The first day of Frederik and Mary of Denmark’s State Visit to Sweden ended with a fancy dinner at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.
Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia hosted a banquet for their guests with a strict dress code: tailcoat and medals for men and long dresses, tiaras, and big jewelry for women.
Mary followed the dress code precisely, wearing a revamped golden dress with added red lace fabric and a set of rubies.
Frederik and his wife left the royal yacht Dannebrog, where they were staying during their visit to Sweden.
Despite the belief that the kings had traveled from Fredensborg, their current residence, to Stockholm by boat, they actually arrived in the Swedish capital by plane, as reported by the newspaper ‘BT’, and then boarded the Dannebrog for the welcome ceremony.
Mary of Denmark in Ruby Tiara
The event highlighted the close relationship between the two families, as evidenced during the gala dinner, where Mary chose to wear the ruby tiara.
While royalty experts expected the Australian to wear one of the pieces designated for queens, she preferred this tiara, which she had often worn as a princess, perhaps due to its connection to the Swedish royal family, as it belonged to Queen Ingrid, King Carl Gustaf’s paternal aunt.
The ruby tiara debuted in 1804 when Désirée Clary, wife of Marshal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte (later King Charles XIV John of Sweden), wore it at Napoleon’s coronation.
Made with diamonds and rubies, it features floral motifs. Désirée passed the jewel to her daughter-in-law, Josephine of Leuchtenberg, who then gave it to her granddaughter, Princess Louise of Sweden, when she was to marry Frederick VIII of Denmark.
After being worn by various ladies of the Danish royal family for several years, the tiara ended up in the possession of Queen Ingrid of Denmark, who was born a Swedish princess.
This was one of Ingrid’s favorite pieces, and upon her death in November 2000, she left it to her grandson, Prince Frederik, to be worn by his future wife.
Since Mary married Frederik in 2004, she has worn the tiara on numerous occasions along with other pieces that make up the parure.
Mary of Denmark’s style at the Stockholm Palace
On this occasion, Mary wore not only the tiara but also the earrings, bracelet, ring, necklace, and brooch, holding the Swedish Order of the Seraphim sash.
Mary also wore her husband’s Family Order portrait, which she recently debuted in their first official photos as queen.
Now, let’s talk about Mary’s chosen dress. The Australian queen is known for modifying gala dresses, and she has done it again by wearing a modified golden dress by Danish designer Jesper Høvring.
The original model was first worn at the New Year’s dinner in 2017, featuring a golden bodice matching the skirt. We saw it again in September 2022, at Queen Margrethe’s jubilee, this time with black lace fabric on top.
The night of May 6, she chose to add a burgundy lace fabric, like a cape, forming flowers with transparencies. A change that made her gala dress look brand new.
A spectacular look for Mary’s first major gala dinner as queen.