March will be a particularly significant month for Queen Mary of Denmark. On 14 March, the Danish monarchs will depart for Australia for a state visit, marking the Queen’s most personal trip to date, during which she will strengthen, for the first time, her ties with her country of origin.
No one would have imagined that the woman who now wears the most emblematic jewels of the Danish Royal Court would ascend to the throne alongside her current husband, King Frederik X. Mary, born in Tasmania, Australia, will now travel to her birthplace with a different title than she originally held. It will be her first visit to her homeland as Queen of Denmark and an opportunity to dazzle in the land of her roots.
Queen Mary to showcase her style
As with any state visit, it will include a gala dinner where Mary can once again showcase her signature style, including stunning pieces that have a sentimental meaning to the royal family. However, there are strict rules that the Danish monarch will need to follow.
© Getty ImagesUnlike the Spanish monarchy, where there are no strict regulations on the use of jewellery as it is part of a private collection, there are “forbidden jewels” for Denmark royals.
Among these pieces, the emerald parure stands out as one of the most magnificent and representative of Danish queens, its origins dating back to the silver wedding anniversary of King Christian VIII and Queen Caroline-Amalie in 1840. These jewels, belonging to the State, must always remain in the country, making it impossible for the Queen to take them abroad.
Queen Mary jets off – with her jewels
The Queen will be able to showcase her style through other jewels, as the ban is limited exclusively to those belonging to the State. This allows her to use pieces from the Royal Trust or her own personal collection. Therefore, the Queen will have the opportunity to wear some of the most iconic pieces, those that trace history through their diamonds, perhaps debuting them in a tribute to her homeland, using a piece that until now has not found the appropriate occasion to display.
© Steen Evald, The Royal HouseHowever, so far we have been able to see Queen Mary wearing some pieces of symbolic value and great beauty, such as her recent visit to the Baltic countries, where she recovered, as if it were a romantic gesture, the tiara with which she once said ‘I do’ to the then Prince Frederik.
Mary makes tiara rules her own
The queen is not afraid to put her stamp on the collection of royal jewels. According to The Court Jeweller, Mary acquired her beautiful Edwardian tiara, which she wore to a State Banquet at Christiansborg Castle in 2023, herself at auction in 2012.
© GettyWhile royal ladies tend to wear pieces from the royal vault, Mary purchased the convertible tiara and matching earrings for €8050 (approximately £6,980) from Bruun Rasmussen auction house in Copenhagen, the catalogue from which described them as “a diamond jewellery set comprising a necklace and a pair of later ear screws set with numerous rose and old-mine-cut diamonds, circular-cut rubies and spinels, mounted in 14-carat gold and silver.”
Trang Do, an expert jewellery designer of eight years and curator who has worked with the likes of Cartier and Graff, previously told us that the decision to purchase her own tiara is transgressive.
“Jewels belonging to the State must always remain in the country, making it impossible for the Queen to take them abroad”
“From my perspective, Queen Mary’s approach to tiaras is quietly radical by royal standards,” Trang said. “Mary’s willingness to introduce new-old pieces, antiques with their own provenance but not tied to her family line, signals a more modern interpretation of royal jewellery, where craftsmanship and historic value can coexist with personal agency.”
Queen Mary’s heirloom diadem
We have also seen her dazzle on several occasions with a certain unique piece that. The Pearl Poire is a tiara made of 18 pear-shaped pearls, exclusive to Danish queens and inherited by Margrethe II from her mother.
© Getty ImagesBecause the heirloom was placed in the Danish Royal Property Trust, rather than the official Crown Jewels, it is legally allowed to travel abroad. This is why Queen Mary was able to wear it during her recent visit to Norway.
Australia, the origin of a love story
The trip, which will last from 14 to 19 March, will be a significant date on Mary’s calendar as it marks a return to her roots. The now-Queen, born in Australia, lived a very different life before marrying King Frederik.
© Getty ImagesShe was born in Tasmania on 5 February 1972, and she temporarily lived in Texas from 1974 to 1975 after her father found work at NASA’s space centre in Houston.
© GettyYears later, a young Mary returned to Australia, where everything seemed to have remained the same: her belongings, her house, and even her group of friends.
© GettyHowever, the death of her mother in 1997, when Mary was 25, profoundly marked her personal history. It was her move to Sydney that saw her cross paths with royalty. During the 2000 Olympic Games, Mary began her love story with the then-heir to the Danish throne after they were introduced at a pub called the Slip Inn. They got married in 2004, and fans have delighted in witnessing their love story unfold since then.
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