Exclusive: Every look from Queen Mary's Australia tour wardrobe and why her choices were more than just fashion
Sustainability was a key theme of Queen Mary's historic state visit to Australia so it was fitting that her tour wardrobe consisted mainly of re-wears, with just a handful of looks featuring new pieces.
The Danish royal couple's itinerary included stops in Uluru, Canberra, Melbourne and Hobart with some days featuring multiple outfit changes from the stylish Tasmanian-born Queen.
King Frederik and Queen Mary are now back at home in Denmark after spending six days Down Under in what was their first official return to Australia in 13 years.
Queen Mary's Australian tour wardrobe was a masterclass in diplomatic dressing and shopping your existing wardrobe.
Not only was Queen Mary's sartorial display a masterclass in diplomatic dressing, the 15 looks seen across the tour was a lesson for ordinary women in how to shop your wardrobe – creating entirely new outfits without having to spend any additional money.
Some looks were revamped with a few simple tweaks from one engagement to the next, allowing Mary to change her outfit to suit the occasion. While others involved the 54-year-old undergoing a complete costume change before moving on to the next event.
The Australian-born royal has a penchant for mixing old and new items from her vast fashion archive, demonstrating her commitment to sustainability and clever styling.
Here are all 15 outfits Queen Mary wore throughout the Australian state visit.
Queen Mary and King Frederik started their state visit in Uluru on Saturday March 14.
Look 1: Uluru
The King and Queen's tour began in the centre of Australia at Uluru, where Frederik and Mary watched the sunrise at the iconic rock.
Mary wore a beige linen skirt by MKDT Studio, launched by Danish designer Mark Kenly Domino Tan in 2014. The Queen has worn pieces by the Copenhagen-based brand on other foreign tours including engagements at home.
The label behind her umbrella-print shirt remains unknown, which is a rarity in the world of royal fashion watching where most items are quickly identified and, in many cases, then sold out.
The Queen accessorised with her tan Chloe leather flats, which have been a staple of her casual wardrobe for many years, a new Akubra hat and the Delphis Creole gold hoop earrings from Dulong, a Danish fine jewellery brand Mary has worn for decades. On Mary's wrist was her gold Cartier watch.
After watching a cultural performance and meeting with the Aṉangu people – the traditional owners of Uluru – Mary changed into hiking books for the short walk to the viewing platform where she and King Frederik were photographed viewing the setting sun.
Look 2: Uluru
Day two of the tour began with a sunrise tour of the Muṯitjulu Waterhole, one of the few permanent water sources around Uluṟu.
Mary chose her most relaxed look of the tour, wearing beige linen Bermuda-style shorts and a brown button-down shirt, a cap and her hiking boots. The shorts were previously seen on Mary when she appeared in a Danish television documentary filmed in the gardens of Fredensborg Palace, the family's summer residence.
Look 3: Canberra
Canberra was the second leg of the state visit and it delivered the most wardrobe changes of the tour.
For Queen Mary's arrival in the capital at Government House, she wore a green floral print dress by Australian label Zimmermann. The 'Everly' dress was first worn by Mary during her summer cruise through Denmark last year.
Queen Mary chose a Danish designer for the official welcome ceremony at Government House in Canberra.
Look 4: Canberra
After the smoking ceremony and traditional welcome, it was time for the ceremonial portion at Government House hosted by Australia's Governor General Sam Mostyn where the national anthems of Denmark and Australia were played.
Queen Mary wore a new dress by Danish designer Claes Iversen, a blue fascinator and jewels by Dulong that she has had for many years.
The blue, red and white floral design of the dress was a nod to both Australia and Denmark, the colours featuring in the national flags.
Look 5: Canberra
Queen Mary re-wore a mint gown by her long-time Danish designer Jesper Høvring.
The gown was first seen on Mary, when she was Crown Princess, in 2010 to the wedding of Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria. Back then it had a gold lace overlay over the shoulders.
Høvring told nine.com.au he didn't know the Queen would re-wear the gown during the Australia state visit but he had "hoped" it might make an appearance.
"It is always amazing to see our dresses come to life, for the event we make them for, but this dress is one of my favourites. I felt very lucky that our Queen choose to wear it again," Høvring said.
The dress was most recently re-worked in 2023 when a gold lace overlay was added for the wedding of Jordan's Crown Prince.
"We wanted to make the dress a bit more sparkling and a bit more covered up," Høvring said.
"And we went back to the original dress. When we made it [in 2010] had a gold lace top. It feels a bit more modern now."
In 2011 it was transformed into a one-shouldered gown with a long train that fell down Mary's back and worn to a charity event in Melbourne.
Høvring said it was not lost on him that the Queen chose to re-wear this gown for the second time in Australia.
"Clothes can say many things. It must be an obvious choice from the queen to wear the same dress again, but this time it was reworked so it has a fresh new look."
When asked whether he had a favourite version of the gown, Høvring pointed to its current design.
"But at the same time there is something about the one shoulder version without the lace," he added.
Mary chose not to wear a tiara because the dinner was hosted by Australia's Governor-General, representing our head of state King Charles.
"The royal couple naturally adjusts their attire for the state banquet so that it aligns with the host... nothing is left to chance," royal correspondent for Danish magazine BILLED BLADET, Marianne Singer, told nine.com.au.
Instead the Queen wore a golden brooch as a hair clip designed by Danish fine jewellery house Ole Lynggaard.
The delicate piece of jewellery is from the 'leaves collection' and is crafted from 18 karat yellow gold with 117 pavé-set diamonds. The leaves contain a mixture of rose and yellow gold. A similar version of the brooch is available for sale for $39,900.
Mary wore the brand's 'winter frost' earrings with smoky quartz drops.
Look 6: Canberra
For the first full day in Canberra, the agenda was focused on soft diplomacy, formality and paying tribute to the shared history between Denmark and Australia.
One of the first engagements was at the Australian War Memorial which included King Frederik and Queen Mary's first 'walkabout' of the tour.
In keeping with the formality of the occasion, Mary wore a new navy blue Carolina Herrera frock with a matching headband by Danish milliner Katrin Cecilia Jacobsen and Gianvito Rossi snakeskin stilettos that have long been in her wardrobe.
The navy blue mirrored the shade of the Australian flag, an appropriate choice to wear to the war memorial which commemorates the sacrifice made by thousands during times of conflict.
The Queen accessorised with the Connaught sapphire brooch, given to Mary by her mother-in-law when her son, the now Crown Prince Christian, was born in 2005. Mary has worn the brooch at significant moments in her life ever since, including for the first time at Christian's baptism and his 18th birthday.
Look 7: Canberra
King Frederik and Queen Mary met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Parliament House following the visit to the Australian War Memorial.
Queen Mary changed into her white Max Mara suit and a pink jacket by the brand before the event with the PM and later an afternoon tea hosted by the Parliamentary Friendship Group.
The Max Mara ensemble – including the white two-piece suit – are re-wears by Mary. Her eldest daughter, Princess Isabella, previously wore the white suit to her confirmation in 2022. Mother and daughter have shared various outfits over the years.
Look 8: Canberra
Mary's final look in Canberra was this black and floral Etro dress, a piece that has been in the Queen's wardrobe since 2023.
Look 9: Melbourne
This red dress has been in Queen Mary's wardrobe since at least 2021 and is a bespoke creation by her dressmaker Birgit Hallstein, who co-created her white outfit worn when Frederik was proclaimed King and Mary's wedding gown.
Hallstein has made other gowns for Mary over the years, including a maroon velvet evening dress that has been re-worked a few times including to accommodate one of her pregnancies.
Queen Mary and King Frederik's program in Melbourne focused on the business portion of the state visit, but began with a welcome at Government House. Mary wore nude heels and simple gold jewellery by Danish brand Rebekka Notkin, ensuring the red of the dress – representing Denmark's flag – was the focus.
Queen Mary changed into this casual outfit to visit the MCG.
Look 10: Melbourne
It was a more casual look for Mary in the afternoon when she and King Frederik moved to Port Melbourne to explore its role in the green transition and sustainable solutions in the maritime sector.
The Queen wore wide-leg blue linen trousers and a white blazer by Max Mara.
The loose fit was appropriate for their final engagement of the day, which saw the Queen kick a goal during a visit to the Melbourne Cricket Ground where they met Hawthorn footballers and young Auskick players. Appropriately, Mary swapped her tan heels for a pair of white and blue Nike sneakers.
Look 11: Melbourne
For the King and Queen's final day in Melbourne Mary championed Australian fashion again but this time with a new piece.
Mary wore a navy and white linen skirt by Carla Zampatti for a meeting of Danish businesses and later to the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.
She accessorised with the snakeskin heels seen in Canberra and a white wrap blouse by Jesper Høvring.
Høvring told nine.com.au the Queen "purchased the blouse straight off the runway" some years ago but in a different colour. She now has the blouse in multiple colours, including purple.
Royal fans can purchase a similar version in his Copenhagen boutique.
Look 12: Melbourne
Later in the day, Queen Mary changed into a more relaxed outfit consisting of cream wide-leg trousers and a blue jacket that matched the pants she wore the day before.
Her belt is by Italian brand Etro.
Queen Mary's jewels are by Ole Lynggaard and Dulong, brands she has consistently worn throughout her royal life.
Look 13: Melbourne
Queen Mary's final outfit in Melbourne was this pink Zimmermann frock, a dress she wore in 2022 in Hobart when she and her family spent Christmas in Tasmania.
The dress was worn for 'An Evening in the Garden', held at the Royal Botanical Garden, in what was a 'thank you' reception hosted by the Danish couple to show their appreciation to Australia.
Mary accessorised with the Lotus earrings by Ole Lynggaard, pairing the Danish-made jewels with the Australian-branded dress.
Mixing locally-made clothes and jewels with pieces from Denmark is known as diplomatic dressing, a method used by royal women everywhere during official tours. A form of soft diplomacy, it works to pay tribute to the host country while also promoting brands from their home and places they are visiting.
Look 14: Hobart
The busiest leg of the Australian tour was Hobart, which was the final stop of the six-day visit.
Queen Mary and King Frederik had seven engagements throughout the day and the Queen wore the same outfit for the majority of the program.
She chose a paisley print dress by ME+EM and a beige Ralph Lauren jacket – both re-wears from her existing wardrobe – nipped in at the waist with a Max Mara leather belt.
Her Prada ballet flats ensured she was comfortable throughout the day, during which the King and Queen took a boat ride which passed by her former school before they met the public in their final walkabout of the tour along Hobart's iconic waterfront.
Queen Mary's gold jewels by Dulong and Rebekka Notkin elevated the outfit, proving the versatility and elegance of simple and timeless pieces.
Look 15: Hobart
Queen Mary ended the state visit with an outfit that paid tribute to both Australia and Denmark, once again.
It was a fitting look for the final event, a state reception at Government House, which saw Mary hold back tears as she spoke of her "roots [being] grounded [in] both in Australia and Denmark
and her "unforgettable" time in Tasmania.
The white blouse by Melbourne label Clea had previously been worn in France, last year, along with the gypsy earrings by Ole Lynggaard.
Mary's black Carla Zampatti pants were a new addition to her tour wardrobe.
The pants received a mixed reaction online from some royal fashion watchers, but allowed the Queen's white and black cap-toe heels to be seen with ease.
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