Queen Mary of Denmark is commonly seen sporting a surprising tiara adorned with rubies and diamonds at varied grand occasions, comparable to royal weddings, state banquets, and New Year’s celebrations. This beautiful crown not solely exudes magnificence but in addition boasts a fascinating historical past relationship again two centuries to France and the magnificent coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Upon their declaration as the brand new King and Queen consort of Denmark on Sunday, January 14, Prince Frederik and his spouse Mary (Donaldson) embraced the custom, with Mary opting for a similar selection in her apparel.
However, the query stays: how did this crown and its associated jewels discover their means out of Denmark?
According to the Danish Monarchy, following Napoleon’s proclamation as Emperor of France, it was determined to create lovely ornaments for the marshals and their wives to emphasise the glory and energy of the French Empire through the coronation at Notre Dame. Each marshal was paid a big sum to buy a set of jewels for his or her wives.
One of those marshals, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, had a private reference to Napoleon as he married Desiree Clary, Napoleon’s former fiancee, which facilitated his place inside Napoleon’s internal circle.
Bernadotte ordered a surprising set of diamonds and rubies for Desiree, with the gathering ultimately making its strategy to Sweden following Bernadotte’s election as Crown Prince. The jewels remained within the household till they had been ultimately handed all the way down to Princess Louisa, who then gifted them to Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, thereby bringing the jewels again to Denmark.
Queen Ingrid of Denmark was the earlier proprietor of those jewels
This is not the one piece of jewellery with a Napoleonic story to go hand-in-hand with European royalty. For occasion, the crown worn by Princess Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, on her marriage ceremony day was initially commissioned by Napoleon for his beloved spouse Josephine, testifying to the enduring connection between historic jewels and European royalty.