Queen Mary of Denmark wears a historic tiara (with a tragic story) as she reunites with King Frederik to host her first state visit as a royal couple

However, it was Queen Mary’s headpiece that attracted the most attention at the gala banquet. The mother of four wore the Pearl Poire Tiara, a piece reminiscent of generations of Danish rulers before her. According to the court jeweler, the Pearl Poire (named for its pear-cut gemstones) is almost two centuries old. In 1825, King Friedrich Wilhelm III gave a gift. of Prussia supposedly gave the tiara to his daughter, Princess Louise, on the occasion of her wedding to Prince Frederick of the Netherlands.

After Princess Louise’s death, 45 years later, she bequeathed the piece to her daughter, Queen Louise of Sweden and Norway. However, tragedy struck and Queen Louise died before she could inherit her mother’s collection. So the tiara was passed on to her own daughter Lovisa, who had just married the future King of Denmark – Prince Frederik.

This is how the Pearl Poire set came to Copenhagen and has been the Danish royal family’s most iconic piece of jewelry ever since. As queen, Lovisa bequeathed the pieces to the Danish Royal Property Trust, ensuring that every queen of Denmark would inherit them for generations.

Queen Margrethe, for example, wore the Pearl Poire for some of the most monumental moments of her reign – including the New Year celebration that took place just hours after her abdication was announced. Mary debuted the historic tiara during a state visit to Norway for another state banquet earlier this year. It truly is a piece worn on the most important royal occasions, and her decision to wear the set underlines how important this first gala must have been for the Danish royal family.

In fact, King Frederik looked stunning in his dress uniform paired with gold epaulettes and a cane. His aunt, Princess Benedikte, 80, once again showed why her family once called her “the most royal of us all” by donning a floor-length blue dress and the Berleburg fringe tiara that quickly became a favorite of the princess.