Denmark’s Queen Mary leaves tiaras at home for visit to Australia

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.