In Denmark tonight, King Frederik and Queen Mary hosted their first state banquet as king and queen, welcoming Iceland's President Halla Tómasdóttir and her husband Björn Skúlason to Christiansborg Palace.
For the occasion, Queen Mary wore a midnight blue gown, designed by Jesper Høvring, and the Danish Pearl Poiré Tiara. It is just her second time ever wearing the tiara.
She first wore the pearl tiara during a State Visit to Norway in May:
The tiara has an interesting history; it was commissioned by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia as wedding gift for his daughter, Princess Louise, in 1825. The jewels were passed down to her daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter. Her great-granddaughter, Lovisa, was Queen of Denmark from 1906 until 1912.
As Lauren Kiehna of The Court Jeweller notes, "In her will, Lovisa placed this entire group of pearl and diamond jewels in the Danish Royal Property Trust, ensuring that the set could never be broken up. Although the suite is not a part of the Danish crown jewels, it passes directly from monarch to monarch, and it is generally worn only by the country’s queen. All of Lovisa’s successors–Queen Alexandrine, Queen Ingrid, Queen Margrethe II, and Queen Mary–have worn the Pearl Poiré Tiara and the accompanying pearl and diamond jewels."
Queen Margrethe notably wore the tiara in her first official portraits as queen in 1972:
Additionally, Margrethe wore the tiara frequently throughout her reign, including at her final event before she abdicated the throne. It seems her daughter-in-law will follow in her footsteps, as the Danish queens before her.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
