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Wedding of Princess Margrethe and Henri de Laborde de Monpezat

The wedding of Princess Margrethe of Denmark (later Queen Margrethe II) and Henri de Laborde de Monpezat (later Prince Henrik of Denmark) took place on Saturday, 10 June 1967, at the Holmen Church in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Wedding of Princess Margrethe of Denmark and Henri de Laborde de Monpezat
Margrethe and Henri (Henrik) leave Holmen Church
Date10 June 1967
VenueHolmen Church
LocationCopenhagen, Denmark
ParticipantsPrincess Margrethe of Denmark (later Queen Margrethe II)
Henri de Laborde de Monpezat (later Prince Henrik of Denmark)

Engagement

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Margrethe and Henri, with their families, at a photocall after the announcement of their engagement, 7 October 1966

Princess Margrethe, eldest daughter and heiress presumptive of King Frederik IX of Denmark, first met French diplomat Henri de Laborde de Monpezat at a dinner at the French embassy in London in 1965 while the princess was a student at the London School of Economics.[1] The couple were seen embracing at Copenhagen Airport in September 1966. Their engagement was announced on 4 October 1966.[2]

That same day, the Folketing granted their consent to the union.[citation needed] On the morning of 5 October, the King asked the Council of State for their formal consent to the marriage, which was granted. The couple and their families appeared on the balcony of the Amalienborg and drove in open cars through the streets of Copenhagen to a luncheon at Fredensborg Palace.[citation needed]

Henri presented Princess Margrethe with a toi et moi style diamond engagement ring made by Van Cleef & Arpels. The ring features two square-cut diamonds mounted diagonally on a yellow gold band.[citation needed]

The wedding was set for 25 May 1967, the day after Margrethe's parent's 32nd wedding anniversary, but was pushed back to June as her youngest sister, Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, was expecting. Her son, Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, was born on 20 May 1967.[3]

Pre-wedding celebrations

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Margrethe and Henri at the French Embassy in Copenhagen, 7 June 1967

Henri moved full-time to Copenhagen at the end of May 1967, he also converted from the Roman Catholicim to Lutheranism and changed the spelling of his name from the French Henri to the Danish Henrik.[1][4]

Several pre-wedding dinners, balls and galas were held in the couple's honour. This began when the King and Queen hosted a gala for the diplomatic corp at Christiansborg Palace on 30 May, followed by a special performance by the Royal Danish Ballet at the Royal Danish Theatre on 31 May, a gala for the Danish government at Christiansborg Palace on 2 June, a dinner at Fredensborg Palace to celebrate the engagement of Margrethe's younger sister, Princess Benedikte, to Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg on 5 June, and a ball at the French Embassy on 7 June.[citation needed]

Wedding

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Princess Margrethe and Henri de Laborde de Monpezat were married on Saturday, 10 June 1967, at 17:00 local time at the Holmen Church. The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark ceremony was performed by Erik Jensen, Bishop of Aalborg and Chaplin of the Royal Court. The ceremony lasted just 20 minutes.[5]

Music

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Princess Margrethe and her father walked down the aisle to a sixteenth-century musical setting of Psalm 42. Two hymns were sung during the service. The couple left the church to Charles-Marie Widor's "Toccata" from Symphonie pour orgue No. 5.[2]

Attire

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Princess Margrethe wore a silk wedding gown with a six-meter train by Danish fashion designer Jørgen Bender. She wore the Irish lace veil her maternal grandmother, Princess Margaret of Connaught, wore at her wedding in 1905. She also wore the diamond tiara by Cartier her grandmother had received as a wedding gift from the Khedive of Egypt and a diamond daisy brooch belonging to her mother made with diamonds that had belonged to Margaret of Connaught.[1]

Henri wore evening dress with the riband and star of the Order of the Elephant, which King Frederik IX had bestowed upon him that day.[citation needed]

Attendants

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Princess Margrethe had four teenage bridesmaids: Kristin Dahl, Countess Désirée of Rosenborg (daughter of Count Flemming of Rosenborg), Anne and Carina Oxholm Tillisch. Henri's best man was his brother Etienne de Laborde de Monpezat.

Reception

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The wedding reception for 400 guests was held at Fredensborg Palace.[5] Upon their marriage, Henri assumed the title of Prince of Denmark and adopted his Danish name Henrik. Prince Henrik gave a speech where he stated his new wife was the "single most beautiful adornment" in the "blooming garden" that is Denmark. This was referenced during his funeral when he requested floral arrangements in the Christiansborg Palace Chapel be arranged like a blooming garden.[2]

Guests

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The wedding was attended by members of the couple's families, foreign royal families, and Danish and French dignitaries. The bride's sister and brother-in-law, Queen Anne-Marie and King Constantine II of Greece, were notably absent due to political instability in their country following a coup d'état on 21 April 1967.[6] Queen Ingrid placed photos of the Greek royal couple around Fredensborg Palace during the reception to ensure their absence was felt.[6] Notable guests in attendance included:[4]

Relatives of the bride

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Danish royal family

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Swedish royal family

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Relatives of the groom

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  • André and Renée de Laborde de Monpezat, the groom's parents
    • Françoise Bardin, the groom's sister
    • Maurille Beauvillain, the groom's sister
    • Étienne de Laborde de Monpezat, the groom's brother
    • Jean-Baptiste de Laborde de Monpezat, the groom's brother

Foreign royal guests

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Members of reigning royal houses

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Members of non-reigning royal houses

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  • The Prince and Princess of Asturias, the bride's third cousins
  • The Prince and Princess of Prussia, the bride's paternal first cousin once removed and maternal second cousin once removed
  • Duke and Duchess Christian of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, the bride's paternal first cousin once removed and maternal third cousin
  • Princess Tatiana Radziwiłł and Dr Jean Henri Fruchaud, the bride's paternal third cousin and her husband

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Gay, Danielle (9 June 2019). "Inside Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik's 1967 wedding". Vogue. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Delorme, Philippe (12 May 2024). "France - Danemark : trois mariages royaux pour le meilleur et pour le pire..." Point de Vue (in French). Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Heir to Throne Is Born To Greek Royal Couple". The New York Times. Associated Press. 21 May 1967. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b Bonnet, Dominique (10 June 2017). "Le jour où ... la princesse Margrethe de Danemark épousait son beau diplomate français". Paris Match (in French). Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Margrethe of Denmark Married to French Count; Royalty Among 900 at the Wedding of Heiress to Throne 800th Anniversary of Copenhagen Also Is Celebrated". The New York Times. 11 June 1967. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b Mateos Sáinz de Medrano, Ricardo (2004). La Familia de la Reina Sofía: La Dinastía griega, la Casa de Hannover y los reales primos de Europa (in Spanish). Madrid: La Esfera de los Libros. p. 369. ISBN 978-84-9734-195-0.
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