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Queen Margrethe (wearing the Pearl Poiré Tiara and the Khedive of Egypt’s Pearl Parure) and Prince Henrik of Denmark attend a glittering State Dinner and Reception at the White House hosted by American President George HW Bush and First Lady Barbra Bush on this day in 1991, during their State Visit to the United States. Other events included an Official Welcome Ceremony at the White House, a visit to the National Gallery of Art, and a Return Dinner at the Danish Embassy (for which Queen Margrethe wore her Floral Aigrette Tiara). King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid made a State Visit to the United States in 1960, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary visited in 2016, and an American State Visit to Denmark was controversially cancelled in 2019.
The White House has said about the State Dinner:
Guests for this dinner in honor of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark included journalist and news anchor Walter Cronkite, baseball player Nolan Ryan, actress Melanie Griffith, and journalist and news anchor Katherine Couric. Menu items included lobster medallions and crown roast of lamb. Queen Margrethe II was dressed in red velvet with diamond tiara, necklace, earrings, and brooch. First Lady Barbara Bush was dressed in a floral evening gown and pearls. After dinner, mezzo-soprano Frederica Von Stade provided musical entertainment in the East Room, finishing her performance with a rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner.”
