Queen Margrethe’s Pink Porcelain Brooch

Queen Margrethe arrived in Tønder, a town in the Southern Denmark region, on Wednesday for a special celebration. Tønder, the first settlement on the Danish side of the Danish-German border, has an interesting and tumultuous history. It was part of the Duchy of Schleswig for centuries, which means it was caught up in the notoriously complicated Schleswig-Holstein Question regarding control over the territories by Denmark or Germany.

The issue of the location of the Danish-German border was finally settled in 1920, after the end of World War I. Though a majority of residents of Tønder initally expressed a desire to remain part of Germany, the town was officially made part of Denmark following the Schleswig plebiscites in 1920. Many in the town continued to speak German for two more decades, but the German occupation of Denmark during World War II apparently diminished German influence in the area significantly. Today, the town has officially been part of Denmark for more than a century.

Wearing a light pink ensemble, Queen Margrethe made a special visit to the town on Saturday as part of the delayed celebrations of the centenary of the 1920 reunification of Denmark and the Southern Jutland region. The commemorations were originally scheduled, as you might guess, for 2020, but they had to be rescheduled because of the pandemic.

Here’s a closer look at Queen Margrethe’s pink dress, jacket, and hat for the visit. She accessorized with a pair of gold heart earrings set with diamonds and rubies. Knowing Margrethe, her choice of earring may have been a deliberate wink to part of Tønder’s local significance. Because Tønder is the first Danish town across the border from Germany, and Denmark has more relaxed marriage laws than Germany does, it has become a popular place for couples to elope over the years—sort of an equivalent to places like Gretna Green in Scotland or Las Vegas in the United States.

Margrethe also wore one of the most unique brooches from her collection for the visit. This pink porcelain brooch, which features a woman’s face surrounded by a rose petal design, was made by one of Margrethe’s favorite modern Danish jewelry designers, Arje Griegst. (He’s the same jeweler who also made Margrethe’s Golden Poppies.) According to Heidi Laura, who wrote a recent book about Margrethe’s jewelry collection, the woman’s face at the center of the brooch is modeled on Griegst’s wife, the goldsmith Irene Griegst.

Queen Margrethe had to hold on to her hat as she visited the top of the Marsk Tower in nearby Wadden Sea National Park during the visit. On her left hand, you’ll be able to spot Margrethe’s incredible toi et moi diamond engagement ring, and you’ll also see her gold family bangle bracelet on her left wrist, stacked with her watch.