The Danish Royal Family counts just one emerald tiara in their
collection, but it’s a stunning piece that features 67 emeralds and
over 2,600 diamonds. And now it has another special chapter in its
history as Queen Mary wore it for her first official gala portrait
since her husband’s accession in January 2024.
King Christian VIII commissioned an emerald parure for his wife,
Queen Caroline Amelie, on their anniversary. The 67 emeralds
featured in the tiara date back to the 1700s; some come from a
collection purchased by King Christian VI for his queen, Sophie
Magdalene in 1723; others were a part of Princess Charlotte’s
personal collection.
SteenEvald/Kongehuset
Noted jeweller C.M. Weisshaupt created the Danish Emerald Parure
Tiara for Queen Caroline Amelie to wear at her silver wedding
celebrations in 1840. The parure also includes a necklace, a pair
of earrings and a brooch that can be broken down into three smaller
brooches or used as a pendant for the necklace.
Queen Sophie Magdalene introduced the concept of crown jewels,
creating in her will a set of jewels that could only be passed from
queen to queen, and now the crown jewels are publicly displayed at
Rosenberg Castle when not in use, as determined by Queen
Alexandrine in 1914.
KongehusetThat means that it can only be worn by the Queen of Denmark.
Queen Mary has worn it several times since her husband’s accession
including to the first New Year’s galas of his reign which took
place just days before the anniversary of his reign.
Queen Margrethe wore the Danish Emerald Parure Tiara at
ceremonial events, including her birthday celebrations, and it’s
become a symbol of the country’s Monarchy.
However, it’s so important that there is one other, very strict
rule that applies to it. The crown jewels cannot be taken out of
the country and are exclusively worn in Denmark. It means that
Queen Mary can only wear the tiara in Denmark.