For the Danish royal couple's maiden tour following King Frederik X's accession to the throne in January, the new monarch Queen Mary is delivering suitably regal ensembles
There's always been something inherently regal about Queen Mary of Denmark, even dating back to the early days of her courtship with King Frederik X in the '00s. 20 years on, Mary is the first Australian-born queen in the record books and has never put a foot wrong in her royal duties, a feat only fortified by her impeccable wardrobe choices.
Now, the new sovereigns have embarked on their first State Visit from Denmark since King Frederik X's ascension. The tour is visiting Sweden, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, respectively, throughout spring and early summer – with the Royal Yacht Dannebrog functioning as the couple's residence throughout the course of the visits.
Queen Mary's arsenal of looks for the Swedish and Norwegian legs of the tour saw her, as always, lean into timeless tailoring, feminine silhouettes and rich jewel tones – with a distinct Scandinavian sensibility and a healthy rotation of reworn favourites. The more recent Greenlandic visit, however, has called for more practical and warm attire, not to mention the opportunity to don traditional costume.
Here, we take a close-up look at each of the monarch's outfits throughout the tour.
The Danish state visit to Greenland
On day four of the Danish royal visit to Greenland, both King Frederik and Queen Mary wore traditional national outfits, with Her Majesty donning a national costume called 'kalaalissut'.
The third day of the tour saw the royals arrive at the West Greenlandic village of Attu, where summer temperatures are, as always, chilly at best. To combat the cold, Queen Mary wore wide menswear-inspired 'Pirette' trousers by beloved Danish brand Skall Studio, paired with a Polo Ralph Lauren cashmere cable-knit jumper in sea green. An oatmeal-hued poncho and hat completed the look, with a bear-shaped brooch to keen all in place.
Practicality was at the forefront of Queen Mary's dressing from the outset of the Danish royal visit to Greenland. Delivering a lesson in layering, the monarch styled a wool gilet by Dutch brand Arma over a classic Uniqlo down coat and roll-neck sweater – maintaining elegant tone-on-tone colour coordination.
For a day on the water sailing to Disko Bay in Qeqertarsuaq, Queen Mary reached for another puffer in her rotation by Patagonia, which she paired with two cold-weather essentials: a Harkila jacket and Penelope Chilvers boots.
The Danish state visit to Oslo
The Danish royal couple’s second sun-dappled day in Oslo commenced with a government luncheon hosted by the Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre in honour of the state visit at Akershus Castle. The occasion saw Queen Mary debut two never-before-seen garments: the ‘Ariceli’ checked bouclé midi skirt from the Resort ’24 collection of Emilia Wickstead – a British designer who remains a firm favourite amongst European and British royalty, and a light powder-blue blouse by Danish designer Jesper Hovring.
Simple and understated was Queen Mary’s style playbook for an architectural tour along the Oslo waterfront, highlighting how Danish and Norwegian solutions effectively unite nature, water and the human experience. A masterclass in perfect proportions, the monarch wore a collarless button-down by Italian shirting brand Baguette, complemented by a pleated wraparound navy skirt. Her Gucci sunglasses, Chanel ballerinas and Chloe crossbody bag enhanced the elegance of the ensemble.
Following the run of activities throughout the first day of the Oslo visit, Queen Mary and King Frederik X retreated to the Royal Yacht Danneborg, before remerging for the Gala Banquet hosted by the Norwegian royal couple. Queen Mary wore a bespoke lavender gown by Danish designer Birgit Hallstein that keen followers of royal fashion will recall her wearing at the Stockholm wedding of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia in 2015. Subtle amendment were made for its latest outing: the appliqué embroidery was removed from the skirt and delicate swathes of matching sheer fabric added across the neckline and sleeves. Grey satin Manolo Blanik ‘Hangisi 105’ pumps and a suite of pearl and diamond bijoux – including the Danish Pearl Poire tiara – finished the look.
For a visit to the University of Oslo's MiNaLab, Queen Mary called on previous wardrobe favourites by Chloé and Anya Hindmarch. Photo: @detdanskekongehus
Before slipping into head-to-toe protective attire, Queen Mary II’s was a vision of easy elegance to visit to MiNaLab – an open laboratory for students and researchers that forms part of the University of Oslo. The monarch paired her favourite wide-leg Chloé trousers with a crisp white shirt, an Anya Hindmarch ‘Mortimer’ top handle bag and Malone Souliers tan mules. A sweet detail was found at Queen Mary’s décolletage: an 18k gold necklace designed by Copenhagen-based jewellery label Halberstadt tipped with an 'F' for Frederik.
For the Danish royal cohort’s arrival to Oslo, Queen Mary was decked out in nautical blue and white tones that complemented the waterfront arrival to Honnørbryggen to meet King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway. Queen Mary’s entire look was a repeat of familiar and well-loved pieces from her wardrobe, from the white Ralph Lauren wool jacket, to the Erdem printed jacquard midi skirt and Max Mara ‘Whitney’ bag. Her pearl and diamond earrings, wreathed with sapphires and rubies, are gifted to the monarch from Queen Margrethe II.
The Danish state visit to Stockholm
Queen Mary's patriotic penchant for creations by Danish designer Mark Kenly Domino Tan is no secret, and this bespoke white tweed dress – which she wore on the first day of the Stockholm visit for the welcoming ceremony – is one that we've previously seen on high rotation in Queen Mary's wardrobe. Arriving aboard the Royal Yacht Dannebrog to the sound of cannons from Kastellholmen and Skeppsholmen, the newly-crowned monarch layered up for the crisp late morning air with a navy shawl, complementing her matching bow-embellished hat by Jane Taylor, Gianvito Rossi pumps and clutch by Danish brand Quidam.
Queen Mary later switched out her Jane Taylor headwear for the 'Nell' barrette by the royal-favourite Ellen Hunter, while her blue brooch – an heirloom from her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe – was a mainstay accent throughout the day.
Stepping out to the attend the state banquet hosted by the Swedish King and Queen in honour of their Danish guests, Queen Mary donned a striking beige and burgundy ensemble by Jesper Hovring for the formalities. 50-year-old Hovring is the Danish designer behind many of the Queen Mary's gowns, which she is known to repurpose and rewear for various events, year after year.
In this particular instance, the Queen wore for the first time a top from Hovring's autumn/winter '18 collection, together with the skirt – an existing piece in her wardrobe since 2017. Finishing the look with apt elegance, she wore the Danish Ruby Parure Tiara, earrings, necklace, brooch and bracelet set.
For the second day of the Swedish State Visit's proceeding, Queen Mary looked particularly regal as she wore a red dress by Copenhagen designer Birgit Hallstein, a beloved garment which the royal has worn on several occasions. This time, she styled it under a camel-hued Oscar de la Renta cape, completed with Anya Hundmarch's 'Mortimer' top-handle bag and Gianvito Rossi red suede pumps. While her accessories were not Scandinavian in design, her jewels were. Queen Mary adorned some of her favourite pieces by Danish jewellery house Ole Lynggaard: the Winter Frost earrings in 18-karat yellow gold and diamonds, and the Copenhagen leaf brooch.
The final evening of the State Visit saw a reciprocal reception hosted in honour of the Swedish hosts aboard the Royal Yacht Danneborg. For the occasion, Queen Mary took a more understated route, calling on some favourites that we've witnessed her wear in the past, including Saloni's floral 'Jacqui B' dress, her purple Boss clutch, and Joseph's 'Kido' coat, its belt cinched at the waist. Once again, Queen Mary maintained a Danish DNA in her look through her choice of jewellery – opting for gold earrings from her existing collection of bijoux by Copenhagen-based designer Rebekka Notkin.