King Frederik and Queen Mary
Danish Palace releases new portrait
Queen Mary and Queen Frederik X pose in the Green Room for their first gala portrait.
© Steen Evald, Kongehuset
The Danish palace has shared the first gala portrait of King Frederik and Queen Mary. Mary is wearing a historical tiara.
Around three months after his accession to the throne, the Danish palace has its first gala portrait of the king Frederik
The photo was taken by photographer Steen Evald in the Green Room at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. According to the announcement, in the future it will be seen in government institutions such as Danish embassies and consulates around the world as well as on Danish ships. The portrait shows Frederik and Mary in their dress uniforms with the Order of the Elephant.
Queen Mary wears her emerald tiara for the first time
While King Frederik poses in military uniform, Queen Mary wears a deep blue velvet dress with dark green lace sleeves and, for the first time, the emerald parure – the only set of the Danish Crown Jewels to include a tiara. The tiara was made in 1840 by a Hessian jeweler for Queen Caroline Amalie (1796-1881). The majority of the emeralds are said to have been in the possession of the Danish royal family since 1723. The jewelry set also includes a necklace, a brooch and a pair of hanging earrings.
By the way: When the emerald parure is not being worn by Queen Mary, it is on display behind bulletproof glass in the treasury of the museum at Rosenborg Castle. It is also tradition that the Danish crown jewels are not allowed to leave the country and can only be worn by the queen.
Frederik’s mother, Queen Margrethe (84), first wore the set for the New Year celebrations in 1974 – two years after she ascended the throne. She last wore it in November 2023 at a large gala dinner in honor of the Spanish royal couple.
The former monarch surprised in her New Year’s speech in 2024 by announcing that she would abdicate as queen in January after 52 years. On January 14th she handed over the throne to her eldest son Frederik.