Spanish State Visit Jewels: State Banquet at Buckingham Palace

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The most glittering event of the Spanish state visit to the United Kingdom has arrived: the grand state banquet at Buckingham Palace! Hang on to your tiaras — we’ve got some MAJOR jewels to discuss!

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Queen Elizabeth wore a suite of jewels that we haven’t seen in a bit: the Brazilian Aquamarine Parure. (More about the suite over here!) On her left shoulder, she wears the Order of the Golden Fleece.

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Queen Letizia did not disappoint tonight, wearing several pieces from the joyas de pasar, the family’s heirloom jewelry collection. (We talked about the entire collection over here this morning!) She wore the tiara from the set, nicknamed “La Buena,” plus the large diamond cluster earrings and one of the matched diamond bracelets.

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Here’s a look at the gowns and jewels worn by both queens. Letizia does not have a British order, so she wore her highest Spanish order, the Order of Charles III.

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King Felipe received the Order of the Garter on this visit. He’s also wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece around his neck.

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The Duke of Edinburgh wore his highest Spanish order, the Order of Charles III, with his numerous other medals and decorations.

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The Duchess of Cornwall wore her favorite tiara, the grand Greville Tiara that once belonged to the Queen Mother. (Read its history over here!) She paired the tiara with enormous earrings and another one of her pearl necklaces with a diamond clasp. She’s also wearing the Royal Victorian Order and the Queen’s family order.

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The Duchess of Cambridge wore a tiara we’ve seen her wear twice before: Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara. (You can read the history of this piece, which is a copy of the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara, over here!) Kate is also wearing pearl and diamond drop earrings that belonged to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Made by Collingwood, the earrings were a gift to Diana from the jewelry firm. On at least one occasion, she paired them with the Lover’s Knot Tiara.

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…but the real surprise was the piece of jewelry around Kate’s neck! This is the v-shaped diamond and ruby floral necklace that belongs to the Queen. The necklace was a wedding gift to the then-Princess Elizabeth from her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, in 1947. Made by Boucheron in 1907, the necklace was a part of the grand jewelry bequest to the Queen Mother from Mrs. Greville. The necklace was loaned to Kate by the Queen.

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We didn’t get good looks at many of the other royal jewels worn tonight, sadly. Princess Anne was at the banquet, and I believe she wore her Aquamarine Pineflower Tiara. (Curse that candelabra!)

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The Countess of Wessex attended, too, in her convertible aquamarine necklace/tiara.

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Prince Harry got a good bit of attention from the cameras, as he was attending his first state banquet. The woman sitting to his left is the Marchioness of Cholmondeley.

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Now we’ve really got to squint, I’m afraid. The woman in gold here is Princess Michael of Kent, wearing the Kent Festoon Tiara.

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And here, in red, is the Duchess of Gloucester. You can tell that she’s wearing one of her pearl and diamond choker necklaces, but I’m not prepared to definitely name her tiara from this view. Perhaps either the Iveagh or the Honeysuckle?

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We know that there were even more royals and nobles present — the procession list also includes Lady Gabriella Windsor and the Duchess of Wellington — but I don’t have any views of their jewelry that I can share with you yet, sadly.

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What do you think of the state visit jewels on display tonight?