Queen Mary of Denmark had access to the royal family’s crown jewels for the first time as she posed for her first official portrait alongside the king.
The Australian-born royal has never before had access to the prized jewels, and most are kept locked in the basement of Rosenborg Castle.
But all that has changed since she became Queen.
Posing alongside her husband King Frederik, the royal sparkled in the heirloom emerald set which is said to be the “most complete” of the crown jewels and is reserved exclusively for the Queen.
The extravagant ensemble consists of a tiara, necklace and matching earrings, in keeping with the elegant monarch’s coordinated style.
Queen Mary of Denmark donned the Danish palace’s emerald ensemble for the first time in her first royal portrait as queen consort. The outfit is only worn by the queen.
The extravagant ensemble, usually displayed at Rosenborg Castle, consists of a tiara, necklace and matching earrings, in keeping with the monarch’s coordinated style.
It also includes a brooch that can be divided into three separate parts, but Queen Mary chose a traditional brooch with a portrait of Frederik made especially for her.
She paired the crown jewels with a custom-designed deep green lace and velvet dress by Copenhagen designer Birgit Hallstein, who has dressed royalty on many occasions.
Royal enthusiasts were excited by the new images with many saying Queen Mary looked “powerful” and “incredibly majestic” and “makes Australia proud”.
‘I can’t help but think of the young girl from Taroona who would never have dreamed of this moment! She looks every inch a queen and as a fellow Tasmanian I am so proud of her. And I’m sure Frederik does too. Amazing photo!’ said a woman.
“Queen Mary of Denmark and Australia,” another commented.
‘Maria is so elegant; “She has made her native Australia proud,” someone added.
However, not everyone was convinced that the dress was the best option to show off the incredible jewelry.
‘She looks fabulous. “Although her necklace disappears in that lace dress,” noted one fashionista.
The Australian-born Queen shone when she first wore an emerald setting as her crown jewel, but left one piece out to make room for a miniature portrait of the King.
“Mary looks beautiful but the dress is not a good choice for displaying the jewellery,” said a second while a third thought the combination looked too “ornate”.
She wore the emerald set without the matching brooch to make room for something much more sentimental and traditional: a miniature portrait of her husband with an Order of Dannebrog ribbon bow created by British artist Tom Mulliner just for her.
Traditionally, the women of the Danish royal family carry the portrait of the sovereign. Queen Mary used to display a similar portrait of Queen Margaret before she ascended the throne in January.
The portrait is housed within a family heirloom, a gilded frame with diamonds, which Margrethe wore with a photo of her father Frederick IX, from 1972 until her succession.
The monarchs stood side by side looking forward to form a united front as rumors circulate about the stability of their marriage.
King Frederick and Queen Mary of Denmark stood side by side looking forward to form a united front for their final royal portrait.
Mary was behind or in front of Frederick in the two previous official portraits. The progression signifies Mary’s rise to prominence as she takes on more duties as Queen Consort.
Previous royal portraits show Queen Mary posing slightly behind or turning to face her husband, giving him prominence, but this time her commanding stance shows they are on equal footing.
Days before King Frederick ascended the throne, the palace released a portrait of the couple that showed Mary next to her husband gently hugging his arm and her leaning toward him and him looking forward.
After her ascension, the next official portrait showed the mother of four standing just behind the king’s left side as the couple looked slightly towards each other.
The last snapshot signifies Mary’s rise to prominence as she takes on more duties as Queen Consort.