State Visit Jewels: The Dutch Visit Denmark

Big, glittering state visits from monarchy to monarchy are becoming rarer and rarer these days, but we’re in the midst of just such a visit! King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrived yesterday in Copenhagen for a visit to Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. The entire Danish royal family gathered to welcome their Dutch counterparts, and there were some major jewels on display!

Queen Margrethe chose pearls to welcome her godson, King Willem-Alexander, to Denmark.

Here’s a better look at Daisy’s earrings (and her hat!).

Queen Maxima wore a bejeweled coat on her arrival in Copenhagen. Underneath the jacket, she wore a major piece of royal jewelry: a diamond and sapphire brooch that belonged to Queen Emma. That link also shows a better view of Maxima’s earrings.

They’re generational contemporaries, but now that Maxima is a queen consort, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has to curtsey to her.

Mary kept her jewelry fairly simple for the arrival ceremony. From the photos, it looks as if she’s wearing her Marianne Dulong gray pearl stud earrings. The brooch that Mary’s wearing isn’t familiar to me — at first, I wondered if it was a part of the coat, but the placement makes me think that it’s a separate piece. (If you have any info, please pipe up in the comments!)

Princess Marie can be seen standing behind Mary in the photo above; she also appears to be wearing a brooch pinned to her coat. (We’re also lacking in decent photos of Princess Benedikte, who attended the ceremony with Prince Richard; here’s one of the best shots I’ve seen.)

Things got even sparklier yesterday evening at the state banquet, held at Christiansborg Palace.

Queen Margrethe wore the Pearl Poiré Tiara, a German-made piece that has Dutch connections. In 1825, the Prussian king gave the tiara as a wedding present to his daughter, Louise, who was marrying Prince Frederik of the Netherlands. Their daughter, also named Louise, is one of Margrethe’s ancestors. Because of the tiara’s Dutch connections, you’ll sometimes see it called the Orange-Nassau Tiara.

The pearls that Margrethe wears with the tiara aren’t a part of a matching set. The necklace and earrings were a wedding gift to Queen Lovisa of Denmark in 1869 from the Khedive of Egypt; the brooch with drop pearls also belonged to Lovisa. Margrethe is also wearing the sash of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

Queen Maxima looked absolutely stunning in pieces from the Dutch sapphire parure, including the tiara that she wore in 2013 at her husband’s inauguration. (The dress is also a repeat from that event.) On this occasion, however, the tiara was slightly different from its 2013 appearance; additional diamonds were included above the central sapphire. Here’s a view of the tiara at the banquet from the front.

Maxima is also wearing sapphire and diamond earrings, as well as the large Dutch sapphire wing brooch and a diamond bracelet. She’s wearing the sash and star of the Order of the Elephant, a brand-new addition to her collection of orders.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary both received new orders during the visit as well: they’re both wearing the sash and star of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

Mary wore her diamond wedding tiara and her aquamarine girandole earrings. She’s also wearing Margrethe II’s family order.

New orders were also on the menu for Prince Joachim and Princess Marie, who received and wore the Order of Orange-Nassau.

Marie chose her usual tiara, Princess Dagmar’s Floral Tiara, for the banquet. She also wore her mother-in-law’s family order, and she pinned the sash of her new Dutch order with a distinctive brooch.

Here’s the best view I’ve been able to find of Princess Benedikte at the banquet. She’s wearing the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Fringe Tiara, a diamond necklace that belonged to her mother, and the Order of Orange-Nassau. I know that Princess Elisabeth of Denmark also attended the banquet, probably wearing her sapphire tiara, but I’ve not been able to find a single clear picture of her, sadly.