Sparkling Scandinavian Royal Tiaras During the King and Queen of Norway’s Visit to Denmark

King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway sailed to Denmark aboard the royal yacht Norge, arriving in Copenhagen on Thursday. There, King Harald’s cousin, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, was there to greet the royal couple. (They’re second cousins, both great-grandchildren of King Frederik VIII of Denmark.) Both 83-year-old Margrethe and 86-year-old Harald have been dealing with serious mobility issues in recent years, and Harald tripped a little when climbing the stairs to greet his fellow monarch. “I come in deep admiration for you!” he quipped as he was helped to his feet. “Don’t expect the same from me,” Margrethe laughed as the two hugged.

For Harald and Sonja’s arrival, Queen Margrethe wore one of her most treasured jewels: her Diamond Daisy Brooch, a sentimental inheritance from her mother, Queen Ingrid. She paired it with coordinating diamond daisy earrings from her collection.

Queen Sonja chose a touching brooch for her arrival in Denmark, too. She wore the special commemorative brooch created by Georg Jensen in 2022 to mark Queen Margrethe’s Golden Jubilee, plus pearls and a necklace with a heart pendant.

King Harald and Queen Sonja were joined by Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark later that afternoon for the opening of a Norwegian-Danish business seminar. You can’t see them here, but Crown Princess Mary wore her diamond and aquamarine drop earrings for the occasion.

That evening, Queen Margrethe hosted a gala dinner at Amalienborg Palace for her royal guests.

Margrethe wore a bold white ballgown with a vivid coral-red pattern for the dinner. The dress coordinated nicely with the red sash of the Order of St. Olav, which she secured with a small ruby and diamond brooch once worn by her mother, Queen Ingrid. (Thanks to Anne Cathrine for emailing with me about this brooch!)

Margrethe also wore red and white jewels—pieces set with diamonds, pearls, and rubies. The tiara she chose, the Pearl Poiré Tiara, had particular sentimental resonance. It arrived in Denmark in the 1870s when it was inherited by Margrethe and Harald’s great-grandmother, Queen Lovisa, the Swedish-born wife of King Frederik VIII.

Usually, Margrethe wears the tiara with a set of coordinating diamond and pearl jewels, but this time around, she opted for a different set, part of which dates to the era when Denmark and Norway were ruled by a dual monarch. She wore a suite of rubies, diamonds, and pearls from the Danish crown jewel collection. The pearl necklace (which had some sort of mishap during the dinner, as Margrethe was not wearing it on her arrival but was wearing it for her speech) belonged to Queen Charlotte Amalie (1650-1714), the wife of King Christian V of Denmark and Norway (1646-1699). The earrings and corsage ornament were made later, in 1840, during the reign of King Christian VIII of Denmark. He had also previously been elected King of Norway for a brief period in 1814.

King Harald and Queen Sonja arrived at Amalienborg for the gala dinner wearing the insignia of Denmark’s highest chivalric order, the Order of the Elephant.

Queen Sonja wore an elaborate ballgown in a shocking shade of lime green for the dinner.

We previously saw her wear the same dress in May 2017 for a gala dinner in Oslo. The event was a joint 80th birthday celebration for Harald and Sonja.

On both occasions, Sonja accessorized with the grandest parure of jewels at her fingertips: the Norwegian Emerald Parure. The exceptional suite of early nineteenth-century jewels has its roots at the imperial court of Napoleon Bonaparte. The parure made its way to South America with Princess Amélie of Leuchtenberg (wife of the last Emperor of Brazil) before heading to Sweden with her sister, Princess Joséphine of Leuchtenberg (wife of King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway). The set was eventually inherited by King Harald V’s grandmother, Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, the wife of Prince Carl of Sweden and Norway. She handed the tiara and jewels over to her daughter, Crown Princess Märtha, as an insurance policy as she fled Europe during World War II, and it’s been with the Norwegian royals ever since.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary were also on hand to celebrate their Norwegian royal guests at the gala dinner.

Crown Princess Mary wore a Max Mara gown with the insignia of the Order of St. Olav.

The gown was another repeat from the same May 2017 gala dinner in Oslo, though it’s been altered since then. (That 2017 birthday weekend was clearly an inspiration for lots of royals recently. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands repeated a gown from the celebrations last week as well.)

On both occasions, Mary wore her convertible diamond necklace tiara, which dates to the turn of the 20th century. The jewel was an auction purchase several years ago, and Mary later had new earrings created to match.

Mary finished off her gala look with two necklaces, one with a tiny diamond charm in the shape of a letter F, and gold and diamond bracelets on both wrists.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary joined King Harald and Queen Sonja aboard the royal yacht for the journey to Aarhus the following day.

Queen Sonja wore a set of modern gold jewels, including a really interesting brooch.

Crown Princess Mary wore a pair of diamond floral stud earrings with her blue flowered dress.

Later, the couples changed for a reception aboard the royal yacht.

Queen Sonja wore yet another modern demi-parure, this time made of large, dark beads, with her red dress.

Crown Princess Mary accessorized with a pair of gold earrings with shell motifs. She wore the same pair of earrings last year for an official dinner during her visit to Oslo.