Queen Margrethe attended the wedding of Crown Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson, May 14, 2004.
I'm sure there are all sorts of "rules" you can come up with for how the mother of the groom is supposed to dress for a wedding. And I'm guessing precious few of those so-called guidelines include bright pink and giant diamonds. But Margrethe happens to be both the mother of the groom and the reigning queen, and she does what she wants.
Video, above: The gown underneath in action, entering the banquet
After helping Mary select a series of pinks for her bridesmaids, she went along with the group in a pink coat with voluminous sleeves and leaves scattered over the bottom of the sleeves and coat. The silk coat covered a silk faille floral gown with three-quarter sleeves with bows, and a train. Her handbag and her shoes were made from the same floral fabric, and the outfit was made by Mogens Eriksen. When it comes to Margrethe ensembles, this is one of my favorites: the coat is a unique way to cover up for the church, and the dress underneath was tremendously flattering. The whole thing is just so Margrethe. It would look ridiculous on just about anyone else, but it's perfect for Daisy.
Diamonds worn by Margrethe to the wedding: the Crown brilliant set (center) and the Floral Aigrette Tiara (right)
Her choice of accessories - GIANT DIAMONDS - absolutely can't be beat. She selected a brilliant-cut set of diamonds from the Danish crown jewels, which belong to the state and can be viewed at Rosenborg Castle when not in use. It has been said to be the most valuable set at the Queen's disposal, with diamonds that are both large and historically significant (the setting was created by C.M. Weisshaupt in 1840, with stones that had been the family prior to that, used in other pieces of jewelry since the 1700s). The brilliant set consists of an enormous floral brooch set en tremblant with earrings and a necklace containing floral elements; the earrings include pear-drop diamond pendants and the necklace has seven similar pendants. She also wore the Floral Aigrette Tiara, which is a part of her personal collection but coordinates perfectly with the crown brilliants. The Floral Aigrette was bought for Margrethe's mother, Queen Ingrid, and Ingrid first wore it at Margrethe's own wedding. The brilliant set was also worn by Ingrid at Margrethe and Henrik's 1967 wedding, so the selections here have significance beyond wearing important things for an important event.
The coat in its current dress form
Queen Margrethe did repeat this outfit as it was worn in 2004 after the wedding, but eventually she changed it up. Never one to let a good outfit go to waste, she had the pink coat re-engineered into a dress of its own, and she's worn it many times since (including for the official portrait seen above). I'm not so sure that was a successful change, since the volume on the sleeves in their new shorter length is a bit much, but then I probably just miss the glory of the original ensemble. Ah, well. It was perfect while it lasted.
