Every time Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, has recycled an outfit

Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, has never been shy about her commitment to sustainability. Amongst the responsibilities she’s assumed during her career as a senior royal and future queen is a patronage of the Global Fashion Agenda and the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, initiatives dedicated to creating community and carbon-neutrality within the fashion industry. “We haven’t seen ethical consumers penetrate mainstream fashion in the same way we’ve observed other areas and this is partially because consumers have a very irrational buying pattern,” the Australian-born royal shared in a 2019 interview. “When we buy clothes, it is often associated with feelings, joy, dreams and passion—and deeply linked to our identity.”

“I keep clothes that I think my daughters will inherit one day. Other clothes are passed on to people who can benefit from them.”

It’s a circular approach to dressing that Mary herself has readily adopted. Gone are the days where wearing an outfit more than once would be frowned upon. Now, as royal contemporaries like Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, have demonstrated, it’s almost expected for royals to rewear their pieces; those most au fait with Mary and Kate’s wardrobes have even come to predict which design they’ll recycle for certain public engagements.

Just like Kate, Mary relies on a handful of key silhouettes. In the summer, the Danish royal turns to the power of a summer dress. A cap-sleeved, ’50s-style midi from Beulah—also owned by the Duchess of Cambridge—is a particular favourite, worn first by Mary on a visit to Frederiksborg in 2020, and most recently at an occasion in the Netherlands in June this year. So, too, has the royal pledged her loyalty to a Marc Jacobs spring/summer ’12 design time and time again; Mary owns the shape in both a soft peach and chilli red shade, and has been seen in the belted midi dress everywhere from Milan to Royal Ascot. Pinks are also a recurring theme. A pleated dress from Prada, a fuschia number from No. 21, and a beaded coat dress from Claes Iversen are just some of the romantic pieces Mary has revisited over the years, styling them in fresh ways with different belts, blazers and pointed pumps.

Below, we break down every time Princess Mary has recycled an outfit.

Princess Mary wears Beulah at Frederiksborg Castle in 2020, and in the Netherlands in 2022.

Princess Mary wears No. 21 at Frederik’s 50th birthday portrait in 2018, the European Australian Business Council in 2019, and the Elite Research Awards in 2021.

Princess Mary wears Prada at the ballet in 2004, a christening in 2007, an anniversary n 2008, a visit to Malaysia in 2013, at another anniversary in 2015, and at Milan Design Week in 2021.

Princess Mary wears Marc Jacobs in 2012, at Royal Ascot in 2016 and in South Korea in 2019.

Princess Mary wears Marc Jacobs in Copenhagen in 2020, and at Milan Design Week in 2021.

Princess Mary wears an upcycled H&M skirt in Copenhagen in 2018, Finland in 2018, again in 2019, and Copenhagen in 2021.

Princess Mary wears Prada in the Netherlands in 2015, at the Women’s Board Awards in 2016, in Copenhagen in 2017, at the Council of Europe in 2018, and again in 2019 and 2020.

Princess Mary wears Claes Iversen in Latvia in 2018, and again in 2019 for the opening of Danish Parliament.

Princess Mary wears Mark Kenly Domino Tan in Italy in 2018, Paris in 2019 and Lithuania in 2021.

Princess Mary wears Dolce & Gabbana at Amalienborg Palace in 2018, in Copenhagen in 2019, and in Lithuania in 2021.

Princess Mary wears Prada at the re-opening of Glyptotek Museum in 2006, on a summer cruise in 2008, and the INDEX Awards in 2011, and the Inauguration of House of Industry in 2013.

Princess Mary wears Alexander McQueen in Copenhagen in 2017, and at the Swiss Embassy in 2021.

Princess Mary wears Temperley at Queen Margrethe's 75th birthday in 2015, and at a gala in 2021.

Princess Mary wears Alexander McQueen at the UEFA Euro Championships in 2020, and later at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit in 2021.

Princess Mary wears this purple ensemble in September 2021, and in Copenhagen in 2019.

Princess Mary wears Cult Gaia in Copenhagen in 2017, and Lithuania in 2021.

Princess Mary wears this white dress in Paris in 2018, and in August 2021.

Princess Mary wears David Andersen at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit in 2014, in Germany in 2015, and at Copenhagen Fashion Summit in 2018.

Princess Mary wears Strenesse in Latvia in 2018, again in 2019, and a visit to Poland in 2019.

Princess Mary wears Max Mara at Christiansborg Palace in 2019, and at Fredensborg Palace in 2021.

Princess Mary wears Oscar de la Renta on a Dutch State Visit in 2015, at Carl XIV Gustaf’s 70th birthday in 2016, and a premiere in 2016.

Princess Mary wears Raquel Diniz in Paris in 2018, Copenhagen in 2019, and at the Nordic Council Prize Awards in Copenhagen 2021.

Princess Mary wears Scanlan Theodore at a Danish science festival in 2019, and at the opening of Danish Parliament in 2021.

Princess Mary wears Moss & Spy in Paris in 2019, and Odense in 2021.