A Showcase of Historic Tiaras at the Gala Performance For Queen Margrethe's Golden Jubilee

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II

The gala performance at the Royal Theater in Denmark to celebrate Queen Margrethe II's Golden Jubilee was held on September 10, Saturday. It was modified a day before in respect to Queen Elizabeth II death. 

A minute of silence in honor of Queen Elizabeth II was observed before the gala performance started.

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II
At the Royal Theater ©Keld Navntoft, Kongehuset

The Royal Theater Performance was originally planned in January this year but had to postpone this month due to the government restrictions on public gatherings because of the pandemic.

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II
©Keld Navntoft, Kongehuset
Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II

The Queen invited her two monarch cousins, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and King Harald V of Norway, in addition to her immediate and extended families, to keep up with the government's restriction on the number of guests in public gatherings. 

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II
Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway
©Keld Navntoft, Kongehuset
Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II
Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
©Keld Navntoft, Kongehuset

The Danish royal extended families and the Nordic heads of state were among the guests at the evening's gala performance at the Royal Theater. The performance was organized to mark Her Majesty the Queen's 50th Anniversary of the Government.

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II
Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

From the theater's Old Scene, Queen Margrethe II, along with around 1,200 guests, watched high quality performances in ballet, acting, opera, musical and classical music. However, the level of performances were scaled down to observe the mourning period of Queen Elizabeth II's death.

The Royal Attendees

Danish Royals and extended families: Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix, Princess Benedikte of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (younger sister of the Queen) and her two daughters - Princess Alexandra and Princess Natalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Count Michael of Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (husband of Princess Alexandra). Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg (first wife of Prince Joachim).

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary and their children, Princess Isabella, and Prince Christian ©Keld Navntoft, Kongehuset

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie and his two older sons, Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix
Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II
Queen Anne-Marie and Princess Benedikte
Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II
Princess Alexandra and her husband Count Michael of Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, 
and sister Princess Nathalie

Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (younger sister of the Queen) and her children and in-laws, namely Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and his wife Crown Princess Marie-Chantal, Princess Alexia and her husband Carlos Morales, Princess Theodora and her fiance, Prince Philippos and his wife, Princess Nina.

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II
Count Ingolf of Rosenborg and Countess Sussie

Count Ingolf of Roseborg, who was born Prince Ingolf of Denmark, the first cousin of Queen Margrethe II, also attended the gala performance with his wife, Countess Sussie of Rosenborg.

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II

Nordic Royals: His Majesty King Carl XIV Gustav of Sweden (first cousin of Queen Margrethe II) and his wife Her Majesty Queen Silvia, and His Majesty King Harald V of Norway (second cousin of Queen Magrethe II) and his wife Her Majesty Queen Sonja.

The Glamour

Queen Margrethe II was ravishing in red during the gala night, wearing a new crimson Birgitte Thaulow gown. Queen Anne-Marie wore a burgundy velvet gown, while Princess Benedikte wore a Wichmann Couture gown.

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II
Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and his wife, Crown Princess Marie-Chantal

Crown Princess Marie-Chantal wore a stunning Prada silver gown paired with Prada black suede sandals. Her three sisters-in-law were equally glamorous in their designer's floor-length gowns. 

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II
Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark and her fiance

Princess Theodora wore a striking crepe dress in magenta from a British luxury brand, Safiyaa. Princess Nina, daughter of billionaire Vista jet founder, Thomas Flohr, wore a Maison Valentino chiffon silk draped gown.

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II Golden Jubilee
Queen Anne-Marie, Princess Benedikite and Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg

Crown Princess Mary repeated her light pink Lasse Spangenberg dress with pink satin pumps. Her daughter, Princess Isabella, also wore a sleeveless Lasse Spangenberg red dress which she accessorized with a red shawl. 

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II Golden Jubilee
Three Nordic Queens

The Historic Tiaras

Gala performances always showcase a wide array of royal jewels and sparkling headpieces, and this gala performance at the Royal Theater was filled with all things that glitter.

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II Golden Jubilee
Queen Margrethe II and her Floral Aigrette Tiara

Queen Margrethe, however, decided to wear one of the less elaborate among all her sparkling toppers, the Floral Aigrette Tiara, which is more of a floral head ornament rather than a tiara.

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II Golden Jubilee

Her younger sisters also wore minimalist tiaras. Queen Anne-Marie wore her Ruby Olive Wreathe headpiece, while Princess Benedikte opted to wear her husband's family heirloom, the Berleburg Fringe Tiara.

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II Golden Jubilee
Queen Anne-Marie and her Ruby Olive Wreath headpiece
Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II Golden Jubilee
Princess Benedikte wore Berleburg Fringe Tiara

Crown Princess Mary wore her Ruby and Spinel Tiara, which is a convertible piece and can be worn as a necklace. Unlike her Ruby Parure Tiara, which was a wedding gift to her from the Queen, the Ruby and Spinel Tiara was purchased at an auction in 2012. It's a jewelry set that includes a pair of earrings. 

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II Golden Jubilee
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg, the first wife of Prince Joachim, and the mother of his two older sons, Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix, still gets an invite from her former mother-in-law during important royal occasions. The Hongkong-born countess wore an Alexandrine Drop Diamond Tiara.

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II Golden Jubilee
Her Excellency Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg

Made for Queen Alexandrine (grandmother of Queen Margrethe II) around 1912, this tiara has a delicate setting, made of several diamonds shaped in teardrops. In 1995, when Alexandra married Prince Joachim, the Queen gave it to her as a wedding gift. 

When her marriage to Prince Joachim ended in divorce in 2005, her mother-in-law let her keep it. So it's a tiara from the Danish royal collection that - the one that got away - as Alexandra is no longer a member of the Danish royal family.

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II Golden Jubilee
Princess Marie of Denmark

While Prince Joachim's second wife, Princess Marie, wore Nuits Claires Tiara. However, unlike most historic tiaras worn for tonight's gala performance, this one is a new creation commissioned by Princess Marie herself after she married Prince Joachim. This beautiful diadem is made of diamonds, white gold, and sapphires. 

Gala performance at Queen Margrethe II Golden Jubilee
Queen Silvia of Sweden

Queen Silvia of Sweden wore a Napoleonic Amethyst Parure Tiara, a set of dark amethysts in gold and silver. The set included drop earrings, two bracelets, and a devant de corsage. This tiara has a French origin, having been worn by the Bernadottes from France.


Queen Sonja of Norway wore a tiara that has ties to the British royal family, the Queen Maud's Pearl Tiara. Originally belonged to Queen Maud, the grandmother of King Harald V, the tiara was a wedding gift from Maud's parents King Edward VII of Great Britain and Queen Alexandra.

The second daughter of Princess Benedikte, Princess Nathalie, wore another historic tiara, the Queen Sophia's Star and Pearl Tiara. It was first owned by Queen Sophia of Sweden, who was born a princess of Nassau. 

The tiara was a wedding gift to Sophia by her brother, Prince Adolphe, who would become Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Sophia married Prince Oscar, later King Oscar II of Sweden. 

It was inherited by her great-granddaughter, Princess Ingrid who married Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark (later King Frederik IX). Queen Ingrid bequeathed it to her second daughter, Princess Benedikte. Princess Benedikte's elder daughter, Princess Alexandra, wore a family heirloom of her husband, the Ahlefeldt Floral Tiara.

Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark and her husband, Carlos Morales

However, it was Princess Alexia, the eldest daughter of Queen Anne-Marie, who wore one of the most historic tiaras of the night, the Khedive of Egypt Tiara, which originally belonged to Princess Margaret of Connaught (granddaughter of Queen Victoria of Britain) who became Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden. 

The tiara was inherited by her only daughter, Queen Ingrid, and had been worn by all her daughters and granddaughters to their respective weddings. Queen Ingrid bequeathed it to her youngest daughter, Queen Anne-Marie.

Princess Nina, wife of Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark

While Princess Nina wore an Antique Corsage Tiara loaned to her by her mother-in-law, Queen Anne-Marie. It's the same tiara she wore on her wedding to Prince Philippos in October 2021.

Countess Sussie of Rosenborg wore Princess Helena's Diamond Bandeau Tiara, originally belonged to Princess Helena of Denmark, the mother of Princess Caroline-Mathilde, the mother of Count Ingolf of Rosenborg.

The Menu!

Yes, we have a copy of the gala night's menu for the royals and guests! Courtesy of the Danish Royal House's official website.

Sandwich canapés: Beef tartare with pickled mushrooms, mustard mayonnaise, hazelnuts, and cress Icelandic cold-smoked salmon with pickled cucumber, horseradish, and fresh cheese Onion pie with caramelized onions, thyme, and Lihmskovost. 
Sandwich canapes similar to the royal menu

Eclairs (a pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with a flavored icing) with hand-peeled prawns, herbs, and lemon Knøs cheese with caramelized quinces, walnuts, and rye chips.

Sweets for the pause: Mocca flavored cream buns and Moscato d'Asti "Sourgal" Elio Perrone, a wine produced from Piedmont, Italy.

The Danish royals also served the wine produced from their own vineyard in Chateau de Cayx France, the Le Rosé Malbec du Prince 2021 or the Rose Prince Malbec. 


The wine is described in Chateau de Cayx website as an exceptional vintage from the grape range of His Royal Highness Prince Henrik of Denmark (the late husband of Queen Margrethe II) whose noble family originally owned the winery estate, featuring a bright pink robe, this rosé wine reveals hints of linden followed by lychee and grapefruit.

Photo credit ©Keld Navntoft, Kongehuset

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