.
The institute is named after pioneering cardiac surgeon Victor Chang, who died in 1991, and has a long history of royal association. The original facility was originally opened by the most famous royal of her time, Princess Diana, in late 1995 and Mary has completed numerous events for the Institute as their Honorary Life Governor.
The Institute has a special place in Mary's heart. Her mother died in 1997 due to cardiac issues after having heart surgery. Mary gave a moving speech at the ball where she talked openly about losing her mother at just 26-years-old.
The Crown Princess wore quite a distinctive dress at this occasion. The gown comes from the Fall/Winter 2005 collection of renowned Danish brand By Malene Birger, a popular choice for many Scandinavian royals.
