Queen Mary’s “nerve-racking” moment at royal banquet revealed

Queen Mary certainly felt the pressure with her most recent tiara moment.

On October 19, for the Vietnam state banquet, she wore Queen Alexandrine’s Sapphire Tiara, but it didn’t look exactly as royal experts might remember.

“Queen Mary looked radiant in the tiara, which was seen for the first time since Mary commissioned its modernisation two years ago with jewellers Diana Holstein and Hanan Emquies,” one insider tells New Idea.

“Now the piece is fully reversible and can be worn as a tiara, necklace or brooch.

“On this occasion she wore it as a tiara, with the top element pinned as a bracelet to match her blue gown by Jesper Høvring.

“It was a nerve-racking moment putting her personal stamp on the Royal jewellery collection, but she and the jewellers did an incredible job on what is a historic Russian-gifted heirloom.”

Mary is no stranger to putting her own stamp on the plethora of royal jewels at her disposal, and often adds new pieces to her wardrobe.

When she celebrated King Carl Gustaf of Sweden’s 80th birthday in Stockholm, Queen Mary’s headpiece got everyone talking.

It turns out that the stunning tiara was actually a diamond floral bracelet that is in the Danish Royal Property Trust and previously belonged to Queen Louise of Sweden.

Mary’s mother-in-law Queen Margrethe was the last to wear it, and had previously fashioned it as a choker.

Mary looked her best for a state banquet, as part of a visit to Lithuania.

She finished her look with her Diamond Necklace Tiara, which she purchased in 2012 from the Bruun Rasmussen auction house.

According to the Court Jeweller, it was made circa 1900-1910, and she bought it with a pair of earrings.

It was described as a”diamond jewellery set comprising a necklace and a pair of later ear screws set with numerous rose and old mine-cut diamonds, circular-cut rubies and spinels, mounted in 14k gold and silver”.

Mary reportedly paid around $9,600 for the set.

She has worn it as a necklace on previous occasions.

For her state visit to Estonia with her husband, King Frederik, Mary chose to wear her wedding tiara.

The tiara, which features a fleur-de-lis design, was gifted to her for her wedding by her in-laws.

Jewellery expert Nilesh Rakholia told Marie Claire that wedding tiaras are usually “frozen in time”, but the Queen of Denmark has made it modern.

“What makes Mary’s different is that she has allowed it to evolve alongside her,” she said.

“In 2011, she commissioned alterations so detachable pearls could be added to the fleur-de-lis motifs, along with a row of pearls at the base. That decision is quietly significant.”

It can also be converted into a necklace.

Mary has also worn this sentimental piece to Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco’s wedding in 2011, a gala dinner celebrating Queen Beatrix’s abdication in 2013, and two years later to a state visit from the King and Queen of the Netherlands.

When she hosted Copenhagen’s New Year’s Day celebrations, Mary wore her beloved Rose-Cut Diamond Bandeau Tiara and earrings from the Danish Crown Diamond Parure.

She also wore an off-white lace top by Lasse Spangenberg, which she styled with a Jesper Høvring corsage and skirt.

As per tradition, she also wore her Order of the Elephant, which is worn on a chain-link collar on both shoulders.

Mary wore her Edwardian ruby and diamond tiara as part of a two-day visit to Latvia with Frederik.

The antique Edwardian tiara features diamonds and rubies, which display her royal honours.

Not only that, but it can also be transformed into a necklace.

It paired beautifully with her ruby-red gown by Danish designer Soeren Le Schmidt, which featured a sweetheart neckline and a pleated A-line style skirt.

On October 8, Denmark’s King and Queen held a state banquet at Christiansborg Palace to formally welcome Icelandic President Halla Tómasdóttir and her husband, Björn Skúlason.

For the occasion, she wore her Pearl Poire tiara, which she wore for the first time in May 2024 during her state visit to Norway. Mary also dressed in a dazzling blue Jesper Høvring gown.

The tiara was produced in 1820 for Princess Louise of Prussia’s wedding with Prince Frederik of the Netherlands, which took place five years later. They are believed to have been crafted in Berlin and were a gift from the bride’s father, Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia.

The Danish monarchy then gained possession of the tiara after Princess Lovisa of Sweden married Danish Crown Prince Frederik VIII in 1869, after it was gifted to her a few years later.

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