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From Monday, 31 March, to Wednesday, 2nd April, King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark will pay a State visit to France, on the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron.

This State visit is the first Danish State visit to France since Queen Margrethe II's and Prince Henrik's State visit in October 1978. This State visit is a kind of "return visit" after President Macron's State visit to Denmark in October 2018, and also an obvious nod to the strong ties of the Danish royal family to France (due both to the late Prince Henrik's origins and to the Bernadotte connection). Of course, on the diplomatic level, this visit also has a high symbolical importance, while the transatlantic solidarity is deeply undermined by the current US administration, including explicit and unprecedented threats against the Danish sovereignity in Greenland...

The official schedule of the State visit has been released. Geographically, the visit will remain in Paris (with only a visit by the King to not far Versailles on the third day, not to the famous château, but to visit an weapon factory). The visit will notably include a State dinner hosted by President Macron at the Elysée Palace on the evening of the 31st March, and a return diner hosted by King Frederik X in Paris Grand Hotel (one of the most lavish hotels of the French capital, next to Paris Opera House). A bit oddly, the return dinner will accomodate more guests (350) than the State dinner (200)... The King will also pay the customary visits to the main institutions of the French republic (Prime minister, President of the National Assembly, President of the Senate, Mayoress of Paris). There will be also a short cruise on the river Seine in the morning of the third day to discuss about ecology and energy with the Mayoress of Paris. The State visit will be concluded by a visit of the royal couple, accompanied by the French presidential couple, to Notre-Dame cathedral.

Judging from past State visits in Paris, I fear we should not expect much glitter on the State dinner, and consequently also on the return dinner. The French protocol has dropped white-tie dinners since the late 1970s, and we should already consider ourselves happy if the dinner is black-tie and not with plain day dress (suits and ties)...

I have the hope that, during the visit to Notre-Dame, Queen Mary will wear some parts of Queen Désirée of Sweden's ruby parure (not the full parure, of course, but possibly the brooch, and/or the earrings in their smaller version). Queen Désirée (then "just" the wife of French Marshall Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte) is indeed reported to have worn this parure on 2nd December, 1804 for Emperor Napoleon I's coronation, which took place precisely in Notre-Dame cathedral... It would be a lovely wink to history to wear these rubies on this occasion. Of course, I would not mind if Queen Mary chooses to wear Queen Désirée's rubies at the State dinner instead...

Waiting to know what this new visit will bring us (or not) in terms of jewellery, we can enjoy the pictures of Queen Margrethe's State visit in October 1978, under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's presidency. The Queen wore the Pearl Poire Tiara and the Khedive's pearl necklace, earrings and brooch for the State dinner at the Elysée Palace. For the return dinner at the Hôtel de Marigny, she wore the Golden Poppies, a four-row pearl choker and a large pendant (which is, judging from other pictures, of orange colour, so probably an imperial topaz or a citrine):


Thirteen years earlier, in April 1965, King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid had paid a State visit to France, under Charles de Gaulle's presidency. Queen Ingrid wore Queen Désirée's Ruby Parure (+ Queen Alexandrine's Ruby Bow Brooch, now owned by Princess Alexia of Greece) for the State dinner at the Elysée Palace on 6th April 1965. She chose the Pearl Parure for the return dinner at the Quai d'Orsay, followed by a gala performance at Paris Opera House. And finally, she opted for her "Aigrette" Floral tiara, a diamond riviere with the Ivy brooch/pendant and the pair of square diamond brooches for the gala reception at the Château de Versailles: