Queen Mary Wears Denmark's Crown Jewels for the First Time in New Portrait

Queen Mary Wears Denmark's Crown Jewels for the First Time in New Portrait

On January 14, King Frederik ascended to the Danish throne, succeeding his mother, Queen Margrethe, who made the shocking decision to abdicate. Today, the Danish royal court is sharing the first official gala portraits of King Frederik and his wife, Queen Mary.

Per the Court, "The portrait shows Their Majesties in gala with the Order of the Elephant on chains, and the portrait can henceforth be seen hung in, among other places, state institutions, including at Danish embassies and consulates around the world and on Danish vessels." The portraits were taken by photographer Steen Evald in the Green Room in The Royal Reception Rooms at Christiansborg Palace.

Notably, Queen Mary wears Denmark's crown jewels for the first time in the portrait:

king frederik queen mary official gala portraits
Steen Evald/Kongehuset

Per the Danish royal court, the crown jewels consist of "the emerald set with tiara, necklace, earrings and a large brooch that can be divided in three parts." They add, "The emerald set is one of the four jewellery sets, or garnitures, which are at the disposal [of] The Queen of Denmark and are ordinarily on display in The Treasury at Rosenborg Castle." The emerald crown jewels were designed by C.M. Weisshaupt and originally given as a gift to Queen Caroline Amalie in 1840, and they remain in Denmark at all times.

In King Frederik's portrait, he is wearing the Navy's full-dress uniform. Around his neck, he sports the Grand Commander Cross, the Order of Dannebrog's highest rank, and the Order of the Elephant on a chain:

king frederik queen mary official gala portraits
Steen Evald/Kongehuset

These gala portraits are not to be confused with the official accession portraits, which were shared in January.


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