Dutch Visit to New Zealand: State Dinner in Wellington

The Dutch royals attend a state dinner in Wellington (Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Hold on to your hats, magpies: Queen Maxima brought some major sparkle with her to Wellington for tonight’s state dinner!

Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Although the dinner was black tie, Maxima popped on a tiara anyway. (Love her for that!) This is the all-diamond version of Queen Emma’s Diamond Tiara, ordered by King Willem III for his wife (that’d be Queen Emma) in 1890. He died just before the tiara was delivered to Emma at the palace.

Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Here’s a good close-up of the tiara from tonight’s dinner. It can also be worn with diamond stars attached to the top, and the central diamond of each of the three rosettes can be swapped for rubies. (I don’t love it in ruby form, and I’m glad Maxima resisted the temptation to match the tiara to her gown!)

Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Maxima also wore another piece of jewelry with links to Willem III: Queen Wilhelmina’s diamond earrings. These were given to her by her father (that’d be King Willem) as a ninth (yes, ninth) birthday present in 1889. She never wore them; her daughter, Queen Juliana, is the first person to have been photographed in them. (Sidenote: how fab does Max’s hair look??? I don’t usually love tiaras worn with the hair down, but this is just gorgeous.)

Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

And here’s a look at Maxima’s entire ensemble. The diamond scroll/floral brooch is also from Queen Wilhelmina’s collection, and Maxima is wearing her diamond wedding and family initial bracelets. She’s also wearing the miniature ribbon and badge of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.