Queen Mary wears 1868 pearl bracelet for Carlsberg Foundation's 150th birthday
Queen Mary of Denmark wore a 158-year-old pearl bracelet to help the Carlsberg Foundation celebrate 150 years on 25 September 2026 at Frederiksborg Castle.
King Frederik of Denmark joined Queen Mary for the evening in the Riddersalen, the castle's Great Hall, for an event the Danish Royal House listed as the anniversary celebration and portrait unveiling.
The bracelet holds eight square links, each centred on a large pearl ringed by 16 diamonds, according to Hello Magazine. It dates to 1868. It belongs to the Danish Royal Property Trust, the pool of jewels reserved for the use of the sitting queen.
The bracelet has a documented family history. It was an engagement gift from the then crown prince, later King Frederik VIII of Denmark, to his future wife, Queen Lovisa of Denmark. Lovisa, born a Swedish princess, was Queen of Denmark from 1906 to 1912. In 1910 she created the Trust and left her jewellery collection to the disposal of each future queen. Queen Mary had worn the same bracelet before, for a New Year levee, a formal court reception, in Copenhagen earlier this year.
The night did double duty. Guests also saw the unveiling of the first official painted portrait of King Frederik since his accession to the throne. The work is by artist Cathrine Raben Davidsen and now hangs in the Great Hall at Frederiksborg.
The venue has a direct link to the foundation. The Museum at Frederiksborg was founded by brewer J.C. Jacobsen and is owned by the Carlsberg Foundation. The date marked exactly 150 years since Jacobsen signed the charter and gift letter, the founding documents, that established the foundation on 25 September 1876. The foundation, which has supported Danish science since 1876, used the anniversary to pay tribute to basic research, the curiosity-driven work done without a commercial goal in mind, according to the Carlsberg Foundation.
The evening included the marking of an extraordinary payout of 150 million kroner. Guests came from Danish research, cultural and business life. Denmark's minister for research, education and digitalisation also took part.
The Danish royal palace has since confirmed that the King and Queen are on a private holiday abroad. Their eldest son, Crown Prince Christian, 20, is acting as regent, the stand-in head of state, from Sunday to Thursday.
What makes this stand out is how the jewels keep working. A 19th-century engagement gift still leaves the vault for birthdays and receptions. It links three queens across more than a century. On this night, it shared the room with a new royal portrait.
