Frederik and Mary of Denmark were the hosts of the first major royal gala of 2026. Traditionally, Danish monarchs offer a New Year’s dinner at Amalienborg every January 1st, welcoming the President of the Folketing (Parliament), representatives of the country’s official life, and members of the Court. The elegant evening was marked by a few factors, including the absence of a princess, the return of Prince Joachim and his wife, Princess Marie, and a Danish menu centered on cauliflower and Greenlandic crab.
The Royal Family was represented by various key figures, including the King and Queen, and the Crown Prince Christian. Queen Margrethe, her sister Princess Benedikte, and Prince Joachim and his wife Marie were also in attendance. The latter couple returned to the palace after spending Christmas in Washington, where they have lived since 2023.
The most significant absence of the evening was that of Princess Isabella. Although she is 18 and eligible to attend the gala, local media reports claim that she has not yet decided if she'll become an active member of the Danish monarchy.
Christian VII’s Palace at Amalienborg was decorated with spectacular floral arrangements, with decorators opting for warm, golden tones, preferring to combine shades of orange and ochre with subtle touches of bright yellow.
Queen Mary was involved in the process of selecting the flowers, which this year included roses, two varieties of orchids, and reddish eucalyptus. The arrangements were displayed on the Frederik VI dessert service, designed in the 1830s at the Royal Porcelain Factory.
A royal dinner highlighting its local culture
The gala's dinner menu highlighted its local Danish culture. The menu consisted of appetizers and main courses, including a creamy cauliflower soup with Parisian herbs and Jutland truffles, Greenland snow crab with tomato chutney on lettuce and sprouts from the gardens of Fredensborg Palace, accompanied by mussel cream.
The main course was made up of wild duck breast and confit legs with beetroot, scorzonera roots, roasted leek, a mild mustard sauce, and horseradish. The evening concluded with dessert, made up of walnut cake with pickled lemons, skyr cheese, and mandarin Grand Marnier sauce.
Wines from the Royal Family’s Château de Cayx in France were served, along with semi-dry Piper-Heidsieck champagne. Music was provided by the Royal Life Guards band, with works by Strauss, Bizet, Walter, Viraud, and Seebach.