Denmark’s Royalty jewels are one of the blingest in Europe. Nowdays ones of the most observed of them are worn by H.R.H. Crown Princess Mary.
Miss Mary Elizabeth Donaldson inhenerited the Ruby Parure when she became engaged to H.R.H. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. She wore it for the first time on May 13th, 2004 at her pre wedding gala in Copenhagen.
But the story of this piece of jewelry starts more than two century ago.
In honor of the grand coronation planned for the Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte had given money to many of his marshals so that jewels with the appropriate style could be created/bought for their wives. Désirée Clary was marchal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte’s spouse and was gift of the ruby and diamond wreath tiara and accompanying parure by her husband.
They were later crowned King Carl XIV Johan and Queen Desideria of Sweden and the jewels had found a new country home.
So, when the tiara came to Denmark?
The tiara came to Denmark with Swedish princess Louise who married the future Danish king, Fredrick VIII, in 1869. Louise had received the tiara as a wedding gift from her grandmother, Queen Josephine of Sweden (Désirée’s daughter-in-law). Queen Louise later gave the tiara to her son Crown Prince Christian’s bride Alexandrine as a wedding gift. Princess Alexandrine would inherit the rest of the parure on Louise’s death.
Queen Alexandrine Alexandrine then gave it to Princess Ingrid of Sweden when she married Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 1935. In the hands of Queen Ingrid the original small wreath was transformed. In 1947, Ingrid added two of the brooches that came with the original parure to the tiara. This gave the tiara a much more substantive look and turned the wreath into a proper tiara.
Queen Ingrid
When Queen Ingrid died in 2000 she left the parure to her grandson, Crown Prince Frederik who four years later would marry the Australian beauty Mary Donaldson.
Crown Princess Mary wore for the first times the tiara as it was, but lately decided to modified it as it was more wearable to her profile.
top: before, bottom: after
The current parure consists of a necklace, hairpins, earrings, a brooch, a bracelet, and a ring (an addition care of Mary).
Mary wears the Danish Ruby Parure at every main event and has become her signature piece of jewelry.
Crown Princess Mary during the 2018 New Year celebrations
Couture & Royals 