King Frederik X’s Portrait Order

Happy Birthday to King Frederik X of Denmark, who celebrates his 56th Birthday today! Queen Mary of Denmark is, so far, the only recipient of the ‘Ordensportrættet’ of King Frederik X, which has been put inside a 200-year-old antique Diamond Frame that originates from Empress Amelie of Brazil!

The two-centuries old antique Diamond Frame is set with 18 brilliant-cut diamonds and topped with a Crown, and now contains the Portrait of King Frederik X.

The Diamond Frame was Emperor Pedro I of Brazil to his fiancée, Princess Amélie of Leuchtenberg, on her 17th birthday in 1829. Empress Amelie wore the Frame in a portrait taken not long afterwards.

When Empress Amélie passed away in 1873, she had outlived her only daughter, and the Diamond Frame, along with the Braganza Tiara and the Napoleonic Emerald Parure, were inherited by her sister, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, who in turn, left the frame to her granddaughter, Queen Lovisa, who put the Diamond Frame into the Danish Løsørefideikommis.

Following Queen Lovisa’s death, the ’Ordensportrættet’ Diamond Frame was worn by Queen Alexandrine, set with the portrait of King Christian X of Denmark.

In 1947, the Diamond Frame was set with the portrait of King Frederik IX of Denmark for Queen Ingrid.

Queen Margrethe II retained her father’s portrait and wore the historic ’Ordensportrættet’ throughout her Reign.

The Jewels of the entailed Løsørefideikommis, the Danish Royal Property Trust, belong to the Danish Crown and cannot be sold or dismantled, reserved for the sole use of the Danish Queen, so this antique Diamond Frame passed to Queen Mary earlier this year, and now contains the Portrait of King Frederik X.

A month ago, Queen Mary debuted the historic ’Ordensportrættet’ set with King Frederik’s Portrait with the Danish Emerald Parure for her first Official Gala Portraits taken by Steen Evald in the Green Room at Christiansborg Palace.

Queen Mary next wore the ’Ordensportrættet’ with the Danish Ruby Parure for the Danish State Visit to Sweden.

Queen Mary next wore historic ’Ordensportrættet’ with the Pearl Poiré Tiara for the Danish State Visit to Norway. Until their daughters reach the age of majority, Queen Mary will be the only recipient of King Frederik X’s Ordensportrættet.

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History

The ‘Ordensportrættet’ has been a tradition in the Danish Royal Family since the 18th century, that female members of the Danish Royal Family wore the miniature portrait of the Sovereign in a diamond frame on their left shoulder. Before the Royal Ladies were able to receive the Order of the Elephant, the Ordensportrættet was usually their primary insignia, which is suspended from white silk moiré with red borders, the national colours of Denmark.

In Denmark, rather than wearing the insignia of various Sovereigns, the Royal Ladies only wear the Ordensportrættet of the Sovereign that is their closest relation, with the portraits changing for only the new Queen Consort.

Unlike the Royal Family Orders in many other nations, where Royal Ladies receive each Sovereign’s Portrait in new diamond frames, in Denmark, they use the same frames through the different reigns, and just replace the Portraits, thus the frames themselves are even more notable than the portrait.