On January 14, Frederick of Denmark was proclaimed king after the unexpected abdication of his mother, Queen Margaret, who announced her decision to abandon the throne after 52 years in her New Year's Eve speech. On the day that Frederick X and his wife Mary became king of the Danes, their first official portrait was taken. Dennis Stenild was in charge of photographing them in the Throne Room of Christiansborg Palace moments after they greeted the assembled citizens from the balcony. But on that occasion only the monarch wore a gala uniform. This Thursday, April 25, to mark the succession, the Danish royal house has released the first official gala portrait of the new kings of Denmark, a portrait that from now on will hang on the walls of the country's institutions, and in the Danish embassies and consulates around the world.
The person responsible for the three new photographs – one together, and another two with each of the protagonists separately – has been Steen Evald, who has photographed the kings in the Green Room, one of the rooms for royal receptions at the palace. Christiansborg, the place where Danish monarchs have historically lived. The image shows Frederick X and Queen Mary wearing decorations of the Order of the Elephant. By succeeding his mother to the throne, Frederick X is now also sovereign of the oldest and most distinguished brotherhood of chivalry in his country. In addition, and for the first time, Mary of Dianamarca wears crown jewels. It is an emerald set that consists of a tiara – known as the Rosenborg tiara, with emeralds and diamonds –, a necklace, earrings and a large brooch that can be divided into three parts. The last time the set was seen was last November, when the then Queen Margaret chose it during the state visit of the Kings of Spain to Denmark. Precisely during that trip, Felipe VI and Doña Letizia received the distinction of the Order of the Elephant, which only about 900 people have in the world.
This is one of four sets of jewelry that are at the disposal of the Queen of Denmark and are normally displayed at Rosenborg Castle. Jewelry that the queen can wear, but by custom they always stay in Danish territory, which means that they are not part of the outfits on the monarchs' official trips abroad. As highlighted in the website of the danish royal house, this design by jeweler CM Weisshaupt was a gift from Christian VIII to Queen Carolina Amalia, probably for her silver wedding anniversary on May 22, 1840. The emeralds and diamonds in the set were partly reused pieces of jewelry from Queen Sofia Magdalena , antique bracelets and pieces purchased then. Neoclassical style jewelry, inspired by the French crown jewels of the time.
The detail that has caught the attention, in any case, is that Queen Mary, dressed in a green velvet suit by Birgit Hallstein, wears on her chest a small portrait of her husband set with diamonds and a ribbon of the Order of Dannebrog . But this detail is not something new: for generations, there has been a tradition for the women of the Danish royal family to wear a miniature portrait of the sovereign. In fact, during her years as a princess she already wore one with the image of Margaret of Denmark. The portrait she now wears of her husband was created by British artist Tom Mulliner and is set in a gold frame with diamonds. A frame that also has her history: it dates back to Amelia de Beauharnais, Empress Consort of Brazil, and from 1972 until her abdication last January it was worn by Queen Margaret with a photo of her father, Frederick IX.
![Queen Mary of Denmark, in the official portrait by Steen Evald.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/VCM2JJGNPBGYJNN4LHNS5R2YXM.jpg?auth=05b6025e5fbc5b116ae79172b983f173d064f2df2b79c4aa736fc83f3f7a3d49&width=414)
It is also the first time that Frederick reserved for Danish sovereigns. This is the case of the elephant hanging from a chain. The animal, which has five flat square diamonds in the shape of a cross, was probably created in 1671 for the anointing of Christian V in the church of Frederiksborg Castle, while the chain of the Order of the Elephant was created in 1693. According to the tradition, this jewel is for special occasions; Margaret of Denmark used to wear it at the annual New Year's banquet.
![King Frederick X of Denmark, in the official portrait by Steen Evald.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/HLBBHP3EDBGJDCNQFNX4ZTLV6U.jpg?auth=5a36ab06c592c4da8f4fd8b639512bce27db30d69c885cf29d13b28aff8f9d07&width=414)
For the new official portrait, Frederick the Order of the Elephant, dating from 1770, and the great star of the Order of Dannebrog, created for Frederick VI in 1808. On the neck, one more distinction: the great commander's cross of Dannebrog, which is the highest degree of this order. Both the chain, the elephant, and the two stars are displayed along with the rest of the royal insignia (crown, scepter, sword…) in Rosenborg Castle.
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