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| LISELOTTE SABROE/AFP/Getty Images |
A small private funeral was held on Tuesday to celebrate the life of Prince Henrik of Denmark, who died last week at Fredensborg Castle. The jewels worn by the women of his family for the occasion were deeply meaningful and sentimental.
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| MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/AFP/Getty Images |
Queen Margrethe II, Henrik’s widow, wore a heart-shaped brooch with a cypher in its center. She often wears the brooch for funerals and memorials.
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| MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/AFP/Getty Images |
She also wore a pair of lovely pearl drop earrings. These are the same earrings she wore on her wedding day.
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| HENNING BAGGER/AFP/Getty Images |
Brooches and pearls were, as usual, the choice for many members of the family. Two of the youngest Danish royal ladies, Princess Isabella and Princess Josephine, each wore a brooch borrowed from their mother, Crown Princess Mary. Isabella wore her mother’s daisy brooch, a reference to her grandmother. (Queen Margrethe’s nickname is “Daisy.”)
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| MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/AFP/Getty Images |
Mary wore a lovely two-stranded pearl necklace that served as a quiet tribute to her late father-in-law. The black and white pearl necklace, which has a sapphire clasp, was Prince Henrik’s engagement present to her in 2003.
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| LISELOTTE SABROE/AFP/Getty Images |
She also pinned her small round diamond brooch, another gift from Henrik, to her coat. Princess Marie also wore a subdued brooch for the service.
No foreign royals attended the very small service, but both of Henrik’s royal sisters-in-law were present. Queen Anne-Marie wore pearls and a small round brooch.
So did Princess Benedikte. The guest list for the service was so limited that Henrik’s royal nieces and nephews did not attend. The small funeral was held at the chapel of Christiansborg Palace. According to his wishes, Henrik will be cremated; a portion of his ashes will be buried on the grounds of Fredensborg, and the rest will be scattered in the sea.
