Queen Mary of Denmark Wears a Familiar Green Skirt to Climate Talks in Turkey
Queen Mary of Denmark wore a green skirt to a dinner in Antalya, Turkey, and it was not a new one. Town & Country reported that she had worn the same midi skirt on official trips to Kenya and Brazil over the past two years.
She was in Antalya for COP31, the United Nations climate conference. COP stands for "Conference of the Parties," and the yearly meeting is where countries work on plans to cut emissions and deal with a warming planet. At the dinner, which celebrated cultural ties between Denmark and Turkey, she wore a green patterned jacquard skirt, a woven design with a raised pattern. She paired it with a black long-sleeve wrap top and gold jewelry.
Her wardrobe changed for the work days. On Monday she wore a forest green power suit, a structured jacket and matching trousers or skirt, for daytime events. On Tuesday, her last day at the conference, she chose a navy blue pinstripe suit in a linen blend, made by the German designer Dorothee Schumacher.
The clothes drew the most attention, but the schedule was packed. On Monday morning she went out on the Mediterranean with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a global conservation group, to learn about efforts to restore coral reefs. Coral reefs are underwater structures built by living animals, and they are sensitive to warmer and more acidic seawater.
At the conference itself, she opened the Danish Pavilion, the exhibit space Denmark runs at the talks. In her speech she focused on electrification, the switch from fuels such as coal, oil and gas to electric power. She also met with Danish companies and with youth delegates. She attended the signing of a climate and energy agreement between Denmark and Australia.
She met representatives of Pacific Island nations, many of which face rising sea levels. Later she joined an event hosted by the Global Offshore Wind Alliance, a group that promotes wind farms built in the ocean.
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy. That means the queen's role is mostly ceremonial, and the elected government sets the country's climate and energy policy. Royal trips like this one put a familiar face on the country's priorities, and they give partners and businesses a reason to show up. For American readers, the closest comparison is a head of state's spouse or a senior family member attending a summit, though Denmark's royal family has a far longer and more formal role.
Her choices on the trip were all visible in the photos, from the green skirt to the navy pinstripes. The reuse of the skirt, worn on three continents, was the detail that stood out most. It is a small thing, and it still tells you something about how official travel gets packed and planned.
