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| KELD NAVNTOFT/AFP via Getty Images |
I know we were all looking forward to a truly grand royal celebration this month: the 80th birthday of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. Because the bejeweled events had to be canceled, I thought it was high time we took a look back at how she celebrated her birthday ten years ago: with detailed posts on the guests’ jewels all week long!
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We’ll start with the glittering white-tie birthday dinner held at Christiansborg Palace on April 13, 2010, which was attended by Margrethe and members of her family.
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| KELD NAVNTOFT/AFP via Getty Images |
Margrethe was resplendent in a striking coral-red gown with the pale blue sash of the Order of the Elephant, plus one of her signature fur stoles.
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Here’s another look at the gorgeous dress with its delicate petal designs.
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| Jens Nørgaard Larsen/AFP via Getty Images |
She accessorized the gown with pieces of heirloom diamond and pearl jewelry.
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| Jens Nørgaard Larsen/AFP via Getty Images |
The star of the jewelry show was undoubtedly the Pearl Poiré Tiara. This stately diadem, which features eighteen pear-shaped pearl pendants that swing freely from the diamond-encrusted tiara, was a wedding gift in 1825 to Princess Louise of the Netherlands from her father, King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. The tiara came to Denmark via Louise’s granddaughter, Queen Lovisa of Denmark, who inherited it in 1871.
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| Schiller Graphics/Getty Images |
In her will, Queen Lovisa placed the tiara in a jewelry trust, and it has since been worn by every subsequent Danish queen: Queen Alexandrine, Queen Ingrid, and Queen Margrethe II. Margrethe often selects the tiara for particularly grand occasions, including official state portraits.
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| Jens Nørgaard Larsen/AFP via Getty Images |
For her birthday dinner in 2010, Queen Margrethe also wore Princess Louise’s Diamond and Pearl Drop Brooch, which was made at the same time as the tiara as a coordinating jewel. The brooch features five pearl pendants suspended from a complicated diamond scroll design, as well as a diamond and pearl cluster.
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| Jens Nørgaard Larsen/AFP via Getty Images |
The rest of the jewels worn by Margrethe for the birthday dinner weren’t made to go with the tiara and the brooch, but they’re often worn together as a married parure. The Khedive of Egypt Diamond and Pearl Necklace was given to Queen Lovisa in 1869 as a wedding present by Ismail Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt.
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| KELD NAVNTOFT/AFP via Getty Images |
She also wore the coordinating Khedive of Egypt Diamond and Pearl Earrings. These were made later by repurposing two pearl and diamond pendants that were originally attached to the necklace.
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| Jens Nørgaard Larsen/AFP via Getty Images |
Margrethe famously has an elaborate toi et moi engagement ring, and on this occasion, she showcased a second toi et moi ring — this one set with a diamond and a pearl. This ring comes from the collection of Margrethe’s late mother, Queen Ingrid. In 1947, Ingrid wore the ring in an official portrait, which also features the Pearl Poiré Tiara.
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| Jens Nørgaard Larsen/AFP via Getty Images |
She also wore her engagement ring on her left hand with her wedding ring. You’ll also spot gold bracelets on her left wrist, including the gold bangle worn by all of Queen Ingrid’s female descendants.
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| KELD NAVNTOFT/AFP via Getty Images |
Stay tuned for more posts today — and all week! — from this spectacular glittering gathering!
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