Queen Mary of Denmark is clearly loving her State Visit to her home country of Australia and for the crowning moment of this glittering trip, she chose a striking jewel.
As she and King Frederik enjoyed a gala evening at the start of their six day State Visit, the Danish queen skipped the tiara and wore an unusual gold and diamond hair ornament instead.
The beautiful piece of jewellery is actually a brooch and Queen Mary has worn it as such before as well as using it as a hair decoration on previous occasions.
The gem is made of gold and pave diamonds and is shaped as leaves. In fact, from a distance, it bears a resemblance to the famous golden wattle brooch which was worn often by Queen Elizabeth II for her visits to Australia.
Queen Mary chose the gem for a State Dinner held for her and King Frederik at Government House in Canberra and hosted by Australia’s Governor General, Sam Mostyn.
In a sweet moment during the glittering evening, Queen Mary and King Frederik were seen walking hand in hand through the grounds of Government House, which is the official residence of the Governor General.
During the dinner, King Frederik gave a speech and referred to his romantic meeting with Queen Mary in Sydney, over 25 years earlier. The Danish king said ”For me, Australia has held a very special place in my heart ever since I slipped into that bar and lost it in a conversation that has never ended.”
And he noted the impact that his wife had had on relations between the two nations, saying ;;once upon a time, Denmark perhaps did not resonate widely in Australia. Then something changed. In 2004, your Mary and I were married, and with that, Denmark once again had a Crown Princess. From that moment on, everyone “down under” knew of the Nordic country “up over”.
And he noted what a special place the country had in their harts, adding ”Australia is our second home. Whether we come here for a family visit or a State Visit, we feel both excited and entirely at ease.”
The state dinner came after an official reception at Government House in Canberra where the King and Queen of Denmark had been formally welcomed to Australia at the start of their visit.
The couple had begun their time in Mary’s home country at Uluru. They were welcomed at Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park Cultural Centre by A Aangu, the original and traditional owners who have lived in the area for tens of thousands of years.
King Frederik and Queen Mary spent the night at Uluru and woke up to see the sun rise before heading off on a 10 kilometre hike. On the night of their arrival, they had ejoyed the sunset at Ulu gangu from a vantage point in the national park. The sandstone cliff rises 348 meters above the flat desert landscape.
The State Visit to Australia will also see Frederik and Mary head to Tasmania where the Danish queen was born.
