March marks a meaningful milestone for Mary, Queen of Denmark. From March 14 to 19, she and King Frederik X will travel to Australia on a state visit, marking her first official return to her homeland since becoming queen.
Her first visit as Queen
Born in Tasmania, Queen Mary will step onto Australian soil with a different title than the one she held when she first met Denmark’s future king. This will be her first visit to her native country as Denmark’s monarch, reinforcing ties between the two nations while celebrating the place where her story began.
As with any state visit, a gala dinner is expected, marking a moment when royal style and historic jewels will take center stage. However, this trip comes with a notable limitation: Mary will not be able to wear certain pieces known as Denmark’s “forbidden jewels.”
© IDA MARIE ODGAARDWhat are Denmark’s ‘forbidden jewels’?
Unlike in some other monarchies, parts of the Danish crown jewel collection belong to the state and must remain in Denmark at all times. These pieces cannot travel abroad, even for official engagements.
Among the most significant is the emerald parure, created in 1840 to commemorate the silver wedding anniversary of King Christian VIII and Queen Caroline Amalie. Because it is state property, it cannot leave the country, ruling it out for Mary’s Australia visit.
The restriction applies only to jewels owned by the state. The queen may wear pieces from the royal family’s private trust or her personal collection, giving her room to surprise with other historic diamonds and heirlooms.
© Steen Evald/KongehusetIn recent months, Mary has demonstrated her thoughtful approach to royal symbolism. During a visit to the Baltic states, she wore the tiara she chose for her 2004 wedding, a romantic nod to the day she married Frederik.
She has also worn a pearl tiara featuring 18 pear-shaped pearls, traditionally reserved for Danish queens and inherited by Queen Margrethe II from her mother. Because it belongs to Margrethe’s private jewel collection, it can travel abroad; Mary notably wore it during her first visit to Norway as queen.
Australia: where it all began
For Mary, this is a personal journey. Born on February 5, 1972, in Tasmania, she spent part of her childhood in Texas after her father accepted a position at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. She later returned to Australia, where she rebuilt her life following the loss of her mother.
It was in Sydney that fate intervened. At the 2000 Olympic Games, she met Denmark’s future king in a transformative chance encounter. Their love story culminated in a royal wedding in 2004, when Mary walked down the aisle wearing the tiara she would one day revisit as queen.
Now, two decades later, she’s coming home as the Queen of Denmark. While some of the crown’s most historic jewels will stay behind, the symbolism of the moment shines just as brightly.
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