Designer on Mary’s visit to shop that started love affair

Since Queen Mary was first catapulted into the spotlight 20 years ago, she has become known for her dedication to royal duty and her complete immersion into the Danish way of life.
She has also become a global style icon.
While royal women don’t want to be defined solely by their wardrobes, their clothing and accessory choices are what often generate headlines, leading into more meaningful conversations about their work.
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Fashion may not be the top of their priorities but their patronage of and loyalty to a particular label can be life changing for those behind the brand.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, acknowledged this, recently telling the New York Times she uses her “global spotlight, and attention” to “support designers… and smaller, up-and-coming brands”, adding it was “one of the most powerful things” she can do.
The fashion choices of royal women has also become a hugely popular hobby of social media users keen to track, and often buy, the clothes and jewellery worn at official engagements.
It was this savvy online community that led to a New York designer being made aware of her creations being worn by Queen Mary of Denmark.
The moment was life-changing.
“To me it felt surreal,” Ellen Hunter tells 9Honey.
“When a celebrity or royal wears my designs, it feels like it legitimises the brand and has put my signature aesthetic on the map globally.
“Queen Mary and Taylor Swift are by far the most impactful when it comes to endorsing my collections.”
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Yes, Queen Mary and Taylor Swift – two women who, at first glance don’t appear to have much in common. But both women have worn designs by Hunter’s accessory business, Ellen Hunter NYC.
So have Beyoncé and Ariana Grande, Paris Hilton and Olivia Palermo, just to name a handful.
Beyoncé and Swift, Hunter says, are “American royalty”. 
Hunter wasn’t aware of Queen Mary wearing her hair combs until photos were sent to her by a royal fashion watcher on Instagram several years later during COVID-19 lockdowns.
She now keeps in touch with various royal style accounts “that keep an eye on the Queen’s looks” and who send her photos when they are spotted.
While Hunter did know Mary had purchased some of her combs more than 10 years ago during a visit to New York, she had no idea about if the pieces would be used by Mary or someone else.
Mary, who was Crown Princess at the time, was spotted shopping at Henri Bendel, a beloved luxury department store on Fifth Avenue, while in Manhattan in 2013. The flagship store has since closed, much to the disappointment of New Yorkers and tourists.
While Hunter was not in the store at the time of Mary’s visit, she was quickly notified.
“I received a call from a sales associate that Mary had been to the store and had purchased a few items,” Hunter says.
“I was excited, but I wasn’t sure if they were a gift for someone else or she was intending to wear them herself.
“I filed this information in the very back of my mind and it wasn’t until a chance meeting years later [with a royal fashion account] that I discovered that they had become one of Her Majesty’s favourite accessories.”
Soon after that day in New York, Queen Mary wore two of Hunter’s combs – the gold Daphne combs – during an official visit to Germany, in June 2013.
In the years since, Mary has worn five of Hunter’s combs: the Daphne in silver and gold, Amanda, Nell, Jane and most recently the Sylvia comb to the 2024 Carlsberg Foundation’s Research Awards (where she also wore a frock by Australian designer Moss & Spy).
One of the combs Mary has, the silver Daphne, retails for $95 USD (about $140 AUD), making them relatively affordable for regular people.
In May, during the King and Queen’s first state visits to Norway and Sweden following the change of throne, Mary wore the accessories on several occasions.
”A member of her team purchases the combs directly through my website,” Hunter explains.
“When they reached out late 2023 letting me know a purchase was coming, I was absolutely thrilled.”
She isn’t made aware of the occasion the accessories will be used for at the time of purchase and relies on social media to keep track.
“It has certainly made this year more fun, keeping an eye on Queen Mary’s every look,” she says.
“I have a network of eagle-eyed style watchers alongside me, and it has been really great to connect with people around the world who have helped identify these items when they are worn.”
Queen Mary has even worn Hunter’s combs to some of the Danish royal family’s most important, and high profile, events.
She wore the Ellen comb to a gala dinner held inside Christiansborg Palace on January 4 this year, alongside jewels from the historic Danish ruby parure – a suite of jewels she has worn most frequently in her 20-year royal life.
“It is hard to put into words how incredible it feels that Queen Mary styles my designs with such historically significant jewellery,” Hunter says.
“To see my designs worn at royal engagements by one of the most glamourous women in the world makes me feel honoured, humbled and grateful.”
Queen Mary, and the historic ruby jewels, have even prompted Hunter to craft a collection for people wanting to “have their very own piece of royal inspired style”.
“In my newest collection [Fall 2024], you’ll see a lot of antique gold plating and colourful jewel tones with subtle sparkle. Right now, I am enamoured with topaz, pale green opals and ivory pearls mixed with antique gold filigree and leaf touches.”
Queen Mary has a strong focus on sustainability when it comes to her wardrobe choices and many of her clothes and accessories are now worn by her two daughters, Princess Isabella and Princess Josephine.
That includes Hunter’s pieces, which are all handmade in the US.
Princess Isabella borrowed one of the combs for a gala dinner celebrating Crown Prince Christian’s 18th birthday last year, also at Christiansborg, and another worn to her confirmation at Fredensborg Palace in 2022.
Hunter says her designs are made to be “less trend driven and more timeless heirloom pieces”.
“It is really special to see the designs embraced by multiple generations.”
Hunter is originally from Memphis, Tennessee, and after studying at the University of Alabama, and then at the London College of Fashion, she moved to New York City to pursue her dream of opening an accessories company which she did in 2009.
Now 42, Hunter says she was “not as familiar with the European royals – or their proper titles – a decade ago”.
“Now I thoroughly enjoy daily style updates from these dynamic women and look to them for inspiration when designing new collections.”
Hunter jokes that she would “relocate my business to London if it meant Kate Middleton wearing my designs”.
“In all seriousness, I adore the style of iconic women like her, Queen Rania of Jordan, Queen Letizia of Spain, Princess Madeline of Sweden and so many more.”
Royal fashion pages on social media have also opened up her brand globally, thanks to Queen Mary.
“It has been such a joy to see website orders from clients around the world who have been inspired by the Queen’s style,” Hunter says.