Queen Mary of Denmark Wore a Tiara That Hasn't Been Seen in Over 140 Years
Queen Mary of Denmark is no stranger to a tiara moment, but recently the royal has been going above and beyond in terms of statement jewelry. In December she debuted a tiara she'd had transformed from a necklace in the Crown Jewels collection, and her latest foray came during her state visit to Finland with her husband, King Frederik X, when the queen drew her gems from deep within the royal family’s archives.
For a gala dinner at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki celebrating the historical relationship between Denmark and Finland, Mary accented her black, botanical-patterned Jesper Høvring gown with a yellow gold tiara that hasn’t been seen in public in over 140 years.
The tiara was first created for Caroline Amalie, the future Queen of Denmark and wife of Christian VIII, around the year 1820, according to the Danish court’s website. The gems were personally chosen by Christian during the couple’s travels in Italy, and it was designed to be more of an “everyday” piece compared to the flashier diamond tiaras often used during formal events.
As if one previously-unseen piece wasn’t enough, Mary paired the tiara with a bracelet once owned by Princess Vilhelmine Marie, daughter of King Frederik VI. The bracelet was given to the princess by her first husband, the future King Frederik VII, shortly before their wedding, in a box inscribed with the phrase (in French) “It is from the summit of the flaming Vesuvius that my heart flies to you. April 24, 1828.” Though the couple later divorced, the bracelet, made with semi-precious stones gathered from around Mount Vesuvius, remained part of the royal collection.
“It is customary for the royals to use jewelry from the Royal Collection,” the Danish court website explains, “And the Queen's choice of these historic pieces marks a rare display of the Royal House's cultural heritage.” They added, “The bracelet is normally exhibited in the Treasury under Rosenborg Castle, where the diadem will also be on display once the state visit to Finland has concluded.”
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