Princess Mary of Denmark Wears Historic Tiara in Dazzling 50th Birthday Portraits: See Photos!

Princess Mary of Denmark is celebrating a milestone birthday — and chose a special set of jewels for her official portraits.

Ahead of Princess Mary's 50th birthday on February 5, the palace shared six new portraits of the honoree and her husband, Crown Prince Frederik, dressed to the nines in gala wear. While Queen Margrethe's son, 53, looks dapper in dress military uniform, Princess Mary steals the shows in a glittering light blue gown accessorized with ruby and diamond jewels.

Princess Mary sported the Ruby Parure Tiara with matching earrings, a bracelet, a brooch and a ring from the collection — the same set of royal jewels worn by the royal following news of her engagement to Prince Frederik in 2003.

The tiara and matching jewelry have a fascinating history, dating back to the 1804 imperial coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, France. Désirée Clary, the wife of Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte who was once engaged to Bonaparte, wore the newly acquired jewels at the coronation as she followed Empress Josephine down the aisle, carrying her veil and handkerchief on a pillow.

Désirée's daughter-in-law Josephine (a granddaughter of Empress Josephine) was next to acquire the jewelry set. When her granddaughter, Princess Lovisa, married Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 1869, Josephine gifted the ruby and diamond set to the bride as a wedding present, since they were the red and white colors of the Danish flag — and the jewels have remained in Denmark ever since.

Crown Prince Frederik inherited the jewels from his grandmother, Queen Ingrid, who was a great-great-great-granddaughter of the set's original owner. The jewels were to be worn by Frederik's future wife — who he happened to meet a few months prior to Queen Ingrid's death in 2000.

Denmark's future king met his Australian bride in a relatable way: at a bar! The couple met at a Sydney pub when the prince was visiting Australia during the 2000 Summer Olympics. They managed a long-distance relationship until Mary moved to Denmark in December 2001. They married in May 2004 and have four children: Prince Christian, 16, Princess Isabella, 14, and 11-year-old twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent.

Princess Mary's 50th birthday will be spent privately with family. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a gala dinner planned to mark the milestone was canceled.

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However, a TV program about Mary titled Mary 50 — We Celebrate Denmark's Crown Princess will air on February 6 in the country.

There will also be exhibitions at both Koldinghus and Frederiksborg Castle, as well as the opening of the Crown Princess Mary Centre at the University of Copenhagen.

Princess Mary recently spoke with Eurowoman magazine, sharing the advice her mother, who died when Mary was just 25, gave her.

"My mother always said, 'You can only be yourself.' She was absolutely right about that," the princess said. "I have reminded myself of those words when I have occasionally had the experience that I was about to lose myself. For my life has offered great changes — joys and sorrows — that I had to go through."

Mary added, "There are several landmark events: the grief of losing my mother. The joy of even becoming a mother. My time at university. To meet Frederik. To get married to the Crown Prince and become the Crown Princess for the Denmark and the Danish people that I love so much. And maybe to be 50 — who knows?"