This April 24, 2024, three months after his ascension to the throne, King Frederik X of Denmark is entitled to his very first official gala photos. King Frederik X and Queen Mary pose in their gala attire with all of their awards. Queen Mary wears the emerald tiara and jewels for the very first time, an adornment reserved only for Queens.
Read also: The new gala uniform of King Frederik X of Denmark promoted to general
The very first gala photos from the reign of Frederik
On January 14, 2024, Queen Margrethe of Denmark abdicated in favor of her eldest son, Frederik. On April 24, the Danish Royal House shared the very first official photos of King Frederik and Queen Mary.
Official photos are used in administrative and institutional buildings. These are also the photos that will remain for posterity. The photos are historic because Queen Mary wears the emerald set for the first time, jewels that belong to the Crown and can only be worn by a sovereign.
Read also: King Frederik X and Queen Mary pose in the Throne Room with their children
Queen Mary wears emeralds for the first time
The Danish royal family owns many valuable jewels that fall into three categories. The first category of jewels are those which personally belong to members of the family, the second category are those registered within the Trust of the Royal Household and the third jewels are the jewels of the Crown.
Read also: For her 50th birthday, Mary of Denmark wears the ruby tiara from an ornament worn at Napoleon’s coronation
Four sets constitute the Crown Jewels. These are four ornaments that Queen Sophie-Madeleine, wife of King Christian VI, had included in her will of 1746. According to the terms of her will, these four ornaments must always be at the queen’s disposal. It is tradition that these ornaments never leave Danish territory. The queen therefore only wears them during major events organized in her country. The four jewels are: the emerald set, the pearl and ruby set, the brilliant set and the rose stone set. Only the emerald set includes a tiara. Other adornments include necklaces, brooches and earrings.
Although the sets are those of Queen Sophie-Madeleine, Queen Caroline-Amélie, wife of King Christian VIII, made changes to the jewelry between 1842. The jewelry has not been altered since then. When the crown jewels are not in use, they are displayed in the secure basement of Rosenborg Castle.
Read also: The four crown jewels accessed by Mary of Denmark upon becoming queen
King Frederik X poses for his first official portraits
King Frederik’s uniform has four stars on the epaulettes. These four stars are those awarded to the highest ranking officers in the army. Upon acceding to the throne, King Frederik became head of Defense and obtained the rank of general in the Army and Air Force, and admiral in the Navy. .
The sword that King Frederik holds is an heirloom. Frederik received this sword in 1997 from his grandmother, Queen Ingrid, on the occasion of his appointment as a reserve captain-lieutenant in the navy. This is an old officer’s sword which belonged to King Frederick IX, the husband of Queen Ingrid. Queen Ingrid inherited it when she became widowed in 1972.
On the uniform of King Frederik X, we see a row of Danish commemorative medals. The king and queen also wear the collar of the Order of the Elephant as well as the various insignia of the order, including the pectoral star which includes eight rays starting from a silver cross on a red background and surrounded by ‘a silver laurel wreath. Around his neck also hangs a white cross bordered with red and gold on rays. This insignia is that of Grand Commander of the Order of Dannebrog, the second Danish order of chivalry.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a designer-editor and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the site Histoires royales of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
