Glimpses of Queen Ingrid's early years--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Rebecca K. Engmann
4. april 2003 Print Article (IE & NS 4+)
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A lifetime of royal threads: clothing and relics from the life of the late Queen Mother, Ingrid, are on display in a special exhibition
Copenhagen may or may not be in store for a Crown Prince wedding in the near future. But royal wedding-watchers and nostalgia buffs are already getting their fix with a look at the past. In 1935, much like today, Denmark was transfixed by the magical arrival of Crown Prince Frederik's mysterious companion, a devoted Swedish princess who later became the much loved and respected Queen Ingrid.
Ingrid, in many ways the last vestige of Scandinavia's 19th century-style monarchy, died in 2000.
Last Friday, on what would have been the late Queen's 93rd birthday, Amalienborg Palace unveiled a new exhibition on Ingrid's childhood and years as Crown Princess of Denmark. ‘A Crown Princess Comes to Shore’ is inspired by the immortal newsreel footage that captured the nation's heart in May 1935, when Ingrid arrived by boat with her newlywed husband, Crown Prince Frederik (himself a confirmed bachelor for many years before his much-hyped nuptials). Ingrid's fairy-tale arrival at Amalienborg, donning a sleek fox stole and smart silk couture, set the standard for the image of a Queen-in-waiting for years to come. The timing of the new exhibition, opened in cooperation with Ingrid's daughters, Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte, and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, may be auspicious in its own right: royal-watchers have already got their eye on Crown Prince Frederik's current companion, Mary Donaldson to see if she has the magical quality that Ingrid exuded in spades some 68 years ago.
The Amalienborg exhibition is also a tribute to Ingrid's international, and undeniably blue-blooded background. By rights a Princess of Sweden, Ingrid was the daughter of King Gustaf Adolf and Queen Margaret, (born Duchess of Connaught), great-granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria, and great-great granddaughter of Russia's Catherine the Great. Ingrid mastered Swedish and English equally, and her childhood - until her mother's sudden death when Ingrid was 10 - was idyllic and countrified, as much at home in Sweden as in the pastoral English countryside. Relics of Ingrid's childhood, now owned by Queen Margrethe, are on display: pristine examples of the Princess's dapper pink dresses, shoes from Peter Yapp on London's Sloane Street, a first-edition series of Beatrix Potter books, with Arthur Rackham illustrations. All were painstakingly wrapped in silk paper, and made the journey with Ingrid when she set sail for her new life in Denmark.
The real draw of the Amalienborg exhibition, however, is the royal couture. Notable is the impressive collection of royal dress trains: one beautifully dulcet train was worn by Ingrid's mother, Margaret, at the 1896 coronation of Russia's Czar Nicholas II. Another 19th century claret train belonged to Ingrid's paternal grandmother, Sweden's Queen Victoria. Pieces from Ingrid's own wardrobe are considerably sleeker, and less stodgy, than other royals of the day - indeed, Denmark's first impression of Crown Princess Ingrid was her vibrant youth and modernity (‘A modern princess from cradle to bridal veil,’ Berlingske Tidende wrote after the royal engagement, praising Ingrid's ‘democratic upbringing.’) Ingrid's velour train from 1932 is on display, as is a resplendent, 1920's style gown embossed with Prince of Wales feathers.
The centerpiece of the show is Ingrid's wedding dress, worn at Stockholm Cathedral on 24 May 1935. The simple, white silk gown, designed by court couturier Fr. V. Tunborg & Co., was outfitted with an 8 meter-long train, and fit the Crown Princess like a glove.
The Amalienborg exhibition is a fascinating glimpse at the world of early 20th century royals - but also a touching tribute to a Queen widely admired by older Danish generations. Included are newsreels of Ingrid's first homecoming to the Danish kingdom, and a radio greeting delivered by the Princess as a farewell address to the Swedish people. Older visitors reminisced about their own fond memories of Queen Ingrid and the bygone age, told in books, papers, photographs, and a lifetime of clothing.
By Rebecca K. Engmann
4. april 2003 Print Article (IE & NS 4+)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A lifetime of royal threads: clothing and relics from the life of the late Queen Mother, Ingrid, are on display in a special exhibition
Copenhagen may or may not be in store for a Crown Prince wedding in the near future. But royal wedding-watchers and nostalgia buffs are already getting their fix with a look at the past. In 1935, much like today, Denmark was transfixed by the magical arrival of Crown Prince Frederik's mysterious companion, a devoted Swedish princess who later became the much loved and respected Queen Ingrid.
Ingrid, in many ways the last vestige of Scandinavia's 19th century-style monarchy, died in 2000.
Last Friday, on what would have been the late Queen's 93rd birthday, Amalienborg Palace unveiled a new exhibition on Ingrid's childhood and years as Crown Princess of Denmark. ‘A Crown Princess Comes to Shore’ is inspired by the immortal newsreel footage that captured the nation's heart in May 1935, when Ingrid arrived by boat with her newlywed husband, Crown Prince Frederik (himself a confirmed bachelor for many years before his much-hyped nuptials). Ingrid's fairy-tale arrival at Amalienborg, donning a sleek fox stole and smart silk couture, set the standard for the image of a Queen-in-waiting for years to come. The timing of the new exhibition, opened in cooperation with Ingrid's daughters, Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte, and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, may be auspicious in its own right: royal-watchers have already got their eye on Crown Prince Frederik's current companion, Mary Donaldson to see if she has the magical quality that Ingrid exuded in spades some 68 years ago.
The Amalienborg exhibition is also a tribute to Ingrid's international, and undeniably blue-blooded background. By rights a Princess of Sweden, Ingrid was the daughter of King Gustaf Adolf and Queen Margaret, (born Duchess of Connaught), great-granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria, and great-great granddaughter of Russia's Catherine the Great. Ingrid mastered Swedish and English equally, and her childhood - until her mother's sudden death when Ingrid was 10 - was idyllic and countrified, as much at home in Sweden as in the pastoral English countryside. Relics of Ingrid's childhood, now owned by Queen Margrethe, are on display: pristine examples of the Princess's dapper pink dresses, shoes from Peter Yapp on London's Sloane Street, a first-edition series of Beatrix Potter books, with Arthur Rackham illustrations. All were painstakingly wrapped in silk paper, and made the journey with Ingrid when she set sail for her new life in Denmark.
The real draw of the Amalienborg exhibition, however, is the royal couture. Notable is the impressive collection of royal dress trains: one beautifully dulcet train was worn by Ingrid's mother, Margaret, at the 1896 coronation of Russia's Czar Nicholas II. Another 19th century claret train belonged to Ingrid's paternal grandmother, Sweden's Queen Victoria. Pieces from Ingrid's own wardrobe are considerably sleeker, and less stodgy, than other royals of the day - indeed, Denmark's first impression of Crown Princess Ingrid was her vibrant youth and modernity (‘A modern princess from cradle to bridal veil,’ Berlingske Tidende wrote after the royal engagement, praising Ingrid's ‘democratic upbringing.’) Ingrid's velour train from 1932 is on display, as is a resplendent, 1920's style gown embossed with Prince of Wales feathers.
The centerpiece of the show is Ingrid's wedding dress, worn at Stockholm Cathedral on 24 May 1935. The simple, white silk gown, designed by court couturier Fr. V. Tunborg & Co., was outfitted with an 8 meter-long train, and fit the Crown Princess like a glove.
The Amalienborg exhibition is a fascinating glimpse at the world of early 20th century royals - but also a touching tribute to a Queen widely admired by older Danish generations. Included are newsreels of Ingrid's first homecoming to the Danish kingdom, and a radio greeting delivered by the Princess as a farewell address to the Swedish people. Older visitors reminisced about their own fond memories of Queen Ingrid and the bygone age, told in books, papers, photographs, and a lifetime of clothing.
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