For the inauguration of her husband, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima looked truly majestic from tiara to toe. Here’s a look at the gorgeous diamonds and sapphires she wore for the ceremony in April 2013.
For the official inauguration ceremony at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, Queen Maxima arrived wearing a spectacular royal blue gown topped by a dramatic cape. The ensemble was made by one of her favorite designers, Jan Taminiau.
The shade of blue used in the gown, cape, and shoes coordinated perfectly with the blue and orange sash of Queen Maxima’s highest Dutch order, the Order of the Netherlands Lion. The star of the order was pinned to the gown just above her waist.
The color of the gown also matched perfectly with the bright blue royal sapphires that Maxima wore. She debuted one of the grandest tiaras from the royal collection, the Dutch Sapphire Parure Tiara, for the occasion. The tiara was made for Queen Emma of the Netherlands in 1881, and it’s part of a large parure of matching sapphire jewels. (To help differentiate it from other jewels in the collection, I sometimes call the piece “Queen Emma’s Sapphire Tiara.”) Maxima actually wore a slightly smaller setting of the tiara, with part of the top element lowered. The effect created a sort of modified kokoshnik design, with a curved top line.
She paired the tiara with even more fantastic sapphire jewels from the Dutch royal vaults. Her earrings are the Dutch Diamond Cluster and Sapphire Drop Earrings, which were made from Queen Wilhelmina’s dismantled sapphire tiara. On her cape, Maxima pinned another Dutch royal treasure, a large sapphire and diamond cluster, to her cape. On this occasion, she used one of the family’s diamond bow brooches with the cluster, wearing it as a pendant.
The overall effect was astonishing: absolutely perfect for her debut as the Queen of the Netherlands!
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