Queen Mary of Denmark just schooled us in how to wear ‘opulent’ velvet in your 50s

On Wednesday evening, she arrived at the premiere of ‘Indenfor Murene’ at the Royal Danish Theatre in the most gorgeous purple velvet suit.

As identified by royal style blogger @royalfashionpolice on Instagram, she rewore her ‘Clove Velvet’ jacket and trousers in the elderberry colour from Temperley London, which she previously wore during the Egyptian president’s state visit to Denmark in late 2024.

We spoke to Tania Leslau, HELLO! Fashion‘s Fashion Features Editor, who broke down the look and explained why the suit is such a brilliant choice, and how it paid homage to a history of royal fashion. She began: “As a fashion history obsessive, I was thrilled to see Queen Mary step out in her Temperley London elderberry-hued velvet suit. 

“Whether intentional or not, the look reads as a subtle homage to the sumptuary laws of the Tudor era, when both purple pigments and plush fabrics like velvet were strictly reserved for royalty and the uppermost nobility due to their extraordinary cost and rarity.”

Emphasising the suit’s connection to a history of symbolism in royal style, our fashion expert continued: “The suit’s tailored silhouette and mesh underlayer offer a touch of modernity, while its opulent construction serves as a reminder of royal fashion’s deep-rooted ties to hierarchy, social status and power dressing.’

It’s been a big week of going to the theatre for Queen Mary, who attended the reopening of the Hofteatret, the Danish royal court theatre, at Christiansborg Palace on the very next day.

The royal style blogger also identified the individual pieces in her second velvet look, namely her velvet peephole dress: the ‘Domino’ dress from Saloni, a piece that she has not yet worn out in public before.

With a slightly more daring collar line and figure-hugging silhouette, it’s on the more audacious side of royal fashion – but it’s not unlike the Danish Queen to push the boundaries of contemporary royal style!

Our fashion expert, Tania, had a similar thought, calling it a “confident choice”. She elaborated: “The florals and dark palette are both elegant and romantic, while the inclusion of a mandarin collar, one of fashion’s most polarising necklines, signals a willingness to push beyond ‘safe’ royal dressing.”