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To announce her abdication in her traditional New Year’s speech to the nation, Queen Margrethe chose one of the jewellery pieces she is most attached to: her diamond daisy brooch. 

Despite what many may think, this isn’t a piece that originated with Margrethe, whose nickname is “Daisy”. 

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The brooch was created as a wedding gift for Princess Ingrid of Sweden for her 1935 marriage to Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. The shape of the piece and the diamonds of which it is composed are all a tribute that the bride’s father, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, chose to pay to his late wife, Crown Princess Margareta, for his daughter. Ingrid lost her mother, Margareta, when she was only 10 years old. 

Ingrid treasured her brooch, wearing it both for her wedding, which was celebrated in Sweden, and then for her arrival in her new country, Denmark. She then wore it for many important milestones, including then-Princess Margrethe’s confirmation, as well as several milestone birthdays. 

Queen Ingrid lent it to her first daughter, Margrethe (named after the grandmother she never got to know), for her wedding to Count Henri de Laborde de Monpezat.

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In a documentary about the royal jewels of Denmark, Queen Margrethe revealed the special moment that Queen Ingrid actually gave the brooch to her for good. In 2000, Margrethe turned 60 and in the same year her mother celebrated her 90th birthday. It was then that this poignant moment between the two took place. Queen Margrethe recalled: “Ten years ago, when I was sixty, on my birthday, my mother had just turned ninety. She gave me the daisy brooch, which I must say, I was extremely touched, to be given it like that”. 

Since then, Queen Margrethe has worn it for major milestones in her reign, including the pre-wedding celebrations for the marriage of Crown Prince Frederik, and the christening of Prince Christian – a symbol of the continuity of the dynasty, but also of the love passed down from generation to generation.