Royal Jewel Rewind: Pre-Wedding Gala in Luxembourg (Part 2)

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Time for the second installment of our look back at the glittering pre-wedding gala held in Luxembourg five years ago! If you missed our first post, check it out here. Otherwise, get ready for some royal glitter!

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The grand ducal family of Luxembourg and the royal family of Belgium are closely related. The late Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte was the sister of King Albert II of Belgium, which means that the current rulers of each nation are first cousins. Add in the bride’s Belgian nationality, and it’s no wonder, then, that there was a major contingent of Belgian royalty and nobility at the wedding. Queen Paola arrived wearing some of her best personal jewels, including Queen Elisabeth’s Art Deco Bandeau (more here!), her diamond and pearl half-moon earrings (more here!), and a diamond necklace.

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Queen Mathilde, who was then the Duchess of Brabant, wore one of her wedding gifts: her sparkling diamond laurel wreath tiara (more over here!). She also wore her diamond and pearl wedding earrings, a diamond necklace, and a pair of diamond bracelets.

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Princess Astrid wore the Savoy-Aosta Tiara, a diamond sparkler from the family of her husband, Prince Lorenz. (More on the tiara over here!) She paired it with stunning diamond and emerald drop earrings.

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Also in green: Princess Claire, who wore her small diamond and pearl tiara (more on that here!) with her pearl wedding earrings.

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The wedding was one of the last major public appearances of Queen Fabiola of Belgium, who was a beloved aunt to both the Belgian and Luxembourgish royals. On this occasion, she accessorized with a diamond daisy ornament in her hair, plus a pair of coordinating earrings.

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Belgian friends and relatives of the bride were also in attendance. Wearing an impressive diamond tiara above is Countess Blanche de Merode, a member of one of Belgium’s most important noble families. She was one of Stephanie’s witnesses at the wedding. Blanche wore the same tiara for her wedding to Baron Philipp von und zu Bodmann in 2010. (Thanks to Svenja for helping jog my memory on Blanche’s tiara — of course, some of the best coverage of this wedding can be found at Luxarazzi!)

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One of Stephanie’s sisters-in-law, Countess Luisa de Lannoy, wore a petite diamond tiara for the gala, plus diamond earrings and a diamond brooch.

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Also very elegant and sparkly: Stephanie’s sister, Nathalie Hamilton, who wore tassel earrings with a lovely diamond necklace. The Lannoys are experienced jewel-sharers; Stephanie herself has also worn the same necklace.

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Stephanie has also worn the lovely diamond earrings worn by another sister, Isabelle de la Court, at the gala. Isabelle also wore a triple-stranded pearl necklace with diamond spacers, a diamond brooch, and a diamond and pearl bracelet.

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The Benelux representation at the gala was rounded out by Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, who was then still a princess. She wore pieces from one of her favorite sets of Dutch royal jewelry, the Mellerio Ruby Parure. (More here!)

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We were also treated to a rare appearance by Princess Marie Aglae, the wife of Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein. She wore a major pair of diamond earrings and a pearl choker with an elaborate diamond clasp.

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We’ll round out this second installment of gala jewels with a very sparkling appearance by Princess Caroline, who represented the princely family of Monaco at the event. She wore her grandmother’s fantastic Cartier Pearl Drop Tiara (more here!), her diamond fringe necklace (more here!), and diamond earrings.