The box in which the bracelet was presented, the court website explained, is inscribed with a passionate message from Frederik VII to his future wife, which translates from French as: ‘It is from the summit of the flaming Vesuvius that my heart flies to you. April 24, 1828.’
Alas, the marriage was perhaps a little too fiery. Frederik was known for his debauched lifestyle – drinking heavily and taking numerous lovers. Wilhelmine was said to be kind and meek, thus unable to remedy her husband’s volcanic outbursts, which apparently hurt her ‘female feelings’. The pair separated in 1834 and divorced three years later.
For her earrings, Queen Mary chose from the citrine demi-parure that once belonged to Countess Danner, a commoner who married Frederik VII after his divorce from Vilhelmine (and also from Caroline Mariane of Mecklenburg-Strelitz). A commoner, Countess Danner was unpopular among the upper classes. She was not regarded as a member of high society, having never been a debutante or formally introduced at the royal court. At one grand dinner party, it’s said that the nobility refused to honour the custom at the time, which was to propose a toast to the monarch’s wife; in the end, Frederick did it himself. Louise’s stepmother, Queen Dowager Caroline Amalie, would not let her ladies-in-waiting visit Louise, much to Frederick’s chagrin.
The court’s description of the jewels paid tribute to Queen Mary’s refreshing take on the family heritage, adding, describing how her ‘choice of these historic pieces marks a rare display of the Royal House’s cultural heritage.’