Queen Mary’s white dress, her first outfit as The Queen Denmark

On 14 January 2024, Queen Margrethe II abdicated the throne, her elder son, Crown Prince Frederik, became King Frederik X of Denmark. And his wife, Crown Princess of Mary, now is the Queen of Denmark.

Just moments after Queen Margrethe II’s abdication, the new King and Queen appeared on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen.

The Australian-born Danish Queen looked elegant and graceful in a simple white long-sleeved A-line midi dress with a mock shawl detail around the neck. Her dress was designed by Danish designer Soeren Le Schmidt and was sewn by Birgit Hallstein, the same seamstress who made her iconic Uffe Frank wedding gown.

According to the designer, the dress ‘is constructed with a separate waist belt that has a voluminous drape from the waist, around the neck, and over one shoulder.'

Dr Giselle Bastin, royal expert at Flinders University thinks that white is traditionally worn by women of the royal household at coronations to represent 'renewal and the purity of the Crown'.

The Queen worn red ruby earrings and a brooch from a priceless Ruby Set commissioned by Napoleon for the late Queen of Sweden in 1804 for his coronation, which made their way to the Danish royal family when the Swedish queen's daughter married the future King Frederik VIII in 1869.

Since her marriage to Prince Frederik in 2004, Mary has been the only one wearing the Ruby Set.

The combination of white of her dress and red of her jewelry is a sweet homage to the Danish flags of the same colours.